Earth 2 #3 Cover: Alan Scott! + James Robinson Interview

[aeka]

Alan Scott really is the big guy of Earth-Two. Quite literally. He's very tall, he's dynamic, he's charismatic and he's also the bravest, most gallant man on the planet. He's like the great knight defending the Earth. He would die for his planet, he would die for his people. He is the epitome of what a hero should be. And I think even if he wasn't that way when he first began in the 1940s, he is kind of evolved to that in terms of his place in the Justice Society. I have always felt that he was that character and I have tried to keep that spirit and element of him alive.

Not really liking this overall theme of 'death' you're building here James. I'm also not sure of the message you're sending about a hero being the 'epitome of a hero' if he's willing to die for something...


From CBR:

What about long-time DC readers who love the Earth-Two concept? Has the storytelling and continuity of the past fifty years been erased?

Quite honestly, this is a return to the old pre-"Crisis" Earth-Two. This is what we had for decades before "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Since then, there has been this generational thing with an old Jay Garrick, an old Alan Scott and various other characters living in the same world as the main heroes. We're going back to the roots of what it used to be. These heroes are not old anymore. They are all in their twenties, anywhere between 21 and 28. But at the same time, I have made it very clear that there are differences to their powers and how they have their powers and why they have their powers. There is something that makes them unique to themselves and I think that's what made the original Earth-Two fun. We're bringing that concept back so I think readers of the old DC continuity, if they have an open mind and aren't too closed off to trying new things, will ultimately enjoy and get a lot out of it.

Taking notes here: dead Selina Kyle, dead Lois Lane, dead Amazons. Ruthless Batman who kills. Dark and broody Superman who starts contemplating killing. Angry Wonder Woman who's willing to kill to avenge her dead sisters. Already this doesn't sound like the pre-Crisis Earth-2 that I know. That Earth-2 was a *much* happier place to the one Robinson is building.

Also, I liked that Alan Scott and Jay Garrick were old men who were superheroes. It was part of what made the JSA a diverse superhero team in my opinion. Not sure if I'll find them as interesting as young blokes in their early to late 20s, but that could be in part due to the fact that *almost* everyone in the new DCU is in their 20s.

I wonder how old this makes Batman if he has a daughter in her early 20s? On that note, how early in Bruce's Batman career did he and Selina make Helena? o.O

Speaking of which:

Is Huntress still Bruce Wayne's daughter?

That's something you have to ask Paul Levitz. Remember, it's his character. I would be disrespectful to say too much about Huntress.

I'm just going to go ahead and jump to conclusions and say that she still is. I don't see why Paul Levitz would change this about her character's history since that's part of her appeal as a character, plus he's repeatedly mentioned Bruce and Selina in past interviews. More than likely, they're still Helena's parents.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm bloody tired of Robinson's default answer of 'wait and see.' Seriously mate, just answer the damn question. One word or line hinting at something shouldn't be too much of a spoiler.

Comments

[shadowpsykie]

... he did say die alot.... i hope that his not him "giving clues" because i love alan, and TOTALLy have always seen him as the proverbial white knight.... i kinda like the costume (what we see of it) it remeinds me of the Sentinel costume.... but i hope he still has the cape...

[jlbarnett]

I really wish DC would acknowledge that some people like veteran badasses. I mean look at movies.

[icon_uk]

If the concept is "Heroes who were active in the 1940's and it's now the present day", I can sort of see why death is being treated as a big deal, these are people with extraordinary powers and abilities, reaching the end of a natural (and in some cases, very healthy, lifespan). They're not facing an opponent they can fight, but old age. I think Ifind that healthier than coming up with yet ANOTHER reason why Rex Tyler, Alan Scott, Jay Garrick etc who should be in their late 80's at least, are still around.

Not saying that the RIGHT people are going to be deceased in this universe, but since we know that Lois is the ultimate love of Clark's life, seeing how he handles losing her to something as mundane as mortailty could be interesting (Unless we go all "Kingdom Come", which I realise the GL description does sort of remind me of)

I also have to stand by Robinson's "No comment" policy. If he's determined not to risk spoilers that's a very valid creative POV. The fact that we know live in an age where geek-centric information is spread faster than porn spam, means that such drastic methods really are about the only way to ensure surprises, and he will be being peppered by questions like that in EVERY interview.

[icon_uk]

True, but also, for comparison, look at "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull"

And for the WWII heroic generation, it's not even "veteran" any more, it's "severely elderly". Some might still have the outlook, but few would have the physicality without a plot device which renders the "veteran" bit almost null and void.

[shadowpsykie]

I also have to stand by Robinson's "No comment" policy. If he's determined not to risk spoilers that's a very valid creative POV. The fact that we know live in an age where geek-centric information is spread faster than porn spam, means that such drastic methods really are about the only way to ensure surprises, and he will be being peppered by questions like that in EVERY interview.

this is my take too, BUT i will say, when he comes off as flippant as he does about some of his stuff, i can see where it would be annoying. i mean... either say something more than just some flippant shit, or don't say anything at all!

[shadowpsykie]

i don't know... as contrived as some of the plot points that kept them "young ish" were, they allways still "felt" like verterans to me.

[aeka]

Fair point. Still, a different choice of words other than 'wait and see' would be nice. If he's trying to preserve the element of surprise in keeping silent, okay, I can get behind that. Unfortunately though, I stopped giving a damn after "dead Earth-2 Lois' so I couldn't have bothered to care either way.

[jlbarnett]

you can still have plot devices to keep them younger, though I'm not just talking the JSA.

For example if I was trying to move the Justice Society forward I would have a spell gone wrong when they attempt to leave their old lives behind after HUAC and have them scattered forward through time to various degrees. For example the original Black Canary would be shot forward enough that her daughter would be old enough to be a superhero when Jay and Alan show up.

[icon_uk]

Perhaps a reflection of my age there. :)

I remember the JSA being folded into the DCU proper after Crisis on Infinite Earths back in the 1980's and I always HATED that. It removes (IMHO) a lot of the "specialness" of the modern day heroes if they didn't become who they became because of their own motivations, but partly because "other people did it before 40 years ago" inspiring them.

Batman being only the most recent in a line of non-powered vigilantes but a "follower on" to the likes of Wildcat and Mr Terrific, Robin NOT being the first sidekick, but one who came along decades after Sandy the Golden Boy and Dan the Dyna-Mite and so on... (and let's not even contemplate the mess that became Wonder Woman history)

[icon_uk]

I think a stock standard answer is probably the safest way to go if you're being asked the same question multiple times in slightly different ways by different interviewers, saves accidentally saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

You're welcome to borrow the icon if you like!

[shadowpsykie]

i think that is the reason i loved the smallville version of the JSA, all the "current Heroes" acted of thier own volition, but the JSA was blacklisted and hidden away. thier adventures still happened, but the world pretty much forgot about them. each retained their specialness... plus daniel jackson shirtless :DDD

[icon_uk]

Oh I disliked the JSA in Smallville for all the points listed above, AND the fact that in terms of characters who would work as an "easily forgotten" team, these were categorically the WRONG ones to use. Hawkman? Starman? Dr Fate? Green Lantern? These are NOT low-profile heroes who could be glossed over and forgotten once they'd been in action.

[icon_uk]

Though yes, Daniel Jackson shirtless was a plus! :)

[aeka]

Yeah, I had that same complaint about the whole "merging of histories onto one Earth" (amongst other ones) as well, which I guess is part of the reason I didn't fully warm up to the idea, and I wasn't even around for that reboot. Well...actually I was...I was just barely a newborn baby at the time.

Out of curiosity, how old are you if you don't mind me asking? I know you brought up your being old a few times.

[aeka]

Haha, funnily enough, I just remembered you had that icon. XD

Thanks though! I think I shall use it in the future. :)

[icon_uk]

Over 21 :P

... in fact past my 21st birthday's 21st birthday... by a little bit.

[aeka]

40s then? Strangely enough, I don't consider that old. Then again, I am saying this as someone who's approaching 30 and my peers are freaking out about that. :P

[icon_uk]

Oh I don't feel old or consider myself old, just... oldER! (And I know I'm not the oldest on s_d in any event)

I could never sweat "significant" ages as I never noticed the difference.

[lascoden]

Better then that Lantern Armor thing he was wearing at the end of JSA.

[michael_ellis_day]

If DC wanted to honor the original meaning of Earth-2, what they could have done was use Earth-1. Take the Silver Age characters in use from 1959 through 1986 and show them aged and/or in semi-retirement. Show what they'd be a quarter of a century on, if the Crisis had never taken place. That would be more in keeping with the spirit behind Earth-2 than anything we've heard so far.

For that matter, if DC wanted this "new 52" to count for anything, what they ought to have done was create some truly revamped characters and made a clean breast of it -- make a new GL as different from Hal Jordan as Hal was from Alan, a new Flash as different from Barry Allen as Barry was from Jay. You could even borrow an idea from Marv Wolfman and have the new Flash be a comics fan who read about the Barry Allen Flash of Earth-1. As it is, they've done their restart in a very haphazard, confusing way.

Had they done both these things, a crossover between two sets of heroes from alternate Earths could have had the same meaning for readers that "Crisis on Earth-1/Crisis on Earth-2" once had. As it is, it's just two more bunches of heroes readers don't know yet and don't feel any emotional investment in. If you don't care about this comic, it's not your fault.

[big_daddy_d]

I thought Alan Scott's GL powers were magic based? It looks like here, he's part of the Corp and they are definitely more science than magic.

Well…

[bewareofgeek]

It's better than the "Lantern Lung" suit....

[aeka]

I could never sweat "significant" ages as I never noticed the difference.

True enough. :)

[darkknightjrk]

I think out of the regular heroes Batman would probably count as the vet--he was around a year or two longer in secret and all. Outside of that, Frankenstein has been around for centuries, if I remember right.

[darkknightjrk]

Definitely an improvement costume-wise.

"I'm also not sure of the message you're sending about a hero being the 'epitome of a hero' if he's willing to die for something..."

Well, hasn't that always been a mark of a hero? That is the ultimate self-sacrifice, after all, to take away your life so that someone else might live? I mean, you can definitely argue that there might be more darkness in here then there should be (I think the idea is that this world is going to be dark, but the people that will make up the "Justice Society" will be the one bright, shining light in this dark world), but I think that's a perfectly valid interpretation of a hero.