There have been many different incarnations of the Justice League over the years (see JUSTICE LEAGUE: INCARNATIONS), but I’m assuming you mean versions of the original foundation of the Justice League before spawning any off-shoots. Well, in the main continuity, we’ve got nearly a dozen I can think of: the Silver Age version told in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9, a Bronze Age revision in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #144, a Post-Crisis origin in SECRET ORIGINS #32, a revised Zero Hour foundation in JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE #16, an elaboration on SECRET ORIGINS #32 in JLA: YEAR ONE, a post-Infinite Crisis origin centering the Trinity in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #0, a simplified two-page origin told in the backmatter of 52 #51, a further elaboration on that Post-Infinite Crisis origin in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #12, a retelling of that origin from a new perspective in DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES #3, and of course the New 52 origin told in JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-6. That’s a team with some history.
As for which earth JLA: YEAR ONE belongs to, it’s never been named, but it’s out there. But the Pre-Zero Hour world can be seen in 2015’s CONVERGENCE, specifically in the AQUAMAN, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT, CATWOMAN, GREEN ARROW, GREEN LANTERN/PARALLAX, JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL, SUICIDE SQUAD, SUPERBOY, SUPERGIRL: MATRIX, and SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL tie-ins.
For already established characters getting a new push, DC is going to be promoting Black Adam in a big way in preparation for the movie. They’re already starting with this month’s Endless Winter event, and he looks like he’ll be at the forefront of the Justice League next year. As The Rock is fond of saying, the hierarchy of power is about to change.
But the true breakout stars look to be Yara Flor, the new Wonder Girl, and Naomi, Bendis’s original “Wonder Comics” heroine, each of whom are in development for their own live action TV series.
I think we’re in agreement that Len Wein coda in LEGACIES #4 is the best ending I could imagine for that whole era of war stories. The Losers made few between then and the Rebirth era, except for a oneshot published just before The New 52 set during World War II, and another wildly different take on the team during Flashpoint. In issue #2 of 2017’s BUG! THE ADVENTURES OF FORAGER, Forager is hurled back in time to WWII, and fights alongside Capt. Storm and his merry men, assuring their place in continuity – including their fate on Dinosaur Island, as we learn in 2016’s SUPERMAN #8-9. There, Superman and Superboy discover Captain Storm stranded on Dinosaur Island, having buried his team there. As a coda to Peter Tomasi’s run on the series, Superman and son return to Dinosaur Island in 2018’s SUPERMAN SPECIAL, allowing him a reunion with his loved ones decades later.
As for the history of Sarge and Gunner, we’re never given their first names: but Sarge’s last name is Clay, and Gunner’s is MacKay. Because they’re so thinly defined, there’s been conflicting information about their history over the years. Sometimes, it’s said that Sarge and Gunner grew up together in the slums of some American city. Other times, it’s said that Sarge served with the Marines for 30 years before he even met Gunner. Whatever the case, Sarge and Gunner were both tasked with training raw recruits on the European front, only for their entire company to get slaughtered by the enemy on their first patrol. That disgrace earned them both a one way ticket into the company of The Losers.
I don’t believe Jimmy is privy to the true identities of Batman and Robin; he only recently found out Clark Kent was Superman. I don’t believe he’s crossed paths with Robin since 2016, either – since the beginning of the Rebirth branding, Batman’s been doing his rounds more or less Robinless. But you can read about Jimmy’s visit to Gotham City and subsequent “Prank War” against Batman in 2019’s SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN.
Holliday College actually made its first appearance in continuity for decades relatively recently, in 2019’s WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #5 by Steve Orlando. Little surprise, as the manifesto of Orlando’s run on Wonder Woman was the “all stories are true” approach that Grant Morrison took before him on Batman. Holliday College also made appearances in prominent though non-canonical Wonder Woman stories such as THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN and WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE. “Starvard,” however, like many of the wordplay-based elements around Etta Candy’s predilection for sweets at the time, has been apparently discarded by history.
