Charlton vs Mighty MLJ... the Next Generation Arrives!

Our two favorite parallel planets return to debut the next generation of superhumans! What are in store for these hidden gems of universes? Who are the nefarious villains who instigate a return of their respective worlds' greatest heroes of their time? And how have the current crop of caped crusaders come to be? This we shall dissect in the weeks and months that follow, faithfully fearless readers!

Charlton vs Mighty MLJ: DCU Style

 

As previously mentioned, in a previous composite reality that has since been wiped clean by another cosmic crisis in the DC Comics universe, the merging of several parallel planets led to the incorporation of the Mighty Crusaders of Earth-MLJ and the Action-Heroes of Earth-Four, twin teams originating in Archie and Charlton Comics. As such, although the concepts were still there at their core, they were radically revised to incorporate modern sensibilities and to water down their impact on their world.

The reason for the former was that, for instance, having a guy known as the Web simply being a criminologist wasn't enough... he had to be a blending of Tony Stark/Peter Parker, and similarly with Captain Atom... he needed to ditch the conventional costumes of his silver age incarnations for a shiny skin and sassy style. And the reason for the latter is that this world already had their premier superhero team, the Justice League, and their original team of mystery men, the Justice Society. These guys couldn't outshine DC's finest of the past and present, so they both were made into essentially G-Men working as federal agents when the need arose, which was seldom it seemed. For the original Shield and Captain Atom, that worked since they were government agents as it was and in their own worlds they had plenty to do, setting the tone for their fellow fabulous folk to follow. Sadly but logically, neither the Crusaders nor the Sentinels of Justice could get much traction in this scenario.

Thankfully, with a new DCU now in existence this sad state has been wiped clean, at least for the Crusaders who return to their native world to pickup where they left off welcoming in a new generation of heroes... who look to them as their "Justice League" or "Society". If only the good Captain and his costumed crew could say the same, since they remain on a world not their own and one that will never treat them as they should be treated. However, glimmers of Earth-Four where the Sentinels of Justice operated can still be found through the Multiverse!

Charlton vs Avengers vs Mighty MLJ

The Avengers weren't the first... as in a superhero team movie. The X-Men franchise and the Watchmen movie had glimmers of this concept perculating throughout their various tales. However, the Avengers cemented how divergent heroes can unite for a common cause with nothing bonding them save for equal parts tenacity and talent. Not a mutant-tie nor a mystery-tie... but the true tie that binds... heroism in the face on indominable odds. While we can dream that Charlton's Action-Heroes and Archie's Mighty Crusaders may someday grace the silver screen with their presence, nothing can match what transpired when Marvel Comics' Sensational Sextet saved their world!

As for a battle between this triad of terrific teams:

• Black Widow takes fellow female agent Nightshade, while Fly Girl would aptly avoid her web.
• Thor would overwhelm Son of Vulcan and Jaguar, despite their might, given his experience.
• Iron Man would more than match the equally tech-savy Peacemaker and Comet... combined!
• Hulk's gamma-irradiated strength would overwhelm Captain Atom and Lancelet Strong.
• Hawkeye would have the jump on the keen-eyed Blue Beetle and Fly, if only for the moment.
• Captain America would have difficulty with Shield but not so much with Judomaster.
• Oh, and Nick Fury would laugh in the face of Peter Cannon and the Web... "ant... boot"!

Team-Up Tuesdays: Originals or Derivatives???

Above: Excellent cover by Alex Wright. Below: Sarge's Sentinels

File this away in the "what if" folder for our Crusaders and Sentinels. Comprising the "other" publishers during the successful silver age of comics, both the Archie-heroes and Action-Heroes attempted to find a niche for themselves. Without sustained success.

For the Crusaders, the quickly devolved into a derivative more mimicing Marvel's Avengers, and to some extent DC's golden age All-Stars of the Justice Society. Despite having several characters that were the first in respective manners during comic's golden age and some potential promise in their newer crop of characters, Radio/Archie leaned heavily upon what worked for others instead of what would separate them as special.

