#Shazam's Squadron of Justice

[chernobog13]

The Squadron of Justice of Earth-S by Kurt Schaffenberger:

Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel, Mr. Scarley, Pinky, Spy Smasher, Ibis the Invincible, Taia, Bulletgirl, Bulletman.

This is the second version of the Squadron. The original appeared in the 1940s and consisted of Captain Marvel and his 3 Lieutenant Marvels.

The Squadron as shown above (also referred to as Shazam's Squadron of Justice), was formed by the god Mercury and made its first and only appearance in Justice League of America (vol. 1) #135-137 (1976). That was the annual summer crossover between the JLA of Earth-One and the Justice Society of America of Earth-Two. Because of shenanigans on Earth-S, Mercury summons the JLA and JSA to help the Squadron defeat the plans of the evil King Kull.

Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family were introduced in the Shazam! comic in 1973. The JLA/JSA crossover tale was the introduction of the rest of the superheroes from Fawcett, which DC Comics had licensed a few years prior (and would purchase outright a few years later), to the mainstream DC Universe.

However, DC seemed to have forgotten one Fawcett hero: Minute-Man.

Minute-Man has been written off as Fawcett's version of Captain America, but that is inaccurate and unfair. Minute-Man first appeared in Master Comics (vol. 1) #11, with a cover date of February, 1941 (which meant it was probably released around November, 1940). Captain America made the scene in Captain America Comics (vol. 1) #1, which was published in December, 1940, with a cover date of March, 1941. So Minute-Man arrived first, or at the very least at the same time, so there was no possibility of him copying Cap.

Besides, at the time every comic book publisher was coming up with at least patriotic superhero for their books. That was a trend started by The Shield from MLJ (now known as Archie Comics), who first appeared in Pep Comics #1, cover dated January 1940.

Minute Man was only nominally a superhero because he wore a costume. He had no super powers, but he had trained himself to the peak of human perfection. He was Private Jack Weston in the US Army whose secret identity was only known by his commanding officer, General Milton (as MM didn't wear a mask, shouldn't everyone have known who he was?). The general would send MM on missions behind enemy lines, but America was not at war at the time, so who were these enemies? Didn't matter. Minute-Man still managed to battle his share of spies, saboteurs, robots, vampires and assorted monsters, and even headhunters.

Anyhoo, for whatever reason, the folks at DC forgot Minute-Man when they put together the Squadron of Justice. And I'm sure someone pointed that out to him, because about a year later he finally appeared.

Minute-Man finally reappeared in Shazam! (vol. 1) #31 (October, 1977). Someone finally realized that a superhero who doesn't wear a mask while in costume, or some sort of disguise (eyeglasses, anyone?) when not, is not going to have a secret identity for very long. Artist Kurt Schaffenberger (himself a longtime artist for Fawcett back in the day) added a simple blue mask so Minute-Man could operate incognito.

Unfortunately, this would be Minute-Man's only appearance in a DC comic book before the whole multiverse went kablooey in Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Afterwards, he had sporadic appearances in The Power of Shazam!, before being killed off by agents of Vandal Savage in Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #3 (April, 2007).

There is a new DC character currently using the Minute-Man moniker, but the less said of him the better.

[puppetwoman17]

The JL: *just found out their coworker was a child but also sad/mad because they missed their chance to watch him grow up*😡

Squadron of Justice(Fawcett heroes): *knew Cap and his marvels were kids the whole time and did in fact get to watch them grow up*😁

Billy:…So, how’s everyone’s day been?

[the-unspeakable-tsar]

Superhero Timeline.

10th Millennium

First appearance of humans. Some super powered. 

Proto Avengers (heavily altered humans, primordial gods, and mutant). Celestial tampering happens on countless planets. (Tamaranians, Skrulls, Kree, Eternals, etc) causing multiple humanoid aliens to exist.

Myths concerning “Elders of The Universe” and proto-tangible beings are formed by early life.

Vandal Savage, Immortal Man, Anthro, King Kull, Kyra Arg, Gnarrk. Hippolyta (first life).

Grak (neanderthal politician)

Cotati, Kree, and Skrulls discover eachother.

Atlantis forms.

“Ulysses” Bloodstone

50,000 B.C.E (Thurian Age)

Inhumans created by Kree scientists. 

King of Atlantis, Kull.

Doctor Mist.

Darkhold creates some of the first vampires.

Atlantis and Lemuria Sink.

Amazon Race born.

Selene Born.

Hyperborian Age.

Conan

Kulan Gath

Red Sonja

753, 785- BEC

Ancient Greece

Ancient Rome

Golden Gladiator

Alpha Centurion.

