Justice League #6

[superfangirl1]

We also learn more about Pandora.

Comments

[drmcninja]

A few things, in no particular order:
Is this still a flashback story, because I'm annoyed that the president isn't black if its in the present.
Barry isn't allowed to talk anymore, and Hal is quickly heading down that path too.
Super-friends reference = awesome.
I don't know if I like the PS setup as a sort-of Watcher, but I do like the idea of there being more than one like him, except the good/neutral/bad mysterious trinity is a bit played out. I hope this, at least, turns out well.

[akodo_rokku]

This is still 5 years ago, yeah. Hence the president looking GW Bush-y.

[darkknightjrk]

"Is this still a flashback story, because I'm annoyed that the president isn't black if its in the present."

Yes.

[shadowpsykie]

Is this still a flashback story, because I'm annoyed that the president isn't black if its in the present.

yeah this is the final issue of the flashback.

Steve Trevor is foxy:) I Have a thing for scruff okay!
i always though the phantom stranger had that whole "watch but must not interfere" I just thought he was bad at it.

[drmcninja]

Well, to be fair, so is Uatu.

[shadowpsykie]

heh true dat *immortal fist bump*

[darkblade]

Like pretty much every character to ever hold than philosophy ever.

[kenn_el]

The guy's using a typewriter. It obviously takes place in the Sixties.

[thatnickguy]

Or he could just be old fashioned. Or it's something that was passed down to him from his father or grandfather. Or a multitude or other reasons.

[benuben]

Why are you annoyed, that president isn't black?

[drmcninja]

In comics, the president is usually drawn according to who is president at the time or named directly. If not named and drawn to be the real president, they are drawn with similar characteristics so making the connection is easy. Probably to avoid excess political drama and such, I don't know. The president today is black, so to forgo this... I don't know, tradition? Habit?- now would just seem like more unnecessary whitewashing of a major figure in an industry that's already sort of infamous for just that.

[mrstatham]

DC actually tends to avoid the trend of putting the real President in there, unlike Marvel who had Bush in everything from Ultimate X-Men to X-Treme X-Men, as I recall, and obviously blew their load when it came to Obama.

[benuben]

Personally, I'm glad they do. I kind of dislike the idea of using real people in super-hero universes in general, but especialy using president. It's pretty much like giving it a date. 30 years later, Super Seven will be like 5 years older, but they met like 4 presidents.
Also, it just takes too many story oputurnities. And the writer actualy has to write, what he thinks these people would do and say.
I'm not American, so I didn't have the honor, of having Bush as president, but would he really let director of goverment organization go away with murder and international terorrism and make a guy, who was throwing bombs around in New York in green and purple, to be director of national security?
.....Insert George Bush joke here. Or how someone pointed out here before, did Obama really okayed everything, that happened in New Krypton?
I've heard, that people in Marvel are actually proud of themselves, that they use real life president, that it's "realistic".

[mrstatham]

The thing is, Marvel's thing, as much bullshit as it is, is 'realism'. They like to claim that they have more identifiable characters (Which, looking at say, just a random selection of Tony Stark, Reed Richards and say... Namor, is bullshit), more realistic settings, and so on. Using the actual President at the time of a story's publication has always been a Marvel thing, even before the Bush era.

As it is, I don't think DC had an Obama-equivalent during New Krypton. They had that nonsense political series written by, of all people, Judd Winnick and Bill Willingham as a prelude to the new DCU president being elected.

[benuben]

Well, there is that scene of Obama telling "America needs you" or something like that in Action Comics 901 and really black president in Flashpoint.

Ugh, I don't hate Judd Winnick, but the guy is propably the most hit and miss writer I've ever seen. He's the worst and best writer at the same time.
My theory is, that he does research, but he almost never reads the stories.

I wonder, what people here think of his Green Arrow run. I don't think it was the worst thing he ever done, but it has some huge problems. It's like he understands these characters, but he makes them do is wrong.

[mrstatham]

I loathed his Green Arrow run. I could understand what he was trying to do with Ollie - bringing back in some of his psychological weaknesses like women, but Winnick did it at entirely the wrong time - Smith took a good long while reestablishing Ollie and Dinah as something that *could* work, to me, albeit with it being a little rocky. Winnick trashed that to the point there's little wonder Gail Simone decided to use Oracle as a mouthpiece against the pair getting married.

[benuben]

The thing is, I can buy it, if he did it like in volume 7. But seriously? The first story? The guy came back from death to be with her! Again, he definetly does research, but I doubt he actualy reads any of it (you can see it most in his Batman and Robin story)

I think hes good character writer, it's the storylines, that he doesn't do well. Also, he uses the same. Vilains. All over again. The plot is often all over the place,

And what do you mean "could" work? I though it worked perfectly in Grells run.

[mrstatham]

Yeah, but the stuff during and after Grell's run contributed to the idea of Ollie as a womaniser, I believe, thus painting him in a bad light and someone not good enough for Black Canary. When Winnick immediately returned to that characterisation, I don't think it helped Gail's perspective. I don't think Winnick is a good writer at all. His current Catwoman, for instance, is easily the worst of the Batman bunch in the new52.

[benuben]

But Grell also potrayed Ollie as a man, who despite all his flaws, tries as best as he can and that he honestly loves Dinah and triesto threat her as she deserves, even if hes not really good at it.

Man, I love Green Arrow so much.

Was there any good book in existence, that the author described as "edgy"?

[kamino_neko]

That hasn't been the case in DC for a decade at least.

There've were at least 5 presidents between 2000 and the relaunch - including Lex Luthor and Pete Ross, and at least one supervillain other than Luthor. Until the very end when someone (rather pointlessly) brought in Obama, none of them have been, or even resembled, the real president at the time. (The closest being when someone created a Latino president (whose name I am blanking on) as a deliberate Obama analogue.)

Not only does this avoid the 'this story took place 5 years ago, but it has Reagan as president!' problem, it opens up storytelling possibilities - you can't well have the real president assassinated, or revealed to be a supervillain, or impeached for going on a crazy power suit rampage, or whatever. Or, well, you could, but it would kind of make using the real president pointless, since the only real reason to use them is to make some connection to the real world, which you are then proceeding to destroy.