For the Action-Heroes during their pre-Sentinels days, they were truly original and their tales were at times unique. Yet the dramatic departure of their plot elements and narrative style became a bit to impalatable for the young readers they were trying to entice. As a result, they folded almost as quickly as they had first appeared.

When both were reinvented in the 1980's, the Crusaders and the new Sentinels of Justice once more fell into form as "Justice League" and "Avengers" wannabes, even moreso than they had been decades earlier. Only when both were acquired by DC Comics were they given the opportunity to fully depart from the "team" template of the "Big 2" publishers, leading to substantial runs for their individual members. Ironic!

New Crusaders VS Before Watchmen: Femmes!

Laurie Juspeczyk was a legacy heroine, following the footsteps of her mother, the original Silk Spectre. While adopting her alter ego and senses of style, she deviated in her own sensibilities which led her into a romance with Doctor Manhattan, against her mother's wishes. How would that relationship develop given the Doctor's metamorphic nature, as he had become more than human, will no doubt be dissected in Before Watchmen.

In a similar vein, a new Fly-Girl debuts in the city of Red Circle, and like the original Kimberly Brand, she takes to the sky adept in her awesome abilities. Would love come to influence this young maiden as well, and if so, who would capture her heart? Since there seems to be no Fly-Man on the horizon, would it be the jock Steel Sterling Jr, who could match her muscle? The brainy Web, who could match her interest in all things insect? The hothead Fireball, who could match her interest in a "bad boy"? The noble Comet, who could do the exact opposite to that of Fireball... and keep up with her in mid-air? Interesting developments are on the horizon...

New Crusaders VS Before Watchmen: Bestial!

Who watches the Watchmen, Before Watchmen were in vogue? We will find out as DC Comics launches this cast of Charlton-homage characters back into the spotlight. And amongst the headliners will be Nite-Owl, aka affluent inventor Daniel Dreiberg, who utlizied his love for birds and gadgets to supplement his true love of superheroics. Adopting the alter ego of his hero, the original Nite-Owl, Dreiberg had a modest career alongside his fellow costumed Crimebusters.

Another legacy hero is that of Evette, a young women taken under the wing of the original Jaguar in his zoologist Ralph Hardy identity, who ultimately steps out of the shadows and into the light as his heir-apparent. Considering that Jaguar had his own Rescue Squad which included three lovely ladies who each adored Hardy's alter ego, specifically one known as Cat-Girl, it seems natural that another would gravitate towards the swashbuckling hero and join the New Crusaders.

What we learn of Evette after her heroic debut, and of Daniel Before Watchmen, will be interesting tales told in the months ahead...

New Crusaders VS Before Watchmen: Brains!

A meeting of the minds between these two mentalists would be magnificent! The new Web is cut from a similar mode to that of his father, who was himself the second man with that alter ego, although unlike his pop John Raymond this lad isn't a henpecked husband. And hence, he would be able to obtain the full potential first unleashed by granddad the criminologist turned crimefighter of the 1940's. 

However, there is seemingly no comparison to Ozymandias, who was himself a one-and-only child prodigy who distanced himself from his own successful parents. When Adrian Veidt grew to maturity and assumed the identity of his alter ego, he realized that having the peak physical and mental condition amongst his fellow humans was insufficient to the task at hand... of saving the world. Before Watchmen, he was an erstwhile member of the shortlived Crimebusters, until he realized he must strike it on his own to acheive his amoral ends. Will the young Web fall into the same trap that had befallen Ozymandias, or will he lean heavily upon his comrades on the New Crusaders?

New Crusaders VS Before Watchmen: Power!

The tragic tale of Doctor Manhattan is the stuff of legends. Jonathan Osterman was a scientist in love, and that love left him with more... and less... than he had bargained for. Trapped in an intrinsic field experiment test chamber while he tried to retrieve a watch for his girlfriend Janey, which vaporizes then reconstitutes him into something much more than human. He would be the Paragon of Power amongst he colleagues in the Crimebusters superhero group.

