Alternate JSA

[JonTheScanner]

...
Once Guardian and the Adventure features were canceled, they might have added Aquaman, Johnny Quick, or Robotman.  J'onn J'onzz or even Captain Comet might have been added later.

I could easily have seen this comic outlasting All Star with the popularity of Superman and Batman.  It could have run continuously into the Silver Age. 

Then we might be in the odd position of the Martian Manhunter and Captain Comet being "Earth-Two" characters instead of "Earth-One". Weird.

It wouldn't seem weird if it had happened that way, and I suspect under this scenario under which Johnny Quick and Doll Man are continued uninterrupted instead of a new Flash and Atom, we'd likely never have had an Earth -1 and 2. 

[narfstar]

Pure speculation but fun. Having been introduced to comics in the SA I can not image not having those versions of my old friends. If no JLA to replace the JSA then no Fantastic Four ? Think of all the repurcussions of those pivotal decisions and how different might things be now.

[darkmark (RIP)]

What about some names for the new teams?  Here are a couple of ideas:

Fox heroes - Foxforce (might be cued by the military alphabet Alpha, Bravo, etc., Fox being for F)
Ace heroes - The Avenging Aces
Lev Gleason - Freedom's Furies
Prize heroes - The Prize Patrol

[John C]

It wouldn't seem weird if it had happened that way, and I suspect under this scenario under which Johnny Quick and Doll Man are continued uninterrupted instead of a new Flash and Atom, we'd likely never have had an Earth -1 and 2. 

I've actually seen tiny hints as to what a Justice League might have looked like under similar conditions.  I mean, given that several titles were already being published, might Julie Schwartz have decided to revamp some of the marginal characters anyway?  And how often in Silver Age DC does the name "Jack B. Quick" show up, anyway...?

A long while back, I entertained myself by considering what might have happened if All-American Comics had died off, leaving the DC-side to continue All-Star alone without the other characters.  It was an interesting exercise to see who was available at different times, who might have had the market potential, and the likely effects on what we'd now call continuity.

Like, does Elastic Lad get farmed out to be Flash's glory-hound pal?  Since Robotman is a likely nod for the League, does the Martian Manhunter get shunted to the Doom Patrol?  If he does, what does that say about Mento or Beast Boy, who each have some obvious similarities to the multi-identitied Martian?

What about some names for the new teams?  Here are a couple of ideas:
Fox heroes - Foxforce (might be cued by the military alphabet Alpha, Bravo, etc., Fox being for F)
Ace heroes - The Avenging Aces
Lev Gleason - Freedom's Furies
Prize heroes - The Prize Patrol

Several Prize heroes did come together as the Crime Crushers to fight the not-Frankenstein-because-that's-the-doctor-but-we're-calling-him-that-anyway.  And Fawcett had both the Crime Crusaders Club (a real, though small, team) and the Squadron of Justice (populated by Marvel Family members).  And the Harvey group has already been mentioned, referred to as "America's Stars" or somesuch.

Gleason had the makings of a team, though unnamed, by teaming everybody (including the Claw) with Daredevil against Hitler.  The Novelty characters were likewise banded together at the request of Uncle Sam, though they didn't cross over.

[comicsnorth]

Did the Prize characters actually call themselves the Crime Crushers?  I only remember them referring to themselves as "an Invincible Bunch of Guys".

-comicsnorth

[Yoc]

I personally called the collection of heroes in Prize Comics #24 'The Prize Fighters' but the term Crime Crushers was used but not as a name but as a description of the group.  An 'official name' was never really given.

Prize #25 is a book I've looong wanted to see scanned to see if there was a part 2 to the story.

-Yoc

[RJBowman]

According to Shelly Moldoff, Hawkman had a good chance of getting his own title except the war-time paper shortage shelved that idea.  By the time the war was over, super-heroes were in a decline.

But you're right All Star was specifically designed to have two features from each of Adventure, More Fun, Flash and All-American.  It was a joint venture of sorts between the National and All-American branches of what became DC Comics.  It would have been a little hard to start the JSA before issue #3 when Atom replaced "Red, White & Blue."  Issue #1 wold have been even more problematic.  Somehow Gary Concord Ultra-man would have had to have been fit in, in place of GL.  Note that Flash, GL, and Hour Man were replaced by other features from the same anthologies.

