Mr. America in Geoff Johns Justice Society of America

[Steel Inquisitor]

Was rereading Johns' second run on JSA and Mr. America gave a very bad impression to me. It felt like I was reading another version of Rorschach without the deconstruction angle. His super-hero origin is being a police detective who caught a serial killer of a young girl but had to let him go because the evidence was lost in a fire two days before his trial then he broke his hands, ribs and dragged him to his local FBI office to confess and sent the killer to prison for life. This is all internal narrative but it reads like everything he did with a smile on his face.

Super-heroes are a media with problems relating to fascism by individuals who take the law in their own hands but this portrayal really stood out to me in a bad way. We're supposed to like this guy like he's Captain America but he comes off like Elliott Stabler.

[Riv86672]

I never liked the guy.

[Will Evans]

Was rereading Johns' second run on JSA and Mr. America gave a very bad impression to me. It felt like I was reading another version of Rorschach without the deconstruction angle. His super-hero origin is being a police detective who caught a serial killer of a young girl but had to let him go because the evidence was lost in a fire two days before his trial then he broke his hands, ribs and dragged him to his local FBI office to confess and sent the killer to prison for life. This is all internal narrative but it reads like everything he did with a smile on his face.

Super-heroes are a media with problems relating to fascism by individuals who take the law in their own hands but this portrayal really stood out to me in a bad way. We're supposed to like this guy like he's Captain America but he comes off like Elliott Stabler.

Maybe that was the point. We need more Stabler’s to contrast the Benson’s on teams.

Also, he’s carrying on a legacy that’s bloodline was completely killed off.

He’s doing this to honor his friend.

[Riv86672]

Maybe that was the point. We need more Stabler’s to contrast the Benson’s on teams.

Also, he’s carrying on a legacy that’s bloodline was completely killed off.

He’s doing this to honor is friend.

Yeah, not everyone is likable, even if on paper, they should be.

[randomideaguy]

Yeah, not everyone is likable, even if on paper, they should be.

But the least they could do is be funny or entertaining while doing it. See: Guy Gardner.

[Riv86672]

But the least they could do is be funny or entertaining while doing it. See: Guy Gardner.

Heck yeah.

[Will Evans]

Wildcat (Ted Grant) planted evidence on a guilty criminal in order to get him arrested and capital punished.

Batman constantly implements torture tactics by hanging crooks off a building until they confess.

None of these things are new.


I’m not sure why you’re singling out Mr America.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Wildcat (Ted Grant) planted evidence on a guilty criminal in order to get him arrested and capital punished.

None of these things are new.


I’m not sure why you’re singling out Mr America.

I didn't know that. Mr. America just stood out to me, I didn't like how the JSA protested Georgia when they tried to arrest damage when he crossed state lines when he knew they'd arrest him for the property destruction he caused. It was made to be this huge deal breaker for him to do it, except once Jesse Chambers gets him to let Zoom go the JSA just stand up to the authorities that they'll have to arrest them all to get him and everything just goes away and everyone's happy.

[achilles]

Is Mr. America the useless idiot with the whip?

[signalman112]

Yep, he has a whip. Tex Thompson called himself Mr. America or Americommando.

Americommando.jpg

[Steel Inquisitor]

Maybe that was the point. We need more Stabler’s to contrast the Benson’s on teams.

Nope, the troublesome thing isn't that he's supposed to be Elliott Stabler, it's that he's written like he's Benson and the comic agrees with him. The comic wants the reader to support this guy 100% as being Right. He's given bright colors and a patriotic costume like he's Captain America on top of this.

Also, he’s carrying on a legacy that’s bloodline was completely killed off.

He’s doing this to honor his friend.

I don't know much about the Mr. America before him, was he a pseudo-Rorschach? Is Mr. America mantle cursed or does the legacy attract Elliot Stabler's? The friend of the Mr. America who died in the first issue did the same sort of thing.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I didn't know that. Mr. America just stood out to me, I didn't like how the JSA protested Georgia when they tried to arrest damage when he crossed state lines when he knew they'd arrest him for the property destruction he caused. It was made to be this huge deal breaker for him to do it, except once Jesse Chambers gets him to let Zoom go the JSA just stand up to the authorities that they'll have to arrest them all to get him and everything just goes away and everyone's happy.

In Damage's defense, the *ahem* damage was caused in self defense at a time when he had very little understanding of his powers. Given the crap that happens in the DCU, I would argue that he was being unfairly singled out.

[Robanker]

I'll be honest. He's one of the weaker aspects of Geoff's run. A lot of the new additions in Justice Society of America were underdeveloped, and he's one of them. A lot of times it felt like they were just on the team because, well, Roy Thomas had used them at some point but there wasn't a clear plan going forward. I often wonder if Geoff cut his run short (at a decade, yes, you know what I mean. ) before he ever got to those plans.

[ross61]

I'll be honest, people who kill or maim those like serial killers are definitely those who I side with.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Pretty easy to be a hero in the DCU if all one needs is some combat training and a whip, lol