And now, stepping into the void left behind by another scientist known as John Dickerson is his adopted son, who is describe as a "nobler" spirit than that of his mentor... yet possessing the same awe-inspiring array of abilities. How will this young man blend in with his more down-to-Earth comrades of the New Crusaders will be determined in the weeks and months to come. As will how the good Doctor on a parallel planet to the Comet carved out his own unique niche through the decades.

New Crusaders VS Before Watchmen: Intro!

So we have the sequel and the prequel. The warm-up and the wind-down. Well maybe not quite that, but definitely two bookends to twin fantastic franchises forgotten by fickle fandom. While we have considered the quite possible downside of Archie's new reimagination of their Crusader concept and DC's of the Charlton characters, there is another upside to also consider, in all fairness. 

Consider that the Charlton homage that turned into a literary classic, the Watchmen, is being reconsidered from the groundup... or rather, from the missing pieces left to fit the grand puzzle together that was the 12-issue maxi-series from the 80's. Although this may not go well, it is more promising than DC's take on the originals from Charlton, given that only Captain Atom seems viable at this point and only in a radically redundant role. After all, another "nuclear man" or Man of Tomorrow-wannabe is all Atom seems capable of being portrayed as at the House that Superman built.

As for the "New" Crusaders, they may be able to capture something that failed to ignite with their progentiors, filling in a niche with the youth market that the silver age crop never could. Seriously, if the actual "Archie" crop of creators lent a hand like they seem to be now, they would find a way to manuever their myriads of mystery men into the minds of meandering middle-schoolers. Consider, Archie has been able to carve a serious niche for themselves based on a sixty-year love triangle, what could they do with such a diverse crop of cool cats as the Crusaders?

This bares further investigation, which rest assured we shall do, in the months to come...

Team-Up Tuesdays: Crusaders VS Invaders

This would be an epic matchup. Consider the following duels between the Crusaders and Invaders:

• The heat-generating android Human Torch versus circus fire-breather Inferno (not show). The latter took on Steel just as Torch does in the picture. Advantage: Human Torch.
• Two elemental men in Blue Diamond (not shown) versus Steel Sterling. Superstrong and invulnerable, each was a paragon of potent power. Advantage: Steel Sterling.
• High-flying Miss America versus the bird-handler Captain Flag, considering the lady had strength as well she'd take out Flag's pet eagle Yank. Advantage: Miss America.
• The Vision aka Aarkus versus Mister Justice: Although Aarkus could control temperature, illusions and teleport... Justice could  do that and more. Advantage: Mister Justice.
• The Whizzer versus Bob Phantom (not shown): A superspeedster versus a master teleporter. Whizzer was quite fast, but Bob was as fast as thought! Advantage: Bob Phantom.
• Sub-Mariner versus the Wizard (not shown): His world's first mutant, the Mariner would meet his match with the mastermind turned man of might. Advantage: the Wizard.
• Union Jack (not shown) versus Black Jack: Two mighty fine fighters, nevertheless the Battling Brit has the edge with his superhuman lighting powers. Advantage: Union Jack.
• Bucky versus Dusty: The supreme sidekicks of the super-soldiers. In the golden age: As the Boy Detective, Dusty takes this. As a retcon secret agent, Bucky. Advantage: Toss Up.
• The Destroyer (not shown) versus the Web: Both the pinnacles of human perfection, matching physical attributes with tactical minds and great courage. Advantage: Toss Up.
• The Patriot (not show) versus the Hangman: Non-powered but superbly talented second-tier mystery men, the former an optimist and the latter a pessimist. Advantage: Patriot.
• Captain America versus the Shield: Here would be the epic battle of ages. Two twin titans. As his superstrong self, Advantage: the Shield. If he is non-powered, Advantage: Captain America.

