Should the Justice Society exist in the main DCU?

[MajorHoy]

I think you can have your cake and eat it too.

The JSA exists on the prime earth but it's a smaller team and they didn't affect the course of history in major ways. Real world history mostly unraveled the same way that it did in our world until Superman and JLA debuted closer to modern times.

Earth-2; well just go full blown alternate universe. Superman and Batman and an army of heroes debuted during the 40's. It's still the mid 80's but a radically different 80's. Characters like Helena Wayne, Lyta Hall and Kara Zor L exist on this earth 2. The president is Prez. The technology is still retro but way more advanced compared to what actually existed in the 80's and this advancement can be attributed to the influence of Ted Knight. Have it be a space where stories that cannot be told on the primary earth can exist.

If that's the choice, I might be swearing off cake in the future . . .

[CaptCleghorn]

I think you can have your cake and eat it too.

The JSA exists on the prime earth but it's a smaller team and they didn't affect the course of history in major ways. Real world history mostly unraveled the same way that it did in our world until Superman and JLA debuted closer to modern times.

Earth-2; well just go full blown alternate universe. Superman and Batman and an army of heroes debuted during the 40's. It's still the mid 80's but a radically different 80's. Characters like Helena Wayne, Lyta Hall and Kara Zor L exist on this earth 2. The president is Prez. The technology is still retro but way more advanced compared to what actually existed in the 80's and this advancement can be attributed to the influence of Ted Knight. Have it be a space where stories that cannot be told on the primary earth can exist.

I love this idea, Prez excluded, but the idea of an Earth 2 almost identical to DC's main Earth with either a Justice Society or a Justice League is a waste of a second Earth concept.

[Robotman]

I was never a fan of the JSA on Prime Earth because it makes it a lot harder to believe people would care so much about Superman, the apparent core/lynchpin of the DCU.

If people had been used to seeing all powerful flying gods shooting energy blast since the 40s, Superman wouldn’t be all that interesting. Does everyone think he’s special because he’s a really nice guy?

I believe in an issue of Johns’ recent JSA he showed that Power Girl was around in the 1970s. so Kal isn’t even the first Kryptonian on Earth.

I think you can have your cake and eat it too.

The JSA exists on the prime earth but it's a smaller team and they didn't affect the course of history in major ways. Real world history mostly unraveled the same way that it did in our world until Superman and JLA debuted closer to modern times.

Earth-2; well just go full blown alternate universe. Superman and Batman and an army of heroes debuted during the 40's. It's still the mid 80's but a radically different 80's. Characters like Helena Wayne, Lyta Hall and Kara Zor L exist on this earth 2. The president is Prez. The technology is still retro but way more advanced compared to what actually existed in the 80's and this advancement can be attributed to the influence of Ted Knight. Have it be a space where stories that cannot be told on the primary earth can exist.

This may be the best way to do a “clutter earth”.

[Jim Kelly]

I don't know if I already said this somewhere on one of the back pages, but before Roy Thomas got involved, it was possible to imagine that both Earth-One and Earth-Two had their own sets of characters that existed from the 1930s through the 1950s, with some overlap.

On Earth-One were Zatara, Sargon, the Guardian, the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, Air Wave, Plastic Man, the Blackhawks, Robotman, Congo Bill and others. Actually, if Len Wein hadn't put the Seven Soldiers of Victory on Earth-Two--they could have been on Earth-One, also (which would make Oliver Queen an older character and around the same age as Dinah Drake Lance). There was a WORLD'S FINEST story in 1963 that referenced the original Crimson Avenger and there were stories of the Vigilante on Earth-One. You could go as far as saying all the Donenfeld Comics heroes were on Earth-One and all the Gaines Comics heroes were on Earth-Two.

Even once ALL-STAR SQUADRON claimed a lot of these characters for Earth-Two--one still could have said they had counterparts on both Earths. But Roy said that all these guys (Zatara, Sargon, Guardian, Air Wave) immigrated from Earth-One to Earth-Two. A few characters going from one Earth to another is one thing--but so many characters all moving around the Multiverse put a strain on the concept and helped justify getting rid of the whole thing.

[MajorHoy]

I was never a fan of the JSA on Prime Earth because it makes it a lot harder to believe people would care so much about Superman, the apparent core/lynchpin of the DCU.

If people had been used to seeing all powerful flying gods shooting energy blast since the 40s, Superman wouldn’t be all that interesting. Does everyone think he’s special because he’s a really nice guy?

I believe in an issue of Johns’ recent JSA he showed that Power Girl was around in the 1970s. so Kal isn’t even the first Kryptonian on Earth.

And thanks to Wonder Woman #750, it appears that Wonder Woman was around and seen (at the World's Fair in New York City) back in the late 1930s.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I was never a fan of the JSA on Prime Earth because it makes it a lot harder to believe people would care so much about Superman, the apparent core/lynchpin of the DCU.

If people had been used to seeing all powerful flying gods shooting energy blast since the 40s, Superman wouldn’t be all that interesting. Does everyone think he’s special because he’s a really nice guy?

I believe in an issue of Johns’ recent JSA he showed that Power Girl was around in the 1970s. so Kal isn’t even the first Kryptonian on Earth.

In fairness, the JSA was long retired by the time Superman showed up. Celebrity has always worked in waves. Like saying no one would fawn over Chris Evans since we already had Charlie Chaplin.

[NathanS]

I'll be honest I like getting away from Superman as the center of the whole damn universe and going all "all are but a shadow of this one super perfect being."

[The Darknight Detective]

In fairness, the JSA was long retired by the time Superman showed up. Celebrity has always worked in waves. Like saying no one would fawn over Chris Evans since we already had Charlie Chaplin.

Shouldn't the comparison for Superman be a whole lot greater than Chris Evans? John Wayne would have been the perfect substitute, IMO.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Shouldn't the comparison for Superman be a whole lot greater than Chris Evans? John Wayne would have been the perfect substitute, IMO.

Eh, random choice.

My point is, celebrity/notoriety has always ebbed and flowed. The JSA existing over 4 decades ago hardly means that people wouldn't embrace a new hero '10 years ago' or whatever the timeline is.

[MajorHoy]

NOTE: This thread / poll was started back in May of 2016.

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With 193 people having voted,

* The classic JSA should exist on the main Earth
= 102 votes
* The JSA should be on another Earth if they're around at all
= 66 votes
* The JSA should be on the main Earth, but with alterations
= 25 votes