Why would Aquaman (water power guy) be based in Detroit, Michigan (far away from the ocean) in the Detroit Justice League?
It’s one of the many fun geek arguments we have while filming the Comics Should Smell Good weekly video with the Zanadu Comics team in Seattle.
This summer’s Convergence event brought back various incarnations of DC teams and heroes you loved, maybe didn’t love or like me – raised questions.
Going back to JLA history….
Following the destruction of the JLA’s Satellite HQ and the fallout of the Earth/Mars war, founding member Aquaman disbanded the old and formed a new team. Only Elongated Man and Zatanna stuck around but Martian Manhunter eventually joined the team. Brand new heroes Vibe, Gypsy, Steel and Vixen joined Aquaman’s squad. Here’s a retrospective background from DC of the team and their powers.
In a real downgrade from an satellite orbiting the planet, the new digs were far more down to Earth. In fact, the new JLA was in a bunker under an abandoned factory in Detroit. I always enjoy a humorous debate and wondered why would the King of the Seven Seas be leader of a squad based in almost the middle of the country? You’d think Arthur would want to base his team on the East Coast. Justice League Rhode Island? Water power based guy not near the ocean but then again, the team was near the Great Lakes so he could literally “go jump in lake” for a power upgrade or summon the lake marine life.
You know, maybe the DC/Marvel Amalgam Comics experiment of the 90’s really missed out on a Justice League Detroit/Great Lakes Avengers crossover?
Aquaman left this version of the team after a year to save his marriage. This unusual departure for DC’s biggest team did introduce us to Vixen and gave Ralph and Sue Dibny more screen time. If you thought the idea of Justice League Detroit was quirky, the Justice League, JL (International) and JL Europe by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin McGuire would follow with a heavy dose of humor.
And that’s a lesson in comics history with a hint of geography.
Who’s the most unusual JLA member to you?
By Editor