Let's pretend you work at DC Comics HQ as a mid-level creative producer. One day your boss comes to you and says it seems that the Big Bosses at DC, ever envious of Marvel's success (a stretch, I know, but stick with me here), want to introduce more commercially adaptable super-hero teams to promote some of their lesser-known properties. Sort of a West Coats Justice League, if you will.
In fact, let's pretend your boss literally comes to you and says "Bob, the Bosses want you to develop a West Coast Justice League, like the West Coast Avengers, because we want to sell a zillion comics and make a movie and become rich like the Marvel guys and retire to Bali."
You manage to resist pointing out that your name is not, in fact, Bob (unless it is), and that this is the stupidest idea since Secret Wars II, which probably accounts for how you managed to navigate your way through ten different rounds of downsizing to occupy your current lofty corner cubicle.
Instead you put on your thinking cap and set about finding some obscure characters that you think would make a "viable" West Coat JLA. Maybe you check with your fellow creative professionals, which is a mistake because henceforth WCJLA will stand for "Water Closet JLA". Also, they smell funny. Your friends, that is, not the WCJLA, though if Swamp Thing makes the cut that would probably apply as well.
What six characters would you choose to flesh out the team? Any that you would add?
To make things more complicated, your boss only wants third-tier or less popular character. Why? He's a pin-head, that's why -- he helps run a comic book company, what do you expect?!
The only exception is for Billy Batson, because ... um, because I forgot this rule before I put up the list, is why. And any other character who I was also unaware had been on a team before. Sometimes it's good to be the Pinhead in Charge.
Defend your choices in the comments!
Is Booster Gold considered “third-tier” enough for this team? O think he’s currently available.
I voted for Captain Marvel for a generic all around hero, the Question for the Batmanish detective character, Bulletman as the team’s tech member, Deadman for his uspernatural element, Supergirl for a girl character and similar to Batson for an all around powerset, and lastly Swamp-Thing for again, his supernatural side and the fact he’d be an excellent brick. Those are my choices, hope that’s enough evidence for now.
Supergirl and Batgirl are two longstanding heros and more than worthy of charter status. My only concern with this list; isn’t Ghost Rider a Marvel character?
yes ghost rider is marvel
Ha, you’re right! Sorry about that … in our imaginary world, let’s imagine Marvel is so tickled over this ridiculous concept, they agree to lend DC Ghost Rider to “help”.
I like your reasoning, Vampyrist.
I put in Etrigan because I always loved the Idea of a hell spawn that speaks in rhyme trying to work with a bunch of heroes!
My League would consist of:
Captain Marvel- moral core and power house
Fire- (BLASTER) Green haired beauty and ex member of checkmate.
Plastic Man-(comic relief) keen detective and can turn into anything
The Demon- (BRICK) Supernatural/Magic expert
Acrata-(martial Artist) Mayan stealth expert
p.s. isn’t Ghost Rider a Marvel property?
Also, just a thought on this one, sometimes it’s not the pinheads in charge that decide to use all the less popular characters together, sometimes it’s the writers, and occasionally the reasoning on this is pretty sound. DC’s series 52 was written to rave reviews, with its primary cast consisting of b and c list characters, as it was decided that your general JLA A-lister would be too wrapped up in his or her own thing to tell the story effectively. Marvel’s Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.,which I just started reading after being recommended it several times, was named best series of 2007, and is populated with C-list characters at best. Okay, Machine Man has some cult status credit now, but, this is the series that helped him get there. The point is, with the right writers, even this horrid flop of an idea would become great.
Hey for tech and brooding azrael was trained by the bat himself sooo it seems like he could lead them much like robin of teen titans or nightwing when he was part of the outsiders. He is also shown to be very suited for the job, though in a metal suit he single handedly knocked bane on his @$$.
Captain Marvel, Supergirl, Deadman, Azrael, and The Question could form a team worthy of being taken seriously. One would just need to get the writers (which DC has in spades!) to get Deadman to channel his Kingdom Come self, and the rest should be relatively easy. They won’t go toe-to-toe with the JLA, but that’s still a formidable group of heroes.
I thought DC had done this “concept” before…
It was called the JLE (Justice League Europe)…
and it was pretty bad….. 😉
Arm Fall Off Boy?!?!
Really, what the heck!?! Where does this idea come from? That’s quite a super power! Hey villain, come back here while I rip off my own arm to bludgeon you with.
No really, I’m OK . . . not dead yet . . .
Worf (10): Well, I wasn’t going to say it, but at least someone did. JLE was not very good, Justice League International did fare better. I’d like to say it was because the writers on JLI payed more attention to how the characters interacted with one another than just how their powers and skills helped out. But I think it was really because people liked it when Blue Beetle and Booster Gold got into trouble, and acted like over-age frat boys, doing things like trying to turn JLI headquarters into a resort hotel.
No lie — Arm Fall Off Boy.
I just like that The Question is on the list.
Yah, I know Arm Fall Off Boy was an actual DC character but I’m am merely amazed that the character ever made it to print at all.
He’s up there with Matter Eater Boy. I have news for DC, I can also eat matter. Heck as a matter of fact, I eat nothing but matter.
I’m glad to see that standards have increased over the years.
Hey!
If it weren’t for Matter-Eater Lad, we never would have known about “Calorie Queen”, the young lady (also from the Planet ‘Bismoll’) who can not only eat anything, but can also use what she eats to fuel her Super Strength!
And, really, Jeff, that’s a pretty sad list!
Did you really have to inclued “Ghost Rider”, and leave off “Brother Power, the Geek”?
Ragman?
Goldstar (Booster Gold’s Sister)?
The list could go on for pages, I’m afraid…
And, remember…
EVERY comics character, no matter HOW lame, is SOMEBODY’S favorite!
{Yes, even ‘Prez’!}
Are…are you serious about them being from Bismoll? Like, as in Pepto? Would that be early product placement?
When we were kids, my brother and I made up a whole host of superheroes, complete with Marvel Handbook style write-ups and illustrations that would have done Greg Land proud (in that we traced figures for templates). I remember one of mine was called Piranha; he could eat anything and breathe water and had some super-strength and durability. And yet, I now find he’s slightly less ridiculous than actual published characters.