SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN!
A favorite parlor game is to imagine what DC’s Silver Age might have been like had the editors simply brought back its Golden Age heroes as they were, as opposed to revamping them for a new era.
Our pal Kerry’s played this game before with wonderful results.
Here he goes again, with 1968’s classic Justice of America #61, by Mike Sekowsky and Jack Abel:
Here they are, side by side:
See if you can identify all the villains!
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Want more SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN? Come back next week!
Want a commission? (He usually does art instead of satirical fumetti.) Send an email to KerryCallenArt@gmail.com. You can also find other work at linktr.ee/kerrycallen.
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— Like Any Cat, TIGRA Enjoys a Nice, Warm Sunbeam. Click here.
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KERRY CALLEN spent much of his career as an artist and art director, developing product for Hallmark, but has also dabbled in comics for many years. As a freelancer, he creates work for a range of needs, spanning from Mad Magazine to children illustrations. He has two graphic novels available on Amazon worldwide, Halo and Sprocket: The Definitive Collection, as well as Dirtnap: Mystic Spit.
December 1, 2024
Wow! I can pick out some of the bad guys, but I’m not sure about Hawkman’s baddie. Or a few of the others!
December 1, 2024
I love this! I especially like that Dr Mid-Nite’s enemy is Dr. Light, but (spoilers?) one of the bad guys really should be Dr. Destiny
December 1, 2024
Are the JSA villains limited to the then-DC continuity up to late 1967 / early 1968, when JLA # 61 was published? Or are you accounting for later developments?
I confess this is very challenging–for example, there was a Golden Age Dr. Light as the villain for Dr. Mid-Nite (debuting in All-American Comics #82, Feb. 1947)–but not dressed as the Silver Age version though here he appears similarly to that version. Hence my above questions. Still working on it as I can. Thanks Kerry! Thanks Dan!
December 1, 2024
Awesome!
December 1, 2024
Okay. I consulted (aka: cheated as using) the DC Database (dc.fandom.com) for JLA # 61:
True, some of these were obvious, a few less so, but for the JLA according to the source:
Green Lantern / Tattooed Man (I recall him from JLA # 111, but more tattooed, bare-torsoed and no hat)
Superman / Lex Luthor
Batman / Penguin
Flash / Capt. Boomerang
Hawkman / Ira Quimby (I.Q.)
Martian Manhunter / Dr. Light
Aquaman / Cutlass Charlie (debut)
Atom / Jason Woodrue
Green Arrow / Dr. Destiny (who I think of as a Green Lantern villain.
For the JSA, the first 3 listed villains and their respective hero opponents stay the same. The rest are a challenge.
But now, going out on a bit of a limb:
Dr. Midnite / Dr. Light (but wrong costume?)
Dr. Fate / Wotan
Hawkman and Flash’s villains still look rather identical to the JLA matchup (the Flash’s eye coloring is different, however and the hair stylings differ for both). Yet, IQ and Capt. Boomerang are Silver Age creations—aren’t they? Can we have a single villain that antagonizes the counterpart heroes of both Earth 1 and Earth 2? (I never recalled encountering that in my younger DC multiverse days, collecting starting around 1970, so missing the Silver Age mostly . . .).
Hourman’s villain resembles Starman—but that can’t be right. And the Atom’s I can’t place either.
I’m stumped. I have 5 (I think) for the JSA: Luthor, Penguin, Tattooed Man, Dr. Light and Wotan.
But after several hours of the afternoon researching, I’m stumped on the remaining 4: the villains for the Atom, Hourman, Flash and Hawkman. Have to switch gears for the evening (as I teach for a living), but I’ll keep thinking about it. Will an answer key be forthcoming? Thanks guys!
December 1, 2024
To me, it appears that much of the JSA list includes the same villains as the JLA list does.
Superman / Lex Luthor
Batman / Penguin
Flash / Capt. Boomerang
Hawkman / Ira Quimby (I.Q.)
Atom / Jason Woodrue
Dr. Midnite / Dr. Light (Silver Age version, not Golden Age. Bummer)
Dr. Fate / Wotan
Hourman / Psycho Pirate (Which is a great nod to Showcase #56)
While the Golden Age Superman and Batman matchups make sense with their respective villains, and Wotan and Psycho Pirate were good choices for Dr. Fate and Hourman, I do wish the others had been given more appropriate Golden Age villains. The Golden Age Dr. Light has been pointed out, but how about Sportsmaster for Green Lantern, the Fiddler for Flash, and Gentleman Ghost for Hawkman. The Atom is a bit tougher, since he doesn’t have much in the way of Golden Age costumed foes that I’m aware of, but surely a JSA villain like Per Degaton, the Wizard, or some other Injustice Society member would have fit the bill.