Rome forms a colony in South America. Nova Roma.

Rama Tut

En Sabbah Nur was born.

Wizard Shazam empowers Teth Adam.

Mad Pharaoh discovers an alien Scarab and claims to have created it.

6th Century

One of the Camelots (for there are many and they are nebulous)

Etrigan

Merlin (Merlyn)

Arthur

Shining Knight

Silent Knight

Black Knight (Sir Percy of Scandia)

Mordred the Mystic (not arthur’s mordred)

Earth was briefly invaded by Klyntar. 

New Genesis and Apokolips forms, set in a higher plane of dimension.

7th Century

Tang Dynasty was contacted by aliens the likes of Fin Fang Foom. They take advantage of their advanced technology

Jong Li Green Lantern

Viking Prince

8th Century

Brotherhood of the Shield was formed in 750.

9th Century

Diablo (Estaban De Ablo).

12th century

Crusades, the mutant Bennet Du Paris meets Eobar Garrington and clan akkaba.

Belasco born at the tail end of the century.

14th Century

Mutants immune to the black page die in the sea.

X’Hal ascends to godhood.

15th Century

Intelligent gorillas form Gorilla City.

Manhunters deviate from original programming.

Zemo barony formed

16th Century

The Black Pirate

Andrew Bennet becomes a vampire.

17th Century

Gotham City founded

Romeyn Falls founded

Metropolis founded.

1700s-1800s

Tomahawk

Uncle Sam

Frankenstein Monsters

Jonah Hex

Atlas City formed.

Hellfire Club formed

Trigger Twins

Rawhide Kid

Carter Slade

Red Wolf

“Firehair”

Irene Adler and Raven Darkholme

Sherlock Frankenstein

1859 Nathaniel Essex begins experimenting on Mutants.

1882 Wolverine Born

1900-1920s

Morpheus Imprisoned.

Tom Strong born

Balloon Buster

Mister Cakewalk

Jazzbaby

Enemy Ace

Freedom’s Five

Cult of Blood formed in Zandia

Krypton destroyed

Kal El Lands in Kansas

Doc Steele, Tazara, The Crimson Fist

Ghost Hunter, Baron Von Fang

1930s - World War 2 

Batman appears

Superman first appears

Wonder Woman appears

Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) appears.

Invaders. Captain America 1-3

Based on Project Rebirth, Vought develops Compound V, empowering Soldier Boy. Germany empowers Stormfront using a duplicate.

Justice Society of America was formed.

Seven Soldiers of Victory

Freedom Fighters

Liberty Squadron

Black Hammer Squadron

Doctor Star

Abraham Slam

Sgt Rock

Sgt Fury and the Howling Commandos

Haunted Tank

GI Robot

The Losers

Albrecht Strong born.

Magneto

Charles Xavier

Golden Gail (spawn of a shazam protege)

1950s (Silver Age Beginning)

Billionaire Oliver Queen is stranded on an island.

Hal Jordan inducted into the Green Lantern Corps

Astro-Naut dies and Astro City is named after him.

William Burnside and Jack Monroe become Captain America and Bucky.

Hero Licensing Agencies were formed in Japan, one of the first being formed by Dragon King. “Former” villain of the JSA and Acrobat.

J’onn Jonnz teleported to Earth.

Barbalien, a contemporary of J’onn’s arrives on Earth.

Colonel Weird.

1960s

Peter Parker was Bitten by a radioactive spider

Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

The Confessor

The Midnight Mink and Chippy (Short lived Batman inspired criminal)

Jessica Jones falls into a coma.

The Question

Fantastic Four

Challengers of the Unknown

First Family

Max O'Millions

Suicide Squad.

The Flash (Barry Allen)

Black Canary II

JLA formed

Teen Titans formed

X-Men founded

Captain Marve (Mar-Vell)

John Stewart Green Lantern

Avengers Formed

SHIELD

Black Rapier

1970s

Luke Cage.

Iron Fist (Danny Rand)

Shang Chi

Silver Agent framed and is executed

Outsiders

Glamorax

Putrid Punk

Black Lightning

Black Hammer I

JLI formed.

Aaron Aikman becomes a doctor and is murdered by Morlun.

Doom Patrol

Winged Victor

Original Batman Dies

Mister Unknown, inspired by Batman becomes a vigilante crimefighter in Japan.

1980s

Suicide Squad II

Checkmate

Spiral City is almost consumed by eldritch Anti-God.

Gangbuster

Daredevil

Nightingale and Songbird

All Might receives his Quirk.

The Samaritan prevents The Challenger Disaster.