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!

Team-Up Tuesdays: L.A.W. = Lame Assemblage of Wannabees

The Action-Heroes were distinct among most creations in the silver age of comics in that they never worked together as a team, aside from Captain Atom and Nightshade, Judomaster and Tiger, and one case featuring Blue Beetle and the Question.

Americomics acquired four of these adventurers to form the Sentinel of Justice, this concept quickly fizzled when a bigger boy on the block bought-out this crop of charcters. Then an issue of Justice League Quarterly threw Thunderbolt and Judomaster into the mix.

The latest attempt at resurrecting the Sentinels of Justice was DC Comics' L.A.W. mini-series, by bringing these legends together to battle a common foe. Alas it fell flat in so far as the individual members were treated as weapons instead of protectors, there was no chemistry necessary to endear readers to such a group, and it turned out one of their own was the malevolent mastermind that was the reason for their forming to begin with (shades of Hal Jordan, anyone?)!

Once the deux machina at the end of the mini-series was executed, leading to the exiled Justice League of America returning to Earth to tackle mastermind Avatar's minions, the purpose behind the Living Assault Weapons (a truly regrettable name) quickly eroded. Which is disppointing considering that former Charlton sfaff members Bob Layton and Dick Giordano were the creative forces behind this tale.

Surprisingly, a crew of less well-rounded characters that lacked the characterization were far more appealing to the reader, in the form of Archie's Mighty Crusaders. While possessing internal conflict between its individual members and the loss of teammates, the second volume of Crusaders in the 1980s and even the !mpact series in 1992 treated its cast as noble-minded and their world's premier team, something that sadly L.A.W. could not as they were already marginalized by their owners' more prominent headliners.

Team-Up Tuesdays: Sentinels of...Justice League?

In Justice League Quarterly #14, an old enemy of Peter Cannon's resurfaced to reclaim what he felt was taken from him by Thunderbolt, the preeminent position in the Vajra. This villian, Andreas Havoc, attempted to psychologically tear down Cannon's mental might but was circumvented from doing so by a quartet of allies he had a strange affinity towards.

With Nightshade, Captain Atom and Blue Beetle assisting T-Bolt on one front, a new Judomaster appeared to aid the heroes on yet another. What was borne from this assemblage of avengers was the aspirations of all fans of Charlton Comics, with *most* of their characters teaming up (notable exceptions being the original Blue Beetle, Son of Vulcan and the Question, while Sarge Steel only made a cameo).

Alas, this potential paragon of protectors never had a chance to thrive as this was a one-shot adventure, much like the Sentinels of Justice had been some sixteen years before this issue.  Why didn't this group gain more traction, given DC Comics' desire to spotlight these recently purchased properties? Perhaps because they felt that individually the charcters had more chance of success being distributed thought this fictional universe's teams and solo titles. Or, more probably, the sales figures didn't reflect strongly on there being a strong enough fan base for such a continuing series.

The harbinger for such an argument is the short-lived 1992 !mpact Comics' Crusaders series. Although a novel concept itself, it languished in its watered down versions of tried-and-true silver age stalwarts from the Mighty Comics era. Still, there was a certain charm in this pairing as there was with the Sentinels of Justice League. Still, there was one more incarnation of Charlton crusaders yet to come...

Team-Up Tuesdays: Crusaders at Red Circle

Around the same timeframe that Americomics Special came out from that publisher, debuting the Sentinels of Justice for their one-time official team-up, Red Circle dug up their heroic properties for another go-around. Only this time, they were serious about it.

Highlighting the same characters, more-or-less, that graced the pages of the original series in the mid-60's, the Mighty Crusaders were now a force to be reckoned with... complete with their own recurring adversaries in the form of Eterno and their arch-foe the Brain Emperor.