OK, some more details: Cassandra Cain artist and co-creator Damion Scott once envisioned a future where Tim Drake and Cassandra Cain work together to fill the role of Batman: Tim as the scientist, researcher, and detective, and Cass as the boots-on-the-ground caped crusader. I think something like that would be the ideal setup, kind of like what Old Man Bruce and Terry have going in Batman Beyond.
(Though I’d be tempted to swap Tim out with Oracle.)
I feel like I need to clear up a misconception: Rebirth isn’t a clean-slate change of continuity the same way that Crisis on Infinite Earths or The New 52 was, but a re-entering of lost Post-Crisis and even some Pre-Crisis material into the formerly divorced New 52 continuity. It’s not a division, but an embrace. So a lot of the stuff that was de-canonized in The New 52 can now be regarded, unless otherwise directly contradicted, as being part of DC history. The idea of Mademoiselle Marie being a title that is handed down among French operatives is one which can be found in Greg Rucka’s CHECKMATE series from 2006. A Mademoiselle Marie has made a couple sparse appearances in titles like GRAYSON and HEROES IN CRISIS in the past decade, but that idea can be safely regarded for the time being as a stable one.
Well, the truth is that Waid probably wasn’t thinking about it. As I noted in my last answer to your inquiries about this particular series, directly from Waid himself, this era of the Legion of Super-Heroes was pretty heavily mandated by editorial direction at the time, leaving the story he planned to tell all but rudderless. When too many cooks stand over the pot, details like these tend to get lost in the scuffle.
Looks like you’re trying to clear out a lot of your backlog before going on hiatus, 'til next year. Keep 'em coming! I do applaud your work ethic, sir. Would that our Congress showed as much concern for their oaths to the people. But I digress. In backtracking over old articles, I came across one I didn’t remember even reading! Posted on Sept 18th of 2019, by the industrious JLB. It’s titled " Take a peek in Batman’s little black book." He answers nicely my query to you (Nov 2nd, this year) on that exact same subject.
So scratch another one off your to-do-list Q. Mr. Lapin-Batrone has come through once again. Belated kudos Joshua, and great article. I especially liked the recap on Dr. Shondra Kinsolving. Is she still part of the new DCU? I do hope so. Loved what you found out about the French operatives known as “Marie.” And given his expressed interest on the subject, I suspect you’ll be hearing from @DeSade-acolyte as well, before long.
And thanks for the clarification on Rebirth for me. I know I’ve used the word perhaps to freely in the past. I’ll take care with its’ usage in the future.
[quote=“wrightline1.42741, post:1892, topic:59246”]
Is she still part of the new DCU?[/quote]
Not in regular continuity since Knightfall in the 90s, but she did make a cameo in DC Comics Bombshells. And you’re quite welcome! I’m just trying to get some cleaning done before the new year. I suppose it just shows I do what I love.
Dual question here: Is there any connection between Fear Gas and Joker Toxin? And is Superman susceptible to Fear Gas without combining it with Kryptonite?
Injustice Superman. He has all the experience our own Superman has that Red Son Superman doesn’t, and he’s mentally a lot less reserved about going all out with his powers.
The pen houses the 5th dimensional being known as Thunderbolt, one of the most powerful entities in the DC Universe. Using the pen, Johnny can use Thunderbolt to fulfil any wish he desires, though he’s always got to be very careful with the wording or the consequences could be catastrophic.
Gonna have to be careful of the board’s censorship filters here:
Bastich: Basically how you and I would use the word “bastard.”
Frag: To destroy, or alternatively, an expletive. Basically how we’d use the “f” word in the context of to “f***” something up.
Feetal’s Gizz: Short for “Feetal’s gizzard,” an exclamation used both in delight and extreme frustration.
Doctor Fate’s magical abilities are vast, but the ability to perceive the future isn’t something we see him practicing in the comics. Doctor Fate is called such because he is an agent of the Lords of Order, or in other words fate itself. Smallville, in portraying him as a future-seer, gave his name a different meaning, probably both because it was convenient for the story, and because they didn’t want to get into the whole “Lords of Order” business.
That said, even if he could predict the future, which he very well may, as an agent of Order itself, Doctor Fate would be duty-bound not to countermand it. If Superman was fated to die, then Doctor Fate may not feel as if he had to intervene.
