View Poll Results: Which elements would you like to see in an Earth-2? (multiple choices allowed)

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  • WWII setting

    26 28.89%
  • Contemporary setting

    38 42.22%
  • First generation still young

    31 34.44%
  • First generation already older

    28 31.11%
  • Legacy characters

    40 44.44%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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  1. #1
    Extraordinary Member Factor's Avatar
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    Default What would your ideal Earth-2 be like?

    I think the notion DC screwed up Earth-2 is one of the few things that come close to a consensus around these parts. What SHOULD have done instead probably isn't.
    This thread is for sharing what YOU think would be the best approach to an Earth-2 relaunch. You could start from scratch or just decide to continue one of the previous versions.

    Share your ideas and be civil to those you don't agree with


  2. #2
    Extraordinary Member Factor's Avatar
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    Ok, so here are my thoughts:

    I realize how much the WWII was important to previous incarnations, but that type of setting brings some problems DC would probably want to avoid:
    - It anchors the formation of the team around an specific point in time, making the characters age in real time if the stories are set in the present.
    - Newer generations of readers may not care as much about the WWII setting. Sure, interest for that period will always exist, but dealing with more contemporary issues could make the comic more relevant to a larger audience.

    Now, since this would take place in an alternate Earth, they could always avoid the first problem by
    - Setting the stories in the past, not in the present. Even first legacy generations would also need to be set in the past, you'd start having an age gap of 70 years or more between parents and their sons and daughters.
    - If they opted for a contemporary setting, they could also find ways to keep the original heroes looking young, but that wouldn't fix the age gap between the originals and their legacies, much less their husbands and wives. Sure, you could have some spell make literally everyone in the book age slowly, but this kind of contrived measures would be something to avoid in a reboot.

    Now, my way of avoiding the two problems mentioned while also giving a nod to the WWII setting is to take advantage of Earth-2 being a parallel world and have the first generation of heroes band together to stop another planetary-scale war.
    Yes, similar to what Robinson did with the Darkseid invasion, but I'd have the threat come from within Earth-2 and I would make it feel much more like an actual World War but with the fantastical elements from DC's mythology added.
    I'd take some elements from Perez' Wonder Woman and have this New World War happen because of the interference of Ares with human matters.

    A "brief" summary of my ideas:
    - Earth-2 would be an Earth more optimistic and dominated by magic than Prime Earth. These would help set them apart as more than just the Earths where Green Lantern and Flash have different civilian identities.
    - Like in Robinson's version, Wonder Woman would be the first hero/"wonder". 10 years before the War, Hippolyta, sensing Ares' resurgence, would send Diana to "Man's world" to help bring peace to the world. Wonder Woman's debut would signal the coming of magic to "real" world. Boundaries between the concepts of reality and fantasy would start to break and the age of heroes would start.
    - An idealistic young journalist named Clark Kent would be inspired by WW to come out of hiding and accept his destiny to become a true Superman. This version of Superman would be more tied to Krypton's mythology. Krypton's death and the coming of its "last son" to Earth would be part of a prophecy. Lara and Jor-El would believe Earth-2's sun ability to give powers to kryptonians would be part of Rao's plan. In attitude, Earth-2's Superman would be a lot closer to classic Superman, he'd be a true symbol of hope.
    - Batman would be the regular man trying to make sense of a world where the logic he thought he knew no longer exists. The death of his parents would lead him to his fight against crime, but the appearance of costumed heroes would lead him to adopt the Batman identity.
    - The Trinity would be the first heroes of the world, but roughly 10 years after their debuts, the culmination of Ares' machinations would call for the birth of a true society of heroes.
    - The dying god Mercury would grant Jay Garrick his powers to help end the coming war, media mogul Alan Scott would gain the power of the Green through a magical amulet and a couple would be brought together by Fate to become protectors of the Earth.
    - Other heroes like Wildcat, Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Liberty Belle, Hour Man, Starman and others would appear and together, this "Justice Society" would bring an end to the war.
    - Feeling his mission fulfilled and his power waning because of that, Superman would retire to live with this wife Lois and their child. Diana would become queen of the Amazons after her mother's death and Batman and Selina Kyle (Catwoman) would have a daughter (Helena).
    - The Justice Society would take the place of Earth's protector and would defend it for more than 2 decades. An Earth-2: Rebirth maxi-series would tell the story of this new Earth-2 up to this point.
    ---
    - 25 years later, now in the present, a new crisis comes. This time, Darkseid's army cause ripples between realities and Supergirl and Robin (Helena), the first of a new generation of heroes, are stranded on Prime Earth, where they become Power Girl and Huntress. Mr. Terrific, a Prime Earth scientist, notices the ripples and tries to help them return home. Their story would be told in Worlds' Finests.
    - In the meantime, still in Earth Prime, normal teenager Courtney Whitmore would discover the cosmic staff of E2's and would be sent to Earth-2.
    - The Earth-2 comic would focus on Courtney (Stargirl) as she explores Earth-2 and meets the Justice Society, now a large and traditional alliance of heroes with a rich history behind them. The remaining original members still active (Flash, Green Lantern, Wildcat etc) would now be in their mid-40s and the Society would be in need of fresh blood. Supergirl and Robin would be thought dead, but signs of a new dawn of heroes would already be appearing. The hawks would reincarnate in new bodies, Black Canary and Wildcat's daughter Dinah would be eager to adopt her mother's codename and Alan's kids would discover their powers. Stargirl would have brought a new age of hope and the expansion of the Justice Society, which would be the focus of the new series.