Tesla Strong born.

1990s

Vought America begins to push its corporate superhumans. Their minds are twisted by Compound V. Vought refuses to seek alternatives.

Jon Kent, Cir-El Kent born. 

Christopher Kent adopted

Superman Dies.

Unteens (not super long-lived)

Hal Jordan goes evil and dies.

Kyle Rayner.

Spider-Girl

A-Next

Stormwatch

X-People

Skulldigger

First superhuman reality TV show, Youngblood.

They’re immediately met a year later by Vought’s onslaught of Superhuman reality TV shows.

2001-2019

Black Hammer II

The superhuman civil war in america.

Japanse Military creates Big Hero 6 in response to Hero Agencies.

The Super Young Team forms an act of social rebellion by the children of Japanese superheroes who reject the Hero Agency route while despising government work like Big Hero.

Little do they know, they are integral to humanity's further evolution into the super-world.

Peter Parker dies. Mantle was taken up by Miles Morales.

Skrulls invade earth.

Black Hammer II

Black Rapier retires

Jiro Osamu, the replacement for Mister Unknown becomes "The Batman of Japan"

Young Avengers Form

The Authority was formed after Skywatch and IO were exposed to the world

 Izuku Midorya receives the One-For-All quirk

The hero agency system in Japan has cracks forming and they’re big.

Green Door Opens.

Miss Marvel (Kamala Khan)

Multiverse opened up.

China formed the Justice League of China, followed by its very own Lantern Corps.

2020s

Izuku becomes a superhero once again.

Black Hammer II becomes a mother.

Miles Morales becomes a vampire.

Team Titans

First Krakoan age. Mutants who have been dead for decades return.

Hulkling unites Skrull and Kree to form a new galaxy-spanning empire.

2030s

JLA Beyond

Bishop Born (Good Timeline).

The Future State. Corporations begin to create private security to crack down on superhuman threats. Especially in light of corporate superhero projects repeatedly failing.

Superman’s dynasty ascends to the stars. 

2099

Corporations Dominate the World.

Age of Heroes is Over.

Spider-Man 2099

Avengers 2099

Franklin Richards ascends.

Superman’s Dynasty returns to Earth. It’s an ancestral land. It is in ruin.

Compound V-descended humans begin to activate their powers en masse but after 100 years of development, their minds can handle it.

30th Century

Legion of Superheroes

Centuries of Mutants, Compound V Descendants, Inhumans, Metahumans, and alien-influenced humans have fundamentally changed the definition of a baseline human.

Humanity is almost there. The rest of the universe is inching toward it too.

Golden Lantern

853rd Century

It’s a superhuman universe. 

The Justice Legion, influenced by their literal and metaphorical ancestors patrol all sections of the known universe. 

[wanderingmind867]

I decided to go back to my old notes app and see if i can't do anything there. I'm still infuriated by how i can't get music to work for long when i'm writing notes, so i am trying get around that. But i think i have my three or four main teams now: The Justice League Canada, a team of reformed supervillians supervised by Martian Manhunter, and the Squadron of Justice (a team of old fawcett comics stars).

These three teams are all kind of connected (Martian Manhunter and Captain Marvel/Shazam are founding members of the Justice League Canada, but leave to join the other two teams), so i can say i've made a bit of a reinterpretation of the DC universe. In honour of me trying to go back to these old ideas, I know what i need to do: i need to repost my old notes on this stuff, and i need to share my new ideas (if/when i write about them, of course).

[dirtyriver]

WORLD PREMIER: LES GHOULS - locked away in the vault of Roy Thomas, released for the first time in 65 years for your viewing pleasure!

Les Ghouls is a 12½-minute, mostly black-&-white film made circa 1958 by a group of six teenagers in Jackson, Missouri, including Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, who went on in the 1960s to become writers and editors at Marvel Comics. It was intended as an homage to/ripoff of the 1948 movie classic Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, just filmed for a lark. It was filmed largely in black-&-white despite the relative difficulty of obtaining that kind of film even then. John Short, who owned the (new) movie camera, served as primary director; Roy Thomas scripted the movie (in synopsis form) and supplied all art and lettering appearing in the film. There were vague plans to eventually either record a soundtrack or to at least have the cast members accompany showings by narration and dialogue, but those plans never materialized.

CAST:

Slim--------------------------------------------------- Gary Friedrich

Slat ---------------------------------------------------- Ron Lowes

Dr. Sturdley ------------------------------------------ Andy Leonard

Melvin ------------------------------------------------ Lyle Hutteger

The Monster ------------------------------------------ John Short

Werewolf ---------------------------------------------- Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich went on to become major writers in the comicbook industry.

