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Classic Super Hero Teams


Cassandra

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

The X-Men

 

It started out as a group of young heroes going on and protecting mutants, taking orders by a mastermind who had a brilliant mind but was confined to a wheelchair. They were opposed by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who wanted to turn those with powers to evil.

 

Interesting take, but I think Professor X was unconsciously making people anti-mutant so he could send his team on missions.

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

Notable similarities to DC's Doom Patrol, another band of superpowered misfits led by a wheelchair-bound genius, which first appeared in print only a few months before the X-Men. Also interesting that the Doom Patrol's greatest enemies were the Brotherhood of Evil.

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

The Mighty Crusaders are cool' date=' but they weren't around in the Forties, and I don't think their adventures have been set there, either.[/quote']

 

The Shield was. The rest rolled in around the Mid 60's or so. Got details at home. The team first showed up in The Fly's title and then they expanded from there. Current digital project is really good story wise. Nice legacy set up. DC really dropped the ball with the Red Circle property but did do a good take on both The Shield and The Web. Going so far as to swipe stuff from The Web and stuff it into Batman Inc.

 

~Rex

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

The Shield was. The rest rolled in around the Mid 60's or so.

 

Depends on the era. For the '60s bunch, the original Comet and Black Hood were part of the team, and I think the Comet made it into the '80s version as well.

 

But yeah, they weren't a team in the '40s. I've noted elsewhere I find it odd that the JSA had so little competition back in the day.

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

There was competition, it's just all mostly Public Domain nowadays.... There are also a few other characters that could stand with the Shield if you had to like Steel Sterling, The Scarlet Avenger, Zambini the Miracle Man, The Web and a few others from "Archies" MLJ days back in the 40's.... The old Zip Comics imprint if I recall right.....

 

~Rex.... Brings the Comic Genius....

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

By competition, I mean other super-teams. Other companies had anthology titles featuring the overall faves from their characters, and there were occasional team-ups, but most attempts at a full team lasted one or two tries.

 

MLJ published a bunch of superheros back in the day, so you're right that it would not be hard to assemble one if one wanted. A recent issue of Alter-Ego featured a mock MLJ team cover.

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

DC Comics has a number of Hero Teams, and at one time the Justice League had a rule that no two members could have duplicate powers. Makes me wonder about the make up of the various teams with that rule.

 

 

The Justice League of America (Based in Metropolis and the oribiting Watchtower)

Superman

Batman

Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]

Flash [barry Allen]

Green Lantern [Hal Jordan]

Aquaman

Martian Manhunter

Atom [Ray Palmer]

Black Canary [Dinah Laurel Lance]

Hawkgirl [shiera Saunders Hall]

Green Arrow [Oliver Queen]

Zatanna

Firestorm

Red Tornado

Vixen

Fire

Ice

Mary Marvel

 

The Justice Society of America (Based in Gotham City)

Captain Marvel

Sandman

Mr. Terrific

Power Girl

Huntress

Question

Stargirl

Striple

Dr. Fate

Flash [Jay Garrick]

Green Lantern [Alan Scott]

Spectre

Hawkman

Atom [Al Pratt]

Black Canary [Diana Drake Lance]

Wildcat

Captain Atom

Nightshade

Wonder Woman [Queen Hippolyte]

 

 

Teen Titans

Supergirl

Captain Marvel Jr.

Robin [Tim Drake]

Speedy

Wonder Girl [Cassie Sandsmark]

Kid Flash

Aqualad

 

 

Outsiders

Nightwing [Dick Grayson]

Starfire

Batgirl

Wonder Woman [Donna Tory]

Cyborg

Looker

Katana

Geo-Force

Black Lightning

Metamopho

 

Work in progress

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

That the "No Duplicate Powers" Snafu from JLA 146? That was a writer gaff, apparently drawn from the Legion of Super Heroes background (hence I blame it on Superman having Flashbacks....). Hawkgirl was originally denied JLA Membership because the bylaws only admit one new Member at a time. Englehart basically pulled the No Duplications rule out of the hat in issue 146, mostly because previous to that the Silver Age JLA only held 4 Elections for new members (JLA # 4, # 14, # 31, # 42) ..... For a lot of reasons the JLA back in the day kept a tight reign on Membership, both on and off the pages......

 

~Rex ....Now the Legion, that's a different story. Wildfire couldn't get in at first because when he first showed up all he could do was Duplicate everyone else's power (though that story did show he had a unique power....that would be a lot of dice on a Champions table heh)...Same with Lighting Lass/Light Lass etc etc ....

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

The other superteam of the 1940s was the Seven Soldiers of Victory, aka the Law's Legionnaires. Members were: Vigilante, Shining Knight, Crimson Avenger, Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, Green Arrow and Speedy. (Wing, the Crimson Avenger's sidekick, went on every team mission, but was not officially a member. The white guys finally made him a full member posthumously in the 1970s.) Like the JSA, the Seven Soldiers tended to find out about a major threat, break up to solve individual pieces of it, then all join together at the end to finish the job.

 

What made them a little different is that they're one of the few hero teams deliberately created by a villain. Seems there was this fellow who called himself the Hand, who thought he was dying. He hired five flamboyant criminals, his "fingers" to carry out "perfect crimes" that the Hand had devised. And just to increase his victory, the Hand sent messages to five mystery men (and their sidekicks) daring them to assemble and try to stop the crimes. It worked out pretty much how you'd expect.

 

Post-Crisis, the Golden Age GA and Speedy never existed, so the Seven Soldiers' continuity snarled badly.

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

if i remeber what i read correctly post crisis the vigilants sidekick billy gunn was an official member as aws traitorus member called the spider

 

You do recall correctly. Before that, they retconned it so Wing and Vigilante's other partner Stuff had been members.

 

After that, in the Legacies mini of a few years back - which had a continuity so wacked out it was basically its own universe - TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite were retconned in as members.

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

With all the changes in the DC Continuity over the years is it any wonder that I take comfort in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The only problem with that show was that it ended.
as did i

the post "chill of the night eps had the perfect balance of caped crusader and dark knight

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Re: Classic Super Hero Teams

 

There were also a number of Easter Eggs (thought not special features).

 

Starman sounding like Ted Knight.

 

Death Traps jokers sees in the Batcave from the Adam West TV Show.

 

John Welsey Shipp, the live action Flash as Professor Zoom.

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