The Good News

If you don’t know who Jerry Bails was, don’t tell anyone. Go to his Wikipedia page and then pretend you knew all along.

A little over seven years ago, Bails was briefly a member of the Silver Age Golden Age mailing list. Compare what he’s saying here about the then-recent JSA #10 with the now-recent Justice Society #10. I think he’d like the later. I know I do.

For purposes of clarity, I should point out that other people were part of the same thread. I’ve only reprinted Bails’ comments and mine. Everybody else can go get their own blog, damn-it! :) I’ve also snipped out bits that aren’t about the JSA.

(In a message dated 4/4/00, Dr. Bails wrote:)

Stories, such as the most recent JSA story in which the whole point revolves around the bad guys going after the hero and wrecking havoc in the process have been done to death. It's just an excuse for letting the artist draw fight scenes. If the JSA can't find something useful for so many heroes to do besides attracting villains who want to destroy them, I think I'll join the anti-ultra-human brigade and help run the JSA out of town. There are so many stories to be told and we keep getting the same Lee-Kirby bashes of 40 years ago. It's time to try telling new stories.

They wanted to play up Wildcat. So, what is he doing? Taking a bath. He could be out trying to accomplishing something with youngsters to honor his fallen buddies. American youth today are flabby and couch potatos unless they are out training for the Olympics or pro sports. The story could've revolved around the need for a more balanced program of studies and exercise, where kids could see by example that endurance and intellect pay off, but that they have to invest in them. A nonviolent resolution to a conflict would have be most apropos to today's world. Yet, what do we get, more justification for the hero to resort to violence because the bad guys are totally without redeeming values. Boy, is that a dumb value system to foster through role models, even for adults.

Did I manage to stir the waters?

Bestest,

Jerry

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(In a message dated 4/4/00 I wrote:)

Part of what it needs is a much greater sense of team-identity. Right now, it's a group of individuals who happen to have the same names as previous members of the team. Pretty flimsy.

They don't even operate as a team. So far the strategies have been "Hey, let's all gang up on the sole bad guy and let him kick our a**es."

Among the things I'd like to see is a larger long term goal for the team. One of the sub-themes of the original JSA was they were actively *part* of society at large and not above it.

They did alot of charity work raising money & food for the war effort, orphans, etc. Not to mention involving themselves in the personal struggles of everyday people (there's a Hawkman bit where he gets involved in a father-son dispute where the two run competing newspapers -- it's a good example of what I mean).

Then there's the Junior JSA. Aside from suggesting reader involvement ("Hey, you can be a member just like these kids."), it also emphasized that the JSA knew they were role models and conscientiously lived upto that responsibility.

Anyway, that's my two cents. I love the JSA and while I think the new series has a few sparks, it's not setting fires.

- edward
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I think we are on the same wavelength. The JSA needs to be unique and going back to its roots would be an excellent way to do it.


Bestest,

Jerry