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!