Roy Thomas was an editor of Marvel from 1965-80, and editor-in-chief from 1972-74. He also scripted runs on such series as X-Men, Avengers, Conan the Barbarian, Savage Sword of Conan, Star Wars, Red Sonja, Kull the Conqueror, Daredevil, Captain Marvel, The Invaders, Incredible Hulk, Sub-Mariner, etc. He also co-created the likes of Wolverine, Carol Danvers (future Captain Marvel), The Vision, Ultron, The Squadron Supreme, The Invaders, Union Jack, Spitfire, Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, Morbius the Living Vampire, Sunfire, Banshee, Valkyrie, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Doc Samson, Brother Voodoo, Warlock, Ghost Rider, Son of Satan, Thundra, Captain 3D, What If, Not Brand Echh, and others. In the ’80s he defected to DC Comics, where he co-created, wrote, and often edited All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc., Arak – Son of Thunder, Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!, Young All-Stars, and Jonni Thunder a.k.a. Thunderbolt, as well as writing the likes of Wonder Woman, Shazam!, Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, and Justice League of America. He has also written comics for Topps, Heroic, etc. He co-created both a super-hero comic and a comics-history magazine which were titled Alter Ego. His and wife Dann’s independent series Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt was optioned for a film in the ’90s. He has also written for films, TV animation, and live-action TV.

Gary Friedrich wrote several series runs for Marvel, including Sgt. Fury, Captain America, Nick Fury – Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Frankenstein, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Daredevil, [the Western] Ghost Rider, Combat Kelly, Captain Savage, and Captain Marvel—and was the major creator of [the motorcycle-riding, supernatural] Ghost Rider and the co-creator and first writer of Son of Satan. He served as assistant editor at Marvel from late 1966 to 1968. He and Roy Thomas co-created the concept for the Marvel comicbook Not Brand Echh. Gary also wrote for Skywald, Topps, and other comics companies. He passed away in August 2018.

(via Bleeding Cool)

[daydreamerdrew]

ok, catching up on Shazam! (2023):

issue #5:

I liked the opening with Mary rescuing Billy, but I didn’t like that she didn’t immediately realize how serious his condition was. even though this book isn’t using the Pre-Crisis bit of characterization that Captain Marvel can’t fight women, the scenes where he was fighting the gorillas and robots while Mary was fighting Queen Bee reminded me of Golden Age scenes, like in “Pin-Up Boy” in Whiz Comics (1940) #48, where Mary has to fight a female villain when Cap can’t. also, even though I like Mary and I like her intelligence being emphasized, her figuring out that the gods were manipulating Billy didn’t really work for me. I think it would have made more sense for Billy to have pieced that together because of how strange their different influences felt. anyway, at this point I’m remembering that when this book started I was hopeful that this plotline with the gods wouldn’t last very long.

issue #6:

I liked that the various items the kids used to become the new Squadron of Justice, like Bulletman’s helmet and Ibis the Invincible’s Ibis-Stick, have an actual history and aren’t just random items, i.e. Bulletman and Ibis the Invincible were previously heroes in this continuity. that there was already “a growing divide between your dual identities, each beginning to refer to the other as ‘ he’ rather than ‘I,’” and it’s going to get more dramatic appeals to me. I noted that this was happening back when the first issue came out, and I figured then that Mark Waid wasn’t going to go this far and that language was a compromise, like calling Billy “the Captain” instead of “Captain Marvel.” this moment is actually immediately followed by the Captain addressing Billy’s siblings as “kids.” I know that many fans have soured by now on emphasizing the age difference, but I think there’s an interesting way to do it- there was legitimately an age difference between Billy and Captain Marvel in the original comics- and I wonder if that’ll be an element in how this division is made more dramatic.

issue #7:

I don’t enjoy this book’s attempts at being absurd, like with these dinosaur accountants. I really like that Billy is in his school’s A/V club! I had liked the part of the story in the Shazam! Fury of the Gods movie that the Vasquezes were struggling financially, we’ll see how this house crisis works for me.

issue #8:

I think what made the financial situation in the movie compelling was the intense personal stakes of Billy being afraid that the Vasquezes won’t be able to afford having everyone and will kick him out when he turns 18. which was helped along by Asher Angel’s performance. I think I lack the prior investment in this comic era’s version of Billy to get really into this. I do like that this issue ends with Billy and Zeus on more positive terms, because I don’t really like the concept of Billy being in conflict with his empowering gods.

