I am glad that the original Justice Society members are poised for some kind of a return due to DC Rebirth. I hope that also means that the extended cast of characters from All-Star Squadron will make some appearances as well. Liberty Belle, Amazing man, Commander Steel, Tarantula and many others may not have been official JSA members, but I always enjoyed following their adventures.
This is only Part One of a Two-Part Epic - be sure to come back for the thrilling conclusion tomorrow!
Nice Cover and would make one heck of a story !
ReplyDeleteI agree -- that's an interesting story here! It also calls the question: which Firebrand? The original non-powered guy, or his flame-throwing sister?
ReplyDeleteAnd seeing Tarantula on here made me want to see him paired up with Spider-Man.
@ Bob Greenwade: Probably the flamethrowing sister. As I understand it, she was a reworking of a Golden Age superheroine called "Wildfire." Real name: Carol Vance Martin. A young millionairess who was bestowed with what they would nowadays call "pyrokinesis" by a self-proclaimed "god" of fire (because of her fearlessness during a forest fire that broke out while she was lost in some woods as a little girl).
ReplyDeleteThe company she belonged to was then-DC competitor Quality Comics. Of course, when DC bought out their inventory, post-1950's bankruptcy, they had control of the name...which they ultimately gave to a certain 30th century superhero made of sentient energy.
Hence; the ret-conning of the original Firebrand into no longer being an only child.
@ Anon: That "fire god" could very well have been an Inhuman!
ReplyDeleteI loved the A.S.S. (poor choice of acronym Mr. Thomas). But this particular ensemble makes me feel like they're underpowered. Apart from Green Lantern, and perhaps Amazing Man (who can turn into any substance, but how useful is that really?), and maybe Steel (who is strong and sort of invulnerable) what have they got? A guy with no powers at all, a guy with no powers but a web gun, and a woman who's pretty strong (but not invulnerable). A good super-powered punch could take out the weak half of this team in a second.
ReplyDeleteBut boy, I loved that comic at its prime. Never been equaled for team comics, IMO.
There's someone wearing a gold helmet in the central-bottom right portion of the cover, Doc. If that's Hawkman, Amazing Man could simply lay one finger on his Nth-metal mace and be made of the same near-indestructible stuff himself. If it's Dr. Fate, you've got someone who could magically gag Blackbolt and turn Gorgon's boots into rubber-soled sneakers...at the same time!
ReplyDeleteOf course, it could merely be the Jim Harper version of the Guardian. But, that's like saying Captain America is "merely" Steve Rogers on steroids! The latter is probably the one "normal" superhero, in the mainstream Marvel Universe, who could outfight Karnak (the "Chuck Norris of Inhumans") in hand-to-hand combat. So, the Guardian might have more-than-a-slight chance of doing likewise.
Getting back to Amazing Man, though? He could also use his tactile super-power to become made of the same substance that the Golden Age GL's ring is made from (which, based on modern scientific hindsight, could not have been real meteoric rock). And, thereby, help Alan Scott bind up the Inhumans in green counterparts of Medusa's hair!
@ Anon: You are so right. Especially, about Amazing Man. His power is basically the same as Crusher Creel's over at Marvel. And I have yet to see Absorbing Man being depicted as defeatable with one punch.
ReplyDeleteNot even at the verdant hands of the Incredible Hulk!!
Dr. OTR - you have a point, but it's not the powers - it's the characters. Consider this team of JSA'ers:
ReplyDeleteWildcat
Atom
Dr. Mid-Nite
Mr. Teriffic
Hawkman
Black Canary
Hourman
A perfectly legitimate team, but not much in the way of super powers. The Squadron's membership was usually Amazing Man, Steel, Robotman, Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle, Tarantula, and whomever was dropping by from the JSA. That's a pretty intriguing powered group. For level of power (if not exact comparison), I'd say they're equal to the original X-Men or Cap's Kooky Quartet.
Of course, you're right in that Solomon Grundy might be able to take them in straight sets - but that's more the nature of the writer and the story than the inherent nature of the heroes, I think.
@ELS: "...that's more the nature of teh writer and the story than the inherent nature of the heroes..."
ReplyDeleteAll too true. If the real-life writer in question was a big fan of the All-Star Squadron, then the latter would mop the proverbial floor with the Inhumans. But, if he/she was a big Inhuman fan, then the All-Star Squadron would be knocked on their acronym...with childish ease.
You are rait
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