    That's pretty much it. Spent more time than I previously imaginer thinking this through LOL. Hope someone likes it

  3. #3
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    I just recently caught the first couple episodes of Flash season 2, and in that we see modern day Earth 2, which kind of has a Golden Age stylistic influence. Jay Garrick was young, but he felt old-school.

    I'd vote for that.
    Last edited by SmokeMonster; 01-03-2016 at 07:22 AM.

  4. #4
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    None of the above. Just a parallel world with different people in it, that doesn't get an ongoing and that doesn't have the Justice Society. And that gets used very SPARINGLY.

  5. #5
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    It'd be the one James Robinson was writing about, minus the insane editorial edicts that caused him to walk off.

  6. #6
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Factor View Post
    What would your ideal Earth-2 be like?
    Actually, I'd like ALL of them.

    I'd like a world that is based on:
    WWII setting
    First generation still young
    And that could be handled with flashbacks / untold stories / back-up features.

    But I wouldn't mind if there was also a component with:
    Contemporary setting
    First generation already older
    Legacy characters

    With a well thought out concept, these things can work together. The contemporary setting with older heroes that work with their legacies and others, but also some stories showing the early days of that original group so the readers can learn of that history and show why the legacy characters really do matter as well.

    (Hey, Mignola's Hellboy universe manages to have it all!)

  7. #7
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    For my own personal tastes, I'd like to see a Earth-2 that includes most of its history; Golden Age origins, Infinity Inc, post-Crisis, Johns' JSA....remove everything that doesnt fit from post-Crisis clutter earth (creating some inconsistencies, yes, but easily ignored ones) and then go for a very obvious "alternate earth" vibe. Nothing as extreme as what Robinson was doing on earth-2, but more like what we're seeing on the Flash show; at a glance its obviously not the regular DCU but we dont need to have fire pits where Italy once stood either.

    The problem with the WWII setting, as the OP mentioned, is that it ties the heroes to an Age that is increasingly far away. So all I'd do is just say that a handful of Society members are (nearly) immortal due to their powers (Allan, Jay, Superman, Wonder Woman, maybe a couple others) and the others are all long gone, have the original Infinity Inc crew (those who are still alive) be older (sorry Jade, you're not in your twenties anymore!) and make use of the younger heroes who have come along since like Stargirl, Cyclone, Damage, Jakeem Thunder and so on.

    You'd end up with three to four generations of heroes, all in various stages of activity. The oldest, semi-immortal Golden Age heroes would have retired from crime fighting but might be active in other areas (Allan would be in politics, Superman might be running the Planet, his secret identity blown open long ago), their kids would be at the point of retiring now, and some of them would still be working as mentors for the younger heroes (Atom Smasher, Power Girl), and then you'd have the youngest kids like Stargirl running around.

    Im also going to steal MajoyHoy's idea (twisting it just slightly for my own ends bwahahaha!) and say that the book should make use of frequent flashbacks so we can see the original JSA in all their glory during WWII. And Infinity Inc in the 60's, and their kids in the 90's too. Earth-2 should be about tradition, legacy, and history. Embrace it.
    Last edited by Ascended; 01-03-2016 at 08:54 AM.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

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  8. #8
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    There's no reason to think that any sort of an Earth 2 ongoing will sell. Don't waste bandwidth on it, and especially don't waste the JSA on it.

  9. #9
    BANNED colonyofcells's Avatar
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    Maybe just follow the CW TV version of earth 2. To make earth 2 different from prime earth, maybe have the Justice Society work for the american empire or maybe the Justice Society are rulers of the american empire like Justice Lords.

  10. #10
    Astonishing Member Dataweaver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trey Strain View Post
    There's no reason to think that any sort of an Earth 2 ongoing will sell. Don't waste bandwidth on it, and especially don't waste the JSA on it.
    I'll decide what I will or won't waste bandwidth on, thank you very much.
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  11. #11
    Ultimate Member Lee Stone's Avatar
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    I voted for-
    First generation still young.