Issue #9:

I like Billy’s podcast getting more focused. he seems a little unprepared for his interview on Jack Ryder’s show, which isn’t much like the uber-competent radio reporter of the Pre-Crisis continuity that I know and love. regardless, I like that this issue focused on Billy as a broadcaster, and put that in the modern context of “content providers” and the idea what “sincerity is a plague” in the news profession. similarly, that “Your transformation dazzles people enough so they won’t catch you, but cameras aren’t so easy to confuse” also worked well along those lense, as the ‘dazzle’ thing is how Billy’s transformation worked Pre-Crisis. and I particularly really liked that this issue paralleled performing on TV with that Billy could “act like someone else entirely if [he] wanted to,” with the reality that as the Captain he’s Billy “Less so every day lately.”

[strato-viper-raven-blog]

Thinking about New Champion of Shazam AU headcanons and feeling that Rosa and Victor would not only help out foster kids but also provide resources and a sympathetic ear to homeless people and they end up being friends with the other Fawcett heroes and manage to help them escape the lab by providing a distraction when they end up getting kidnapped too. Which leads the Squadron of Justice to vow to save the Vasquez kid's parents.

[mister-e-filman]

Intermission: Bailey and Peter's List of Characters with Multiversal Counterparts

DC Marvel

Adam Strange Star Lord

Alfred Jarvis

Amazo Adaptoid

Anti-Monitor, Imperiex Prime Galactus

Aquaman Namor the Submariner

A.R.G.U.S. S.H.I.E.L.D.

Artemis Kate Bishop

Atomic Skull Ghost Rider

Bane Crossbones

Banshee Silver Banshee

Batman Moon Knight, Knight Thrasher

Beast Boy Reptil

Black Alice Rogue

Black Canary Mockingbird, Black Widow

Black Lightning, Bolt Electro

Black Mask Red Skull

Black Racer The Silver Surfer

Black Spider Spider-Man

Blue Beatle Beatle

Brainiac Ultron

Bumblebee The Wasp

Captain Boomerang Boomerang

Captain Cold Blizzard

Catwoman Black Cat

Cheetah Tiagra

Cinderblock The Thing

Clayface Sandman

Cyborg Deathlok, Machineman

Darkseid Thanos

DC's Enchantress Marvel's Enchantress

DC's Scarecrow Marvel's Scarecrow

Deadshot Bullseye

Deathstroke, Red Tool Deadpool

Dex-Starr Rocket Raccoon

Doom Patrol X-Men

Doomsday Abomination

Dr. Fate Dr. Strange

Dr. Polaris, Dr. Diehard Magneto

Dreamslayer Dormammu

Firestorm Human Torch

Gizmo, Gorgon Dr. Octopus

Godspeed Runner

Gorilla Grodd Gorilla-Man

Green Arrow Hawkeye

Green Lantern Quasar

Green Lantern Corps Nova Corps

Guardian, Cmd. Steele, Gnl. Glory, Shield Captain America

Hawkman Angel, Falcon

H.I.V.E. A.I.M.

Hourman, Calendar Man Father Time

Icicle, Killer Frost Iceman, Jack Jrost

John Constantine Peter Wisdom

Justice League The Avengers, Squadron Supreme

Kid Devil Nightcrawler

Killer Kroc The Lizard

King Shark Tiger Shark

Kismet Eternity

Kobra Hydra

Lobo The Wolverine

Lord Havoc Dr. Doom

Mr. Mxyzptlk Impossible Man

Mogo Ego

Multiplex Multiple Man

Niles Calder Professor X

Phantom Stranger Phantom Reporter

Plastic Man, Elongated Man Mr. Fantastic, Thin-Man

Raven Phoenix

Red Hood The Winter Soldier

Red Lion, Bronze Tiger Black Panther

Red Tornado The Vision

Richard Dragon Shang-Chi

Rocket Red, Steel Iron Man

Scandal Savage X-23

Shazam!, Power Girl Captain Marvel

Soloman Grundy, Damage Hulk

Star Sapphire Moonstone

Starfire Firestar

Stargirl Aurora

Suicide Squad Freedom Force

Superman Gladiator, Hyperion, Sentry, Kallark

Swamp Thing Man Thing

Teen Titans Young Allies

The Atom Ant-Man

The Black Spider Spider-Man

The Flash Quicksilver, the Whizzer

Tobias Whale Kingpin

Tracer, Mammoth Sabertooth

Trigon Marvel's Lucifer, Surtur

Wonder Woman Power Princess

Zatana The Scarlet Witch

Author's note: Sorry about the mess, I tried to keep everything as tidy as possible. I did the best that I could, oh well.