The Mighty Crusaders towed the line between edgy and kid-friendly in their approach to crime. And they came equipped with the franchise player (Fly), energy-weilder (Lancelot Strong), flying powerhouse (Jaguar), urban avenger (Web), female member (Fly-Girl) and living legend (the Shield). All filled in their niches nicely.

And the difference between them and the Sentinels was they were their world's greatest heroes. Now Captain Atom definitely would qualify as one of his, but Nightshade, Blue Beetle and the Question? Not so much. With Atom wearing the multiple hats of franchise player/flying powerhouse/living legend, the rest pretty much over compensated on the urban avenger front (with token female thrown in for good measure). Not like Charlton had many others to fill those shoes... the original Blue Beetle had not returned yet (but would soon after), Son of Vulcan was no longer relevant, and Judomaster was stuck in World War II with no way out (until the Crisis time-shifted him to the present).

Next week we'll dissect two more attempts at revitalizing the Sentinels for a more jaded 1990's readership, and whether they elevated the game of second-string superheroes as had their Mighty counterpart at Archie.

Cartoon Crusaders: A Possible Scenario

Previously we have considered the brief forays into multi-media of the Charlton and MLJ characters. Sadly, there has never been an animated forum for the latter, which may have had the potential to buoy Archie's hero brand to success.

True some minor comics publishers have attempted this only to quickly close shop on their television venue. Nevertheless, given the subtle but strong staying power of such concepts as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic, with lengthy publihsed series in comic book forum following their cartoon appearances, its not hard to conceive of something similar transpiring with the Fly, Web, and the rest of the Mighty Crusaders.

Now that these characters have seemingly defaulted back to Archie after their latest failed attempt over at DC, now would be the time to capitalize on this concept. And of course, a guest star appearance by a certain Dark Knight (be it in DCAU or Brave and Bold form) wouldn't hurt. C'mon Bats... you bosses owe these under used assets that much for what meager profits they gave you through the years?

Mighty Crusaders in a Parallel Universe

Sure DC Comics tried their hand at Archie's Mighty Crusaders brand twice, in the modestly successful !mpact line of the 1990's and more recently the Red Circle series of in-continuity publications more recently.

What most are unaware of is the first appearance of the Crusaders... not those ones exactly... rather the foils for the Freedom Fighters.

Consisting of pastiche versions of Marvel's Invaders, from Americommando (Captain America), Rusty (Bucky), Baracuda (Namor the Sub-Mariner), Fireball (Human Torch) and Sparky (Toro), these were actually four fan boys empowered by supervillain Silver Ghost seeking revenge on his old foes.

• Immediately, there is a tip-of-the-hat to the Shield in A-Commando's uniform, head gear, even his own shield.
• Baracuda channels a bit of Jaguar's girlfriend Kree-Nal in the underwater motif and alien skin pigmentation.
• Fireball and his MLJ counterpart would definitely have a volatile relationship, energized by equal parts ability and angst.
• Rusty and Shield's long lost sidekick Dusty could swap tales of goofy names and such.
• Sparky would encounter a grown-up Inferno whose bad breath matches his own.
• This would lead the rest of Archie's Crusaders to face DC's Crusaders, i.e. Phantom Lady vs Darkling, Human Bomb vs Comet, Uncle Sam vs Captain Flag, Dollman and girlfriend Martha vs Fly and Fly Girl, Firebrand vs Firefly, Black Condor vs Black Hood, Happy "Ray" Terrill vs Lancelot "Shield" Strong. COOL!

Still, these latecomers of the underwear-clad set were quickly dealt decisive blows by the Quality Comics gang, so the similarly obscure MLJ crew wouldn't have a problem with these also-rans.

