Squadron Supreme of America

[Cap808]

If they recruited Songbird I’d poop myself in glee!

I can't help but to think that Hank Pym would be a perfect fit on this team. Whether as Giant-Man or the Yellowjacket - but not both.

[Riv86672]

I can't help but to think that Hank Pym would be a perfect fit on this team. Whether as Giant-Man or the Yellowjacket - but not both.

Ooh, that’s interesting!
Ex Avenger(s) going over to the SSA...drama!

[danielsan52]

I just want the 712 team.

[Riv86672]

I just want the 712 team.

Whelp, I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Actually I don’t think I’d want it visited by modern creators any way, tbh.

[Ravin' Ray]

Ex Avenger(s) going over to the SSA...drama!

As he's written right now, Namor won't join (plus he tangled with Robinson's SS and got decapitated—but then returned—for his efforts), but he'd be their Aquaman.

[Riv86672]

^^^Yeah I would NOT include Namor!

[Sandy Hausler]

I liked Thundra in the role as she and Hyperion make a comparable duo to Superman and Wonder Woman. Power Princess was always a bit too spot on as a Wonder Woman analog, IMHO.

They were all spot-on analogs of JLA members. That was the point.

[Sandy Hausler]

Since we're talking about the Squadron Supreme, what happened to the Defenders' Nighthawk (a member of the original Squadron Sinister)? I thought a character purporting to be him turned up in the Supreme Power book or its connected Nighthawk book, but I believe it turned out not to be him.

[kcekada]

They were all spot-on analogs of JLA members. That was the point.

Yes and no. Hyperion didn't look like Superman the way Princess Power looked like Wonder Woman (in her original incarnation she was even in red, white and blue). Hyperion wasn't an alien. Doc spectrum wasn't a member of a galactic police force. Yes, it was obvious who he was mimicking -- but Roy Thomas was more creative in establishing their origins.

[kcekada]

Since we're talking about the Squadron Supreme, what happened to the Defenders' Nighthawk (a member of the original Squadron Sinister)? I thought a character purporting to be him turned up in the Supreme Power book or its connected Nighthawk book, but I believe it turned out not to be him.

Not sure myself. I know that one of the classic Nighthawks turned out to be a skrull. Perhaps the original one is still dead after all.

[Riv86672]

Yes and no. Hyperion didn't look like Superman the way Princess Power looked like Wonder Woman (in her original incarnation she was even in red, white and blue). Hyperion wasn't an alien. Doc spectrum wasn't a member of a galactic police force. Yes, it was obvious who he was mimicking -- but Roy Thomas was more creative in establishing their origins.

Exactly.
Like WATCHMEN characters used the Charlton Action Heroes as a template, but went all different directions, making them unique to themselves.

With the way this new version of the SS is being written, there’s a lot of room for them to grow and not just be JLA clones.

[CentralPower]

EMPYRE: SQUADRON SUPREME #1 (OF 2)

Thanks for the notice Digi. Waid as writer gives me some hope.

But, dang, "Empyre" is running through May?

Either way, I hope this means we are getting a viable Squadron in the long run. (I would be happy to read a Justice League series from DC, but I just cannot trust DC after the last decade or so.)

I just want the 712 team.

Aside from Zarda, they are dead. On the other hand, that was established in the Robinson series, which Marvel seems to be ignoring. And, later issues of "Exiles" (from 15 years ago) establish that there was at least one alternate world that was very similar to 712 (shown in Gruenwald's mid-80s Squadron comic).


That being said, I am not sure there is any reason to bring that team back. Their best, arguably only good, appearance, was in the 12 issue Gruenwald series from the 80s. Gruenwald had one good idea, and it was the best Justice League comic that DC never published. It was good for when it came out, 35 years ago. But, that was 35 years ago.

Most everything using those characters published before and after that series was (to put it bluntly) the worst kind of Silver/Bronze Age garbage. (Even Gruenwald's Quasar run in the 90s just pitched the Squadron as drooling idiots whose only purpose was to show that "DeeCeez Jusus leeg sux".) There was a promising one-shot by Kaminski (in 95 maybe?), but nothing followed form that.


I miss the Robinson team. But, it had too much working against it. The high concept (each member of the team was the sole survivor of an alternate timeline) was good, but eventually undermined by the fact that Marvel ultimately decided to keep a multiverse after "Secret Wars". Then, the series was pulled in to a cross-over that threw off Robinson's pacing, meaning that main plot points were resolved off-panel.

Not sure myself. I know that one of the classic Nighthawks turned out to be a skrull. Perhaps the original one is still dead after all.

There was a skrull disguised as the original Nighthawk in the Robinson series. But, I do not think that it was meant to establish/imply that the original had been killed/replaced.

They were all spot-on analogs of JLA members. That was the point.

Yes, but Power Princess was *really* close. With Hyperion and Nighthawk, you sort of had to look at them and squint (particularly Hyperion). Nighthawk was clearly inspired by the O'Neil/Adams Batman. Lark was clearly the Canary.

But, Power Princess often looked traced directly from a Perez Wonder Woman. (I discovered the Squadron when I was 11~12, and my first thought after seeing Power Princess in a sourcebook was "wow, Marvel is going to get in trouble for this".)

Exactly.
Like WATCHMEN characters used the Charlton Action Heroes as a template, but went all different directions, making them unique to themselves.

Different dynamics though.

In the 80s, the Charlton characters (Captain Atom, Question etc) were more or less Bronze Age cyphers. There were what they started as, and would be little else. Alan Moore doing anything concrete with them would have changed them on some foundational level. (Ultimately, he just needed a team of supers. Which team was immaterial.)


Since the 80s, DC's big characters have changed and become more concrete. At most, the Squadron would share some initial and superficial similarities. But, any comic worth publishing would ultimately go in a different direction. (And, this gets to one of my main questions about the Squadron's place on the shelves. Is there a need for a Squadron when DC has published "Red Son", "Master Men" or "Pax Americana"?)

With the way this new version of the SS is being written, thereÂ’s a lot of room for them to grow and not just be JLA clones.

I am hoping for that.

And, while I am not sure that Marvel can pull it off, I am glad that they are willing to make another effort with the Squadron.

[Riv86672]

Different dynamics though.

In the 80s, the Charlton characters (Captain Atom, Question etc) were more or less Bronze Age cyphers. There were what they started as, and would be little else. Alan Moore doing anything concrete with them would have changed them on some foundational level. (Ultimately, he just needed a team of supers. Which team was immaterial.)

My point was, just because the team is based on the JLA doesn’t mean it IS the JLA. Nor should it be.

The WATCHMEN serve as an example of a writer using one team’s template to do something completely different.

All it takes is some imagination.

[Digifiend]

Thanks for the notice Digi. Waid as writer gives me some hope.

But, dang, "Empyre" is running through May?

It only starts in April. Empyre will probably run to July.

[CentralPower]

I flipped through this week's issue of Avengers. Not much happens specifically with the Squadron (for those who were worried).

Not sure that Aaron has much more going on for this arc than "Mephisto is plotting stuff".