I had to look up that Ultraman to find out who he was. It would be interesting to create a team from some of DC's earliest heroes that are rarely heard of today. The afore-mentioned Ultraman might be joined by Doc Occult and others. If you want to cheat and include the Fawcett and Quality aquisitions, the Clock (Brian O'Brien) and Diamond Jack might join the team.

[narfstar]

As Roy did with the Liberty Legion at Marvel. They could put them on an alternative earth and have an annual crossover with the JSA. DC has done it with some of their Silver Age characters.

[Roygbiv666]

As Roy did with the Liberty Legion at Marvel. They could put them on an alternative earth and have an annual crossover with the JSA. DC has done it with some of their Silver Age characters.

Ahhh -- then you'd have a cover more like this one

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/File:JLA_v.1_21.jpg

where heroes from one earth (company) meet heroes from another.

[comicsnorth]

Skipping back to "What If some other Golden Age Publisher had assembled the JSA?", here's my take on a Centaur line-up, based on DC/AA's "two heroes per anthology" line-up: from Amazing Mystery Funnies, Fantoman/Fantom of the Fair & Speed Centaur; from Keen Detective Funnies, Masked Marvel & Air Man; from Funny Pages, the Arrow & Mantoka (as near as I can tell, the latter is the only super-powered heroic character to appear in that title more than once, except for the Arrow); from Amazing-Man Comics, Amazing Man & Blue Lady; from Liberty Scouts, Man of War & Fire-Man; from Wham Comics, Blue Fire & Sparkler; from Stars & Stripes Comics, Iron Skull & the Shark; and from C-M-O Comics, Plymo & Star-Spangles Branner.

Whew--that seems like a lot of anthologies!

-comicsnorth

[narfstar]

And Comicsnorth it seems like a lot more interesting than Dynamite's Superpowers. I have always favored teem books because the heroes had more chance for interaction. Now if we could get someone to write and draw a team based on our suggestions......

[comicsnorth]

Project: Superpowers seems to literally have more characters on the board than they know what to do with--I've always thought it would make more sense to just take the heroes of one company, like Alan Moore did with Terra Obscura, than to just scoop up everyone you can think of and "flash card" them thru a series without ever really developing most of them.

That said, I have enjoyed it when they have teamed up characters who originally shared the same book, like Silver Streak, (Dare)Devil & Ghost, or Skyman, Face, & Marvello, but that's still not enough to create the illusion of some sort of solid structure to the book <sigh>

comicsnorth

[great daddy]

Yeah,I See what you mean.
I Saw a cover reproduction of brave and bold#28 featuring the JSA by bob Layton.
I Think alternate jsas comprised of characters from other publishers,and retro golden age heroes would be great.
I Also have one question:what else would have happened if the justice society of America had been revived in brave and bold#28?

[narfstar]

Interesting question great daddy. I extend that back to Showcase 4. What if DC had issued in the SA by reviving the GA characters instead of creating new. I think about the major revamp of THE NEW 52 and how old timers react. I suppose it must have been the same with Showcase 4. The outcry as to why did DC do this to my beloved Flash? I never considered it because the SA characters were the real world to me. Could DC have done the old GA characters in the new SA manner? Would it have been successful? Then BB28 could have revived the JSA as a team no just a comic of separate stories. DC did test the waters with Showcase 55-56 and B&B 61-62 but by then the new characters had become accepted.

[great daddy]

Interesting question great daddy. I extend that back to Showcase 4. What if DC had issued in the SA by reviving the GA characters instead of creating new. I think about the major revamp of THE NEW 52 and how old timers react. I suppose it must have been the same with Showcase 4. The outcry as to why did DC do this to my beloved Flash? I never considered it because the SA characters were the real world to me. Could DC have done the old GA characters in the new SA manner? Would it have been successful? Then BB28 could have revived the JSA as a team no just a comic of separate stories. DC did test the waters with Showcase 55-56 and B&B 61-62 but by then the new characters had become accepted.

Yes,I see what you mean,narfstar,if DC had issued in the silver age by reviving the golden age characters instead of creating new ones,it would have been successful.
Also,DC would have done the old golden age characters in the new silver age manner,and also revived the Fawcett and quality characters.
You make a very valid point.