[docgold13]

365 DC Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

January 17th - Bulletman


Jim Barr had been the son of a police officer who was murdered in the line of duty. Barr decided to avenge his father by devoting his life to justice, ultimately entering into the field of ballistics. Barr would go on to develop a chemical compound that greatly enhanced his strength and durability. He later created a gravity regulatory helmet that enabled flight and super speed. He used his new abilities to become a costumed crime-fighter. The bullet-like shape of Barr’s helmet resulted in his being referred to as the ‘Bulletman.’ He had numerous adventures as Bulletman, joining up with Captain Marvel on some of these escapades. The hero would ultimately become a member of Captain Marvel’s Squadron of Justice. Bulletman first appeared in the pages of Nickel Comics #1 (1940).

[panels-of-interest]

Spectre vs. Black Adam.

[from JSA (1999) #74]

[thecomicsnexus]

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #51-53 NOVEMBER 1985 - JANUARY 1986 BY ROY THOMAS, DANN THOMAS, MIKE CLARK, ARVELL JONES, ALFREDO ALCALA, VINCE COLLETTA, TONY DEZUÑIGA AND CARL GAFFORD

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

Dr. Fate and Hourman, trying to enlist the Justice Society's help in finding the vanished Firebrand, come upon a group of four villains in the JSA headquarters plus a flying microphone broadcasting the voice of one "Mister Mind".

The Crisis has reached 1942 Earth-S, and Green Lantern, Johnny Quick, and Liberty Belle join Captain Marvel in his battle against the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons. Later, Captain Marvel takes the heroes to the wizard Shazam, who is apparently aware of the Crisis and sends the three to present-day Earth-One via the Rock of Eternity.

The All-Stars continue their battle with the Monster Society of Evil. Mr. Mind escapes, only to be thrown across the dimensions once more, landing on Earth-S, where he will, months later, encounter Captain Marvel for the first time. Meanwhile, Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle are absorbed by a burst of white light and deposited aboard the Monitor's satellite, leaving Green Lantern to return to 1942 Earth-Two. Quick and Belle join their teammates "Tarantula and Amazing-Man: then, in events paralleling segments shown in Crisis, the Earth-Two heroes combat the Red Tornado, who has been sent on a mad rampage by the Anti-Monitor. Finally, Harbinger dispatches Liberty Belle, the present-day Green Lantern of Earth-Two, Power Girl, Per Degaton, Star Sapphire, and Deathbolt on a mysterious mission.

REVIEW

Boy, Roy Thomas has a history of choosing the wrong words to talk about other races. As far as I know, “negro” was no longer in use in 1985. Also considering the way he writes women, I am starting to understand why, by reading these comics. (Sure, the characters are talking in 1942. But while it may be historically accurate, there was really no need for it).

Roy Thomas is a nostalgic. He loves the golden age so much, sometimes it is hard to take him out of that era. I do think he learns from thinks that other writers had to improved after him. After all, the female characters in Infinity Inc and All-Star Squadron are not useless. They do talk a lot about men though.

In any case, Roy Thomas loves this time period, but in a crossover that happens in 1985, it is a bit confusing at times. Especially when some characters on the Monitor’s satellite are from 1940 and others from 1985, and they all look almost the same (I dare you to tell apart which Johnny Quick is talking on each panel of #53).

Speaking of the art, the transportation to the Monitor’s satellite looks too much like the anti-matter wall. At a certain point I thought those characters died!

Mr. Mind’s story of basically how he ended up on Earth-S is kind of funny, but the Evil Society of Monsters is BORING.

I am also impressed that the issue is written by two people, yet all the dialogues are inhuman and too expository.

I give these issues a score of 4

[chernobog13]

Alex Ross’ dynamic cover for Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 4, which was part of a series of trade paperbacks reprinting all the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America annual crossovers.  The stories in this volume included both teams encountering the heroes of Earth-S (where all the Fawcett Comics characters lived) and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

[heroicadventurists]

Versus Series

Who is the superior Captain Marvel? Leave a comment below

Captain Marvel (Marvel)

Full Name: Carol Susan Jane Danvers

Team affiliations:

A-Force

Alpha Flight Space Program

Avengers

"Defenders for a Day"

Guardians of the Galaxy

Infinity Watch

The Mighty Avengers

NASA

New Avengers

S.H.I.E.L.D.