    I didn't vote for a setting because I, personally, would prefer a retro-futuristic one like those portrayed in Sky Captain or the Bioshock games, which would also allow for a more fictitious war to be going on.

    Perhaps instead of WW2 ending the way it did, aliens came and took over. So perhaps a dystopian 1950's with a war going between humans and an alien race.
    "There's magic in the sound of analog audio." - CNET.

  12. #12
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    My preference is go with what Robinson was doing in Earth 1-12. At the end of 12 don't bring in the Apokolips stuff or lead into all the destruction, just start a different arc that would bring in more revamped JSA folks (Wildcat, Sand, a new Starman, a Dr. Mid-nite, Air Wave, were all characters Robinson mentioned he had plans for iirc). Don't bring in Lois or Jimmy or Dick, don't kill Thomas Wayne or the Atom, leave Power Girl and Huntress on the main Earth.

    Since that will never happen I guess my second choice would be something similar to what they're doing with Earth 2 on the TV shows. Modern technology and society, takes place in the year 201X, but heavily retro styled and similar to the main Earth but still clearly different. I don't care if Jay/Alan/etc. are young or old, and I'd probably go with a mix of original JSA folks and legacy characters. Alan, Jay, Carter and Kendra for Hawks, Beth Chapel or Pieter Cross for Dr. Mid-nite (or hey, why not both?), have Ted Grant the same age as Alan & Jay whether they're old or not, Mikaal Tomas or a new character for Starman, Jakeem Thunder, Cyclone (with Ma Hunkel as her grandma), etc.

  13. #13
    Extraordinary Member Factor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trey Strain View Post
    There's no reason to think that any sort of an Earth 2 ongoing will sell. Don't waste bandwidth on it, and especially don't waste the JSA on it.
    I could provide examples of times when it sold really well, but you'll just ignore like all the times something doesn't fit your views of what should be done.
    If all you have to contribute to a thread is be the negative person with no basis on actual facts, I'd prefer if you trolled somewhere else. This thread isn't to discuss either the book would sell or not, so you're just derailing for the sake of it.

  14. #14
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    I would do something like a combination of the old school JSA, Superman/Batman Generations, and Kingdom Come. The JSA debuted during WW2 and were put together by president Roosevelt. They couldn't fight overseas because Hitler had the Spear of Destiny and it was suspected he would use it to destroy all life on Earth if he lost the war. So until spies could get it from him, super-beings were not permitted to enter Europe. But as the war dragged on, it became apparent there was no way to get the spear away from him so in an act of desperation, the JSA enter Europe to take it from Hitler. The battle doesn't go well, and Hitler threatens to use it. At the last minute, Dr Fate pulls the spear and the JSA into a cosmic limbo where they stay for over forty years. The only members not pulled in because they were no longer members by that time were Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

    Fast forward to the mid-nineteen eighties. Dr Fate manages to pry open a portal back to Earth but the world has moved on and all the JSA members must get used to life on Earth again. Lois dies in 1985 so Superman goes into semi-retirement. Batman disappeared years ago and is believed to have found the mythical Lazarus Pit. Huntress now prowls Gotham and never seems to age and never gets hurt, adding to this suspicion. Power Girl was found in the mid-seventies and is now Power Woman. She and Huntress don't get along at first. She has more or less taken over Superman's role who spends most of his time watching the world from his fortress. Fury is a full grown woman and because she inherited her mother's immortality, doesn't age either. Fast forward to today and all the JSA members have gone on to start families. Their kids are fully grown. Hawkman and Hawkwoman have a son who gets involved with Fury. Jade and Obsidian claim to be the children of Alan Scott due to an affair he had not long after he came back to Earth. Nucleon is loosely related to the original Atom and tried to give himself super-powers as a teenager. Northwind was raised in Featheria and says his grandfather was a good friend of Carter Hall's. All these kids eventually come together to form Infinity Inc.

    A massive crisis forces Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman out of retirement to save the kids and gets the old JSA back together. Maybe Vandal Savage finds the Spear of Destiny and threatens to pick up where Hitler left off.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Factor View Post
    I could provide examples of times when it sold really well, but you'll just ignore like all the times something doesn't fit your views of what should be done.
    If all you have to contribute to a thread is be the negative person with no basis on actual facts, I'd prefer if you trolled somewhere else. This thread isn't to discuss either the book would sell or not, so you're just derailing for the sake of it.
    I've got no problem with Earth 2. I just don't want a JSA ongoing set there. To say that that's not a good idea is not "trolling." But hey, if you and a few other people are determined to go to the mat for that, then do it. But if that happens, and it tanks, remember that you were told loud and clear ahead of time that it was a bad idea. Because I'll remember it.
    Last edited by Trey Strain; 01-03-2016 at 11:40 AM.

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