Another Rendition Falls by the Wayside

Over the past year and a half, DC Comics has attempted to revitalize the concept of Archie's superhero properties by modernizing them. In essence, they did the same thing in 1985 when the then-defunct Charlton Comics sold their small stable of superheroes to DC, inserting them fictionally into their one world before folding them into a central Earth following the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

As a result, such heroes as Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and the Question... and to a lesser extent others such as Sarge, Nightshade and Thunderbolt... received a renaissance in their characterization and status. That said, most of them fell by the wayside over the years, to be dusted off then trotted out to become the fodder for the next major crossover. See, they were not the core creations of DC, so this made them valuable not for their legendary status... which was minimal at best... but for their value as expendable items for a publisher daring to push the envelope ever further. And so, aside from momentary animated spotlights such as Captain Atom in Justice League Unlimited and the Blue Beetles in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, these distinctly different dudes debuting from Derby never truly reached the pulp culture consciousness of the public at large.

And so, we reconsider what lasting impact the newest incarnation of the Mighty Crusaders will have, aside from the meager readership that picked up their solo and team titles. Zilch, nada, none whatsoever. Because they were licensed and not outright purchased from Archie, such characters as the Shield, Web, Inferno, Fly Girl and so forth were only hinted at as existing in the DC Universe proper. Think about it, having these characters featured prominently in other mainstream titles would then cause the publisher a dilemma if those same titles were then reprinted later on, since the license would by then probably lapse and DC would have to pay a considerable fee to the rights for these characters. Hence, they were setup to fail, and will default back to their originator where they will languish aside from an annual appearance of a few of their number in an Archie title, where America's Turbulent Teens meet the Crusaders once more.

Which fate is worse? To have your characters sacrificial lambs for mega-events, or to have them in comic book limbo where their existence is marginalized at best?

Such is the dilemma for these characters loved by you and I...

Team-Up Tuesdays: Unpublished Crisis Issue

Taking a cue from the excellent The Brave and the Bold: The Lost Issues blog, here is a rather amateurish take a missing issue of the 1985's DC Comics series Crisis on Infinite Earths incorporating another Earth that has since been assimilated into DC proper after an attempt at re-imagining Archie's Red Circle characters with the !mpact line of the 90's:

What is interesting about this issue of Mighty Crusaders #12 is two things...the red skies and the battle with the elements near the Statue of Liberty. Shades of Earth-Four perhaps? This would have been an ideal juncture to introduce the Earth-MLJ team to Charlton's Sentinels of Justice given the Crisis motif of two parallel worlds running through DC's Justice League of America title since the early 60's.

Team-Up Tuesdays: Ancient Adversaries Attacked!

We carry on with our review on the battle between the Mighty Crusaders and their foe the Nameless One, in their self-titled issue #5, and Golden Pharaoh's battle with Peacemaker in an unpublished adventure.

So let's get started:

Well how do you like that? It was a rival villain, Spider-Spry, that unseated Nameless' plans, it left the door open for nigh-omnipotent Mr. Justice to turn the tables on the mastermind's power neutralizer and give the Crusaders/Terrific Three/Ultra-Men their powers back! And for the dynamic duo of Peacemaker and his lovely assistant, it was Nora who ultimately tipped the scales on the Pharaoh and left him and his criminal empire in ruins. Despite all their high tech gadgets and strategies, they were no better against our incredible Team-Ups!

Friday Fiends: Modern-Day Ancient Dictators

We begin another two-parter with two of our longest running features here: Friday Fiends and (next week) Team-Up Tuesdays. Today, we introduce a bare of modern-day despots who carve their hidden kingdoms in hidden locales and seek to enslave humanity. Only they each have to face a team of heroes bent on their defeat, the Mighty Crusaders and the Peacemaker duo of Christopher Smith and his assistant Nora O'Rourke.

Captain Kangaroo! A dated reference to be sure, but definitely a knee slapper. More Captain Flag never seems to get much respect. With that giant bird half the time I'd confuse him with Bird-Man!

The situation definitely looks dire for our heroes. Possessing the upper hand, the Nameless One and Golden Pharaoh named Chufru may actually succeed in their mad schemes! Ummm.... nah. Next week we'll wrap up this two-parter with some fancy fighting by our fearless freedom fighters! Until then.