Starjammers

Ultimates

United States Air Force

X-Men

Abilities:

Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and stamina

Energy projection and absorption

Flight

Versus

Captain Marvel Shazam (DC)

Full Name: William Joseph "Billy" Batson

Team affiliations:

Shazam / Marvel Family

Squadron of Justice

Justice League

Justice Society of America

Justice League International

Abilities:

Wisdom of Solomon

Enhanced intellect

Nigh Omniscience

Knowledge and focus of the gods

Strength of Hercules

Superhuman strength

Stamina of Atlas

Superhuman stamina

Invulnerability

Superhuman durability

Superhuman endurance

Power of Zeus

Power over unlimited lightning

Immortality

Electricity generation and manipulation

Lightning/Electricity absorption

Creation of electrical force-fields

Courage of Achilles

Indomitable will

Speed of Mercury

Superhuman speed

Teleportation via the Rock of Eternity

[girlsofcomics]

Bulletgirl

-Real name: Susan Kent

-A.k.a.:-

-Publisher: DC Comics

-Type: Human (gravity regulator helmet user)

-Afilliations: Flying Detectives, Crime Crusader Club, All-Star Squadron, Shazam´s Squadron of Justice

-Powers: Gravity regulator helmet, deflection.

[sebeth]

Captain Marvel Vs The All-Star Squadron

[aion-rsa]

10 Injustice Characters the DC Animated Movie Needs to Get Right

https://ift.tt/3fCncB7

As we wait an announcement pertaining to the existence of NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice 3, we at least know that Warner Bros. is set to adapt the games into a DC animated movie.

Ever since its release in 2013, the Injustice franchise has not only become a staple of NetherRealm’s roster, but the comic spinoffs have made it a beloved part of the DC multiverse. The plot revolves around a reality where the Joker was able to mess with Superman so badly that the Man of Steel gradually became a mass-murdering dictator, with the support of several members of the Justice League. Left without any other option, Batman brought in counterparts of the Justice League from the “mainstream” universe to help him fight a civil war against his former friend. It was a story that merged the Justice Lords two-parter from the Justice League cartoon with Marvel’s original Squadron Supreme comic series.

A popular prequel series was released, mostly written by Tom Taylor, that explained the five years in-between Superman killing the Joker in cold blood and Batman’s last stand. Sometime later, the game’s story was adapted into the comic Injustice: Ground Zero. And the Injustice universe has only continued to grow since then.

As snazzy as NetherRealm’s story modes are, they are going to have to make some changes to the narrative for the animated movie. It’s not like every character is going to stumble into exactly four best-two-out-of-three fights in a row before someone else is the focus. Knowing that there will be alterations, some characters are really going to need some tender love and care.

Superman (Both of Them)

Injustice: Gods Among Us didn’t invent the idea of an evil Superman, but things are a bit over-saturated these days. Face it, “Dark Superman” has been done to death, what with Brightburn, The Boys, Invincible, and everything Zack Snyder intended with his Justice League movies.

It’s important that the animated movie really get into the WHY of what turned Superman evil instead of the Joker just getting a tragic win over him. The Injustice comic nudged him over and over again with multiple betrayals and manipulations before he finally snapped and angrily broke every bone in Green Arrow’s body. Hit all that, or at least enough of it.

More importantly, Injustice is a story of two different Supermen. The mainstream Superman has to ring true. He has to be the beacon of hope and positivity that pop culture has been missing for the past decade.

Ultimately, as long as they don’t do that minigame where Superman blows up cars and the people in them with his eye-lasers, we’re cool.

Batman

In this DC take of Marvel’s Civil War, Batman is by default the better person when compared to Superman. He has a line he won’t cross and that means no murder and no tyranny. That said, he still needs to be portrayed as a flawed hero. He may be competent, but he still behaves like a total douche at times and deserves to take one to the chin every now and then.

Being a paranoid futurist who buries himself in contingency plans means alienating allies, friends, and even family members. There’s a great moment in the Injustice comic where he reveals that he infected Cyborg with a virus within a week of meeting (you know, just in case), which Killer Croc says is outright sinister. It’s this kind of behavior that led to Superman’s fall to darkness, because even if Bruce wasn’t behind any of the horrors, he still chose coldness and paranoia over being there for a friend who was going through some serious shit.

Harley Quinn

A hype trailer for Harley painted her as a major protagonist in the first game but the game’s story mode just didn’t measure up. The comics did a better job and the Ground Zero volume was specifically about telling the game’s story from Harley’s perspective. I’m not saying that she should be joined by her team of BFF henchmen from Ground Zero, but she should definitely be a prominent hero.

Similar to the Mark Waid comic series Irredeemable and Incorruptible (also about an evil take on Superman), Harley’s turn to heroism is the universe’s response to Superman’s actions. She’s done some horrible things and may never make up for her actions under the Joker’s thumb, but she’ll keep fighting to stop Superman’s atrocities.

Wonder Woman

While Batman did a bad job trying to pull Superman from the darkness, Wonder Woman succeeded in pushing him in. It’s noted here and there, but this Wonder Woman was also altered by tragedy. In this timeline, Steve Trevor turned out to be a Nazi traitor. His betrayal left Diana feeling much less optimistic and hopeful than her mainstream self.

Wonder Woman’s villainy isn’t as pronounced as Superman’s, but she’s definitely the friendly face who eggs him on and wants him to stand over all mankind. As Superman uses her to fill the void left from Lois Lane’s death, the power couple become very good at bringing out the worst in each other.

Damian Wayne

The Injustice game did Damian a little dirty, revealing deep into the story that the Nightwing fighting on Superman’s side was not Dick Grayson, but Damian. According to Batman, Damian murdered Dick. The comics dove deeper into that and made it more of a freak accident brought on by Damian being an impulsive and angry child. Still, Bruce and his son were unable to make amends due to their shared lack of warmth.

Later stories, and even Injustice 2, added more depth to Damian. It always made sense that he’d join Superman’s Regime, but there was a soul in there who would eventually see that this wasn’t the right path. In the comic Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe, which was treated as a sequel to Injustice 2’s dark ending, Damian took up the mantle of Batman to oppose Superman and even grew a long-missing sense of humor in the process.

Lex Luthor

The great tragedy of the DC multiverse is that Superman and Lex Luthor just can’t get along. They will always be at odds no matter what Earth they come from. The Injustice universe was the one exception, as Luthor was portrayed as fairly warm and altruistic. Much like Batman, he has contingency plans up the wazoo, but they don’t come off as creepy.

Seeing him there as Superman’s longtime friend who sadly has to stab him in the back brings back that multiversal truth about the duo. Just because this is a world where Superman kills and things get very bleak doesn’t mean it’s the worst world and that it isn’t worth saving. The mainstream Cyborg is reluctant to come to terms with this heroic Luthor, but he ultimately accepts the miracle that this universe created a Luthor worth befriending and even looking up to.

Hal Jordan

Maybe it’s just me, but I was never a fan of how Geoff Johns retconned Hal’s past and gave him deniability for everything he did as Parallax. I liked that a boring hero dude like Hal snapped, did some bad stuff, and then had to accept his failures in an attempt to be better. With Injustice, they gave us that exact Hal.

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Comics

Injustice: Year Zero Brings the Justice Society to DC Alternate Universe

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Overflowing with willpower and being an otherwise competent space cop, Hal is still something of a dunce at times, and he’s susceptible to manipulation in the right situation. He’s already following Superman’s lead, but having Sinestro pop in to indoctrinate him into the Sinestro Corps makes him actually interesting. Let Hal be the worst version of himself here so he can double back on it in the sequel and beg Guy Gardner’s ghost for forgiveness.

Shazam

Injustice may be the B-side to Mortal Kombat, but the game itself is fairly tame on the violence. Joker’s death isn’t actually shown on screen, Luthor’s end is fairly clean, and Grodd taking a trident to the torso is relatively tame.

But what we absolutely, positively have to see in the animated movie is Shazam’s death scene to really give an idea of how far gone Superman is. It’s bloodless from our point of view, but it’s grisly as hell and made worse when you remember that Shazam is a literal child under all the mystical power.

Batgirl

The Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl was one of the first DLC characters added to Injustice, but it’s unfortunate that she’s not in the main story mode — something the animated movie could fix by giving her a more prominent role in the fight against the Regime. Her ending gives her a kickass backstory where she returns to the cowl after her father dies at Superman’s hands. The comics go deeper into this, even making it so that Superman doesn’t directly kill Commissioner Gordon.

In this continuity, she was already wheelchair-bound as Oracle. She had to go under a very dangerous procedure under Luthor’s care in order to walk again. This is one of the storylines that could make for a captivating arc in the movie.

Alfred Pennyworth

Alfred isn’t in either Injustice game. He’s already dead by the start of the first game. But I don’t care. Alfred needs to be in the animated movie because he is the heart and soul of the Injustice comics. While others bow to Superman, follow him, or even try to reason with him, Alfred Pennyworth doesn’t play those games. He will straight-up verbally clown Superman for his actions without flinching. He is not afraid of the Kryptonian, no matter how red his glowing eyes get.

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This comes to a head in the comics when Alfred takes a pill that gives him Kryptonian strength and he kicks the absolute shit out of Superman for ruining his family. I know I’m asking for a lot, but I simply need to see Alfred stomp a mudhole in Superman so hard that his own shoe explodes from the impact.

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