What would your ideal Earth-2 be like?

[DrNewGod]

If there’s going to be a parallel world, I’d want to see something fresh. I’d want this Earth to be nothing like the regular comics. I don’t know much about what these worlds were like before but if it’s just an older or younger version of Batman, then that’s not very interesting. I’d want something really different. Maybe more grounded origins like the Ultimates. Superman isn’t an alien but has powers connected to science.

I've long held an E2 fanfiction in my head where there is a modern Batman, but it's a secret organization run by the aging Helena Wayne, similar to Checkmate, but private. "Batman" is a small group of operatives, all of whom are nearly identical in height and build, intended to help perpetuate the myth that the Dark Knight lives on.

[Dataweaver]

Seeing as how the original JSA is once again part of the primary Earth's timeline, I wouldn't mind one bit keeping Earth 2 as it was as of the end of Earth 2 Society, and just building on that. Now that Didio is gone, perhaps Robinson could be persuaded to come back?

(Of course, that assumes that DC Comics survives the coronavirus pandemic. But since this is essentially a wish list thread, I'm not going to worry too much about what's plausible.)

[achilles]

Seeing as how the original JSA is once again part of the primary Earth's timeline, I wouldn't mind one bit keeping Earth 2 as it was as of the end of Earth 2 Society, and just building on that. Now that Didio is gone, perhaps Robinson could be persuaded to come back?

(Of course, that assumes that DC Comics survives the coronavirus pandemic. But since this is essentially a wish list thread, I'm not going to worry too much about what's plausible.)

Yes to Robinson on JSA, but nothing to do with the nu52 stuff, which is better left forgotten if you ask me. Hopefully to something like the JSA was prior to Flashpoint, prior to the splitting of the team.

[CaptCleghorn]

Seeing as how the original JSA is once again part of the primary Earth's timeline, I wouldn't mind one bit keeping Earth 2 as it was as of the end of Earth 2 Society, and just building on that. Now that Didio is gone, perhaps Robinson could be persuaded to come back?

(Of course, that assumes that DC Comics survives the coronavirus pandemic. But since this is essentially a wish list thread, I'm not going to worry too much about what's plausible.)

I'd like to see an occasional pairing of the nu52 Earth 2 heroes and the older seasoned JSA. Robinson did a good job with what he was allowed to do and the mess that followed with Taylor and Wilson should be forgotten. But where the Justice League is the group with all the counterparts, it's on;ly fair that the JSA gets some as well. The nu52 Earth 2 series started and ended OK. The middle could and should be ignored.

[Dataweaver]

That's essentially what I was thinking too, yes. Though not entirely: one thing about the world we're left with at the end of Earth 2: Society is that the Wonders all effectively “appeared out of nowhere” one day: that world's “rebooted history” explicitly had no Wonders on it before these ones “snuck through the back door”, as it were. That means that in this revised history, Clark Kent was never Superman; Bruce Wayne was never Batman; Diana was never Wonder Woman; and so on. There would, IMHO, need to be some sort of tweak where bits and pieces of the pre-reboot history start reasserting themselves — but not too much, or else you're left with that “middle part” mess that I agree can and should be ignored.

[married guy]

Seeing as how the original JSA is once again part of the primary Earth's timeline, I wouldn't mind one bit keeping Earth 2 as it was as of the end of Earth 2 Society, and just building on that. Now that Didio is gone, perhaps Robinson could be persuaded to come back?

(Of course, that assumes that DC Comics survives the coronavirus pandemic. But since this is essentially a wish list thread, I'm not going to worry too much about what's plausible.)

I thought Earth 2 started strongly enough, but I had to walk away after the Apokolips nonsense. It all got too bleak for me and the title turned into something I really didn't want to read. I skipped Society altogether.
I'd happily give Robinson the keys again and say have at it.

[Lee]

Given the premise of rebooting the Justice Society/Golden Age/Earth 2 characters in the present day, the war with Apokolips substituting for World War 2 was really clever. All of Robinson's ideas were smart and thoughtful. It was a great book with him and Nicola Scott on it, let down only by some lousy costume designs (Flash, Green Lantern) that were more or less forced on them and didn't fit what they were trying to do.

After Robinson left the whole book fell apart and everything that had been built up was undermined. It went from being a modernised Justice Society to a dark and schlocky Elseworlds story centered around alternate versions and mashups of the Batman and Superman cast (and, infuriatingly, a white redhead Connor Hawke).

[Dataweaver]

I wouldn't mind Earth 2's Connor Hawke being rebooted to be more like his Primary Earth namesake. I also wouldn't mind Earth 2's Speedy being Mia Dearden, and the Shining Knight being like the one from Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers.

Speaking of which, I'd want to see Connor's reboot (as Green Arrow, thank you) be done as part of a launch of Earth 2's Seven Soldiers of Victory — who, for the most part, should be based on their Golden Age versions (sorry, Courtney; but the Earth 2 Star Spangled Kid should be Sylvester Pemberton). I'm willing to go with Connor and Mia instead of Oliver and Roy because Oliver and Roy are or were the Primary Earth's Green Arrow and Speedy.

Where the Primary Earth has a particular person using a given codename in the Justice League, I'd like the Earth 2 holder of that identity to be someone else — preferably someone from the Golden Age (e.g., Alan Scott instead of Having Jordan); but if not that, someone who's no longer active on the Primary Earth will do.

[scary harpy]

Given the premise of rebooting the Justice Society/Golden Age/Earth 2 characters in the present day, the war with Apokolips substituting for World War 2 was really clever. All of Robinson's ideas were smart and thoughtful. It was a great book with him and Nicola Scott on it, let down only by some lousy costume designs (Flash, Green Lantern) that were more or less forced on them and didn't fit what they were trying to do.

After Robinson left the whole book fell apart and everything that had been built up was undermined. It went from being a modernised Justice Society to a dark and schlocky Elseworlds story centered around alternate versions and mashups of the Batman and Superman cast (and, infuriatingly, a white redhead Connor Hawke).

Agreed.

It's sad to think how good this could have been.

[achilles]

While I don't blame Robinson for Earth 2 given what I know about editorial dictates; I do think there was basically nothing to redeem that series as a whole. To be sure, there were moments, but they were few and far between.

It had three problems IMO. First, thinking that the original concept of the JSA needed to be "fixed". It didn't. Second, the truly massive pandering there. It was a case of giving a completely new character an old name, and basically writing off fans of the old character. But doing that with essentially the whole "team", such as that was before the third issue caused me to stop reading. And that issue was the relentlessly bleak nature of the world and the series. Man that thing was bleak. I don't need my comic books to be overwhelmingly sweetness and light all the time...but I really don't want them to be THAT nasty and dark. Also...I found it hard to root for well...anyone. And the whole series was based on something that the League managed to survive, but the now inferior JSA couldn't. None of the characters in the entire thing were all that compelling or likeable IMO.

Must have stopped reading by the time they introduced Connor Hawke; glad I missed that. A modernized JSA IMO without any of the WWII beginnings...just isn't the JSA. Which AFAIK, they never even bothered calling the Earth 2 crowd. Sure you can modernize the JSA in a fashion that keeps it the JSA...they've already done that back before Flushpoint. That's the way to do it, really the only way. Have the OG crowd there to mentor the newcomers, with some experienced heroes also from the younger generation, and some who truly need that instruction.

So basically, I want DC to ignore that whole Earth 2 thing and just continue on with the pre Flashpoint era, maybe merging the two teams again and maybe shifting some of that huge cast to backup status, not seen all the time, but there for their fans, and for creators to use whenever they want. Though the Earth 2 stuff could be kept in reserve to use whenever and should be...and used in other books when appropriate.