Power Girl's origin : Spoiler Speculation

[Zonker]

Did anyone ask for an explanation for why Superman et al could have fought in WWII and still be around today? Did we really need a convoluted "alternate universe" story just to introduce a couple of old Charlton characters?

 

Why does it all have to be one big continuous universe? It's not like they stick to any continuity for very long anyway.

 

I'm not sure what you're asking?

 

The old (pre-Crisis) explanation was the original Supes and JSA that fought in WWII were on Earth-2 and were indeed 60+ years old at that point. The Earth-1 Supes and JLA were featured in the main DC titles, and started their careers roughly "10 years ago" from any particular point in time. At the time, the powers that be thought the Earth 1 / Earth 2 stuff was too confusing to new readers (hmm, didn't seem to hurt circulation in the Silver Age when the concept was introduced, did it?) The main job of Crisis was streamlining the Earth 1 / Earth 2 etc multiverse. Adding the Charlton characters in was at most an afterthought.

 

And I blame the original Crisis for opening up the floodgates for willy-nilly continuity reboots that have been the norm ever since...

[Zanarkand]

Did anyone ask for an explanation for why Superman et al could have fought in WWII and still be around today? Did we really need a convoluted "alternate universe" story just to introduce a couple of old Charlton characters?

 

Why does it all have to be one big continuous universe? It's not like they stick to any continuity for very long anyway.

 

I'm not sure what you're asking?

 

The old (pre-Crisis) explanation was the original Supes and JSA that fought in WWII were on Earth-2 and were indeed 60+ years old at that point. The Earth-1 Supes and JLA were featured in the main DC titles, and started their careers roughly "10 years ago" from any particular point in time. At the time, the powers that be thought the Earth 1 / Earth 2 stuff was too confusing to new readers (hmm, didn't seem to hurt circulation in the Silver Age when the concept was introduced, did it?) The main job of Crisis was streamlining the Earth 1 / Earth 2 etc multiverse. Adding the Charlton characters in was at most an afterthought.

 

And I blame the original Crisis for opening up the floodgates for willy-nilly continuity reboots that have been the norm ever since...

 

This is what I'm asking: Who the frick cares? I don't seem to recall a huge screaming fanbase demanding a reconcilement between GA characters and modern characters back in 1985. So why did they do it? There never needed to be a Crisis in the first place, and there doesn't need to be one now.

 

"Reconcile" Earth-1 and Earth-2, explain Power Girl's origin, kill/revive Donna Troy, etc etc, all through half-assed alternate reality stories? What for? If they want to write up new origins for everything, fine. Go ahead. Where does this need to write up a convoluted "explanation" of how it all "fits" with everything else that's ever been written come from? It irritates me.

[Chi Bamm]

I just want to know who Ronin is.....oops sorry I thought you guys were talking about something NEW

[Chi Bamm]

j/k

[Fan4Fan]

Did anyone ask for an explanation for why Superman et al could have fought in WWII and still be around today? Did we really need a convoluted "alternate universe" story just to introduce a couple of old Charlton characters?

 

Why does it all have to be one big continuous universe? It's not like they stick to any continuity for very long anyway.

 

I'm not sure what you're asking?

 

The old (pre-Crisis) explanation was the original Supes and JSA that fought in WWII were on Earth-2 and were indeed 60+ years old at that point. The Earth-1 Supes and JLA were featured in the main DC titles, and started their careers roughly "10 years ago" from any particular point in time. At the time, the powers that be thought the Earth 1 / Earth 2 stuff was too confusing to new readers (hmm, didn't seem to hurt circulation in the Silver Age when the concept was introduced, did it?) The main job of Crisis was streamlining the Earth 1 / Earth 2 etc multiverse. Adding the Charlton characters in was at most an afterthought.

 

And I blame the original Crisis for opening up the floodgates for willy-nilly continuity reboots that have been the norm ever since...

 

This is what I'm asking: Who the frick cares? I don't seem to recall a huge screaming fanbase demanding a reconcilement between GA characters and modern characters back in 1985. So why did they do it? There never needed to be a Crisis in the first place, and there doesn't need to be one now.

 

"Reconcile" Earth-1 and Earth-2, explain Power Girl's origin, kill/revive Donna Troy, etc etc, all