The original Post-Crisis JLA

[Binker]

Hi all, I have a question for you guys.

Recently, I've been reading JLA: Year One for the first time. What was interesting for me was that this was a team without the big three and Black Canary taking the place of Wonder Woman. So the main members were Black Canary, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter & Aquaman.

Keep in mind, I love the idea of the big three being the core and what the JLA are. So let's not think otherwise on that.

Anyway, what was interesting was that this was a book in the Post-Crisis world after 1986 and before......1997 that didn't have the big three as the founding members and instead had them more like how the early JSA books treated them back in '40s as honorable members. It was almost like back then, Superman would be better with his own stuff, same for Batman and same for Wonder Woman and the JLA would be the same.

I know I'm going off here so let me get to the point.

So I was wondering; how did everyone like this back in the day and looking back on it now?

 

[hippie_hunter]

I actually prefer having Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to be founding members of the Justice League, as long as they don't forget about Black Canary being one too.

And I found it stupid that DC had Wonder Woman appear AFTER the first Crisis. I'm glad they fixed that one up.

 

[Dope Nose]

JLA: Year One was a great read and proved that you didn't need the big three to have exciting League stories. Of course if issue #0 of Brad Meltzer's Justice League of America is any indication the League's history has been retconned (again) to feature Wonder Woman as a founding member, replacing Black Canary.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Nothing has been stated that Black Canary has been removed as a founding member. She just wasn't shown in Justice League of America #0

 

[Dope Nose]

issue #0 shows Wonder Woman in place of Black Canary during the League's original battle with the Appelaxians.

 

[hippie_hunter]

issue #0 shows Wonder Woman in place of Black Canary during the League's original battle with the Appelaxians.

Crap

 

[Twilight Knight]

too much retconning

 

[Harlekin]

I loved JLA: Year One and kind of prefer it over the Trinity being founders.

 

[BrianWilly]

The way I look at it -- and I believe that this is the official DC policy on the Crisis retcons anyway, as they explained it back when Donna Troy was reborn -- is that both happened. Black Canary was on the original JLA instead of Wonder Woman, and Wonder Woman was on the original JLA instead of Black Canary. Both of those events happening (which seems impossible, yes, but they happened anyway) is what makes up the current DCU.

It's like how Power Girl existed after the original Crisis, even though the original Crisis said "Earth-2 never existed." But Earth-2 had to have existed. The events of the Golden and Silver ages all happened, even if they didn't in the comic universe timelines, and that's how we have our current universe. The present is not made up of a fixed, single past. A lot of "pasts" happened in order to create the current present of the DCU. If just Wonder Woman had been in the original JLA instead of Black Canary, the present wouldn't be the way it is. If just Black Canary had been in the original JLA instead of Wonder Woman, the present wouldn't be the way it is. Both had to have happened.

Does that make sense? Pretend that you're Grant Morrison for a moment, then it will.

So buck up; Year One hasn't been negated.

 

[Dope Nose]

the only problem I have with that explanation is that it allows the writers too much leeway. on one hand I can understand how it might generate more exciting stories given they don't have to adhere to a limited continuity, but on the other hand it also opens the door for a ton of contradictions. I'd much rather have a fixed timeline as we did post-Crisis and Zero Hour.

loved the Morrison comment by the way.