Originals VS DC Dopplegangers: Fly Men

Tommy and Jason Troy had lives that mirrored one another, to a point. Both lads when they received amulets allowing them to transform into the Fly men, both men gained superhuman abilities that were virtually identitcal. In a head-to-head matchup, Tommy as the original from Archie Comics would beat out Jason given his maturity and years of experience, having a longer and more prestigious career. Otherwise, it would be a toss up should they one day have to face each other.

Originals VS DC Dopplegangers: The Beetles

Since the Ted Kord before Charlton's world was absorbed in DC and after its assimiliation is virtually the same, we'll consider Ted's alter ego versus Jaime Reyes, each an heir to the title of Blue Beetle. While neither was the original, they each have aptly shown they can carry on with the decades long tradition started by Dan Garrett in the 1940s. However, our focus is how these two would fare if faced with one another. Of course, as Reye's wears an alien armor derived from Garrett's scarab, itself extraterrestrial technology virtually actualized in Reyes. Allowing itself to configure into a variety of weaponry, the suit makes Reyes more than a match for Kord with his strobe gun. And unlike Ted's flying "Bug", which is an artificial intelligence of man-made design, the scarab suit mainframe is highly structured. The only advantage Ted would have over Jaime is his athletic and intellectual capabilities, while Jaime is still discovering how to maximize his own innate abilities.

Originals VS DC Dopplegangers: The Jaguars

Ralph Hardy, the noted archeologist and secretly the crimson crusader known as the Jaguar, was noted for being a ladies man. However, he may just meet his match should he ever encounter Maria de Guzman, herself the Jaguar in another universe. Both gained superhuman physiques including strength, agility and reflexes as well as senses unmatched amongst their fellow humans. However, while Ralph's power was dervied from a belt he was bequeathed with, Maria gained her powers through her heriditary lineage. Who would win in a match versus each of these feline furies? Maria, who would steal Ralph's heart, of course! Although Cat Girl may have something to say about this encounter, since hardy is her man!



Originals VS DC Dopplegangers: Capt Atom

When Captain Allen Adam was caught in an atomic accident, he became the most powerful man on his world.... but how would he stack up against a later version from another parallel planet? On the composite post-Crisis Earth, a new Captain Atom aka Nathaniel Adam was present to be one of a crowd of costumed crusaders. As a result, his power seemed to be amped up to levels never reached before, yet amongst his peers he was still only mid-range amongst the superheroes. As for how each would stack up in a battle versus one another, the pure-energy Nathaniel would have the edge over the irradiated human Allen.

Creative Crusaders: No-Charltons Allowed!

At long last, after an absence of two and a half decades, aside from the occasional cameos in crossovers with the Archie/Riverdale gang, the real Red Circle gang returns. Or at least, their forebearer... the Shield... several years older and showing his age at last. Introducing a new generation of heroes is an entice prospect, and given that the original publisher is stated as commiting to continuing the continuity of the MLJ originals is a project diehard fans will appreciate. It is our sincere wish that the Charlton crew likewise one days gain their own seperate niche, apart from the crowd scenes of DC's universe.

With that in mind, Judomaster would fit nicely as the Shield doppleganger in such an endeavor, as he as well would've aged somewhat since his last "Charltonesque" appearance on a separate Earth in the mid-1980s.  A new generation debuting in the style of the "Boys from Derbe" would definitely have a unique spin to it, as we'd previously seen with a new iteration of the Blue Beetle and characters like E-Man that took concepts such as Captain Atom and turned them on their head. With a newer version of the Comet, Web, Inferno, Web-Girl, Jaguar and Steel Sterling setting the  pace in Archie's updated universe... one wonders what became of the originals.. Are these the children of the Mighty Crusaders, carrying on their parents' proud tradition? Particularly, the though of a Web-Boy sired by John and Rose Raymond would be interesting, given his mother's apprehension towards heroics. And who would Jaguar-Girl's mom be, given that the original Ralph Hardy was a ladies man with at least three different love interests who formed his Jaguar Rescue Squad!

This Archie adventure excites yours truly than a "new 52" mired in a mob scene. Perhaps DC will see the success of Archie's new line of characters... should they stick with them and make them true to their core concepts... and create a new world for the refuges of Charlton. And we're not talking about the "pre-Watchmen" tales... but the originals themselves!

Sidekicks: Possibilities and Potential

When the Boy Wonder debuted in 1940 as the costumed crusader, Robin, he set a new trend that would be replicated with virtually every comicbook company and many major heroes, from then till today. Although a sidekick was always a component in the mystery men mythos, having one so young and eager to dress up like his mentor was revolutionary. And, in fact, MLJ Comics replicated this success by giving two of its premier protectors... the Shield and Wizard... their own teen titans in Dusty and Roy. Not only did these lads work well with their surrogate papas, but also as partners with one another in a short-lived series of their own during that time period.

They were even given prominent nicknames, with Dusty being the Boy Detective and Roy as the Superboy (Dusty's was evident in his solo adventures as a young sleuth, Roy's affectation was not so much evident, considering he couldn't fly like another Superboy who came later). Decades after these two lads disppeared in the mists of time, only to be brought back in a mid-1960s cameo in the Mighty Crusaders as time-lost teens with no explanation where they have been in the intervening years, another would take up the mantle at Charlton Comics.

With the strong series lead of Judomastser, himself also from the same 1940s era as Robin, Dusty and Roy, working solo versus various villains... there was a need for a partner in his never-ending battle. Enter Tiger, who in his short tenure alongside his mentor showed that he too lived up to the examples of is forebearers. And at least his story as an adult, both as Nightshade's tutor and as supervillains even later, had a sense of completion unlike his MLJ peers.