What is DC did something similar to Squadron Supreme?

[Crash-Man]

And I'm not talking about Justice League. :rolleyes:

What I mean is, what if DC did their take on what they see as the core of the Marvel mythos?

What do you think that core would be?


Spider-Man? The everyman superhero?

Or X-Men?


I'm intrigued. What do you think?

[Ryan K]

Spider-Man
Hulk
Captain America
Iron Man
Wolverine
Thor
Wasp

Plus probably a couple members of the Fantastic Four.

Maybe Ant-Man to go along with Wasp.

Maybe another X-Man or two. Cyclops, Storm, Professor Xavier.

But I'd say for the most part it would be modeled after the Avengers so that list at the top and a couple of the following. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Black Knight, Vision, Ms. Marvel, etc.

[scratchie]

It's an interesting idea. Of course, DC did introduce a "Squadron-Supreme-like" version of the Avengers in one issue of JLA, but that was just a one-time gag.

I think it would be more of a challenge for DC than for Marvel, though, because the DC characters are such archetypes. It's easy for someone at Marvel to capture the essence of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman because they're classic heroes in the mythical mode. Marvel's heroes are defined by their quirks, and for the most part, they don't seem as "quintessential" as DC's big three.

The great thing about reading Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme is that even if you'd never read a DC comic, you knew who Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were. They're part of our shared culture in ways that few Marvel characters have ever achieved (possibly Spidey).

[Crash-Man]

I should probably clarify.

I don't mean "What if DC made a Marvel alternative super group."

I'm wondering what core aspects/characters of Marvel they'd tackle and reinterpret.

Marvel's main difference from DC, at least initially, was the everyman superhero, personified by Spider-Man.

And then there's the mutantkind dynamic, which I guess are the other major difference between Marvel and DC.

There are probably others, and I'm asking what you think they are, and/or how you think these issues would be dealt with.

[Shellhead]

And I'm not talking about Justice League. :rolleyes:

What I mean is, what if DC did their take on what they see as the core of the Marvel mythos?

What do you think that core would be?


Spider-Man? The everyman superhero?

Or X-Men?


I'm intrigued. What do you think?

Wildstorm, a separate setting within the DC product line, is sort of doing this in the pages of Planetary. They have an evil/amoral version of the Fantastic Four, a team of explorers which has discovered all kinds of amazing technology. Instead of sharing that technology to improve the lot of mankind, the Four have selfishly used that technology to solidify their secret control of the world. Come to think of it, when was the last time that Reed Richards invented something that was made available to the general public?

In the pages of Planetary, we have also seen an obvious Nick Fury clone, right down to the eyepatch, as well as a mildly interesting re-interpretation of Mjolnir. And an equivalent to a Sorceror Supreme. Otherwise, the themes addressed have been from DC proper, or from pop culture in general, like Doc Savage, Godzilla and Dracula.

Despite being heavily derivative from other sources, Planetary remains fresh and entertaining. The core team of heroes are all original and have very distinctive personalities. All the other elements are combined in a clever and thought-provoking deconstruction of 20th century pop culture, especially superhero comics. The dialogue is crisp and the art is wonderful. In some ways, it reminds of me of that Marvel maxi-series, Earth-X, only more polished.

The worst part about Planetary is the unbelievably slow production schedule... 24 issues in 8 years now. Supposedly the whole Planetary series will finally be finished in the next few issues and in the next few months.

[Crash-Man]

Wow...thanks for the description. It sounds like something I'll enjoy.

Any trades?

While I'm aghast at the production schedule, I'm a bit relieved that the series isn't a hundred+ issues deep.

[Lanowar]

There's already an DC take on the Avengers/Ultimates called The Maximums there in the current Superman/Batman arc.

[Shellhead]

Wow...thanks for the description. It sounds like something I'll enjoy.

Any trades?

While I'm aghast at the production schedule, I'm a bit relieved that the series isn't a hundred+ issues deep.

Planetary trades, in order

1. Planetary: All Over the World (issues #0-6)
2. Planetary: The Fourth Man (#7-12)
3. Planteary: Crossing Worlds (collects crossovers with Authority, an Elseworlds JLA, and Batman)
4. Planetary: Leaving the 20th Century (#13-15)

So far, there haven't been trades collecting issues #16 onward. Issue #23 came out late last year, and issue #24 came out about a month ago. I think the whole story ends with issue #26 or #27, and it's supposed to happen within the next few months.

[static]

tell me more of these Maximus?????

[Expletive Deleted]

They're Avengers-themed villains in a SUPERMAN/BATMAN storyline.

Millar did something similar in AUTHORITY.

[Lanowar]

The Maximums are a sorta cross between the Avenger characters but with the Ultimates attitude. So there's Bug whose a spider-man analouge and Hornet/Wasp even an ghost called Bowman...

I'm sure someone can bring up an image if you ask them nicely enough.

[static]

how about pretty please someone post a pix? (say that 5 times fast ) :)

[jadegiant77]

Planetary trades, in order

1. Planetary: All Over the World (issues #0-6)
2. Planetary: The Fourth Man (#7-12)
3. Planteary: Crossing Worlds (collects crossovers with Authority, an Elseworlds JLA, and Batman)
4. Planetary: Leaving the 20th Century (#13-15)

So far, there haven't been trades collecting issues #16 onward. Issue #23 came out late last year, and issue #24 came out about a month ago. I think the whole story ends with issue #26 or #27, and it's supposed to happen within the next few months.

Hopefully, they will do an omnibus collection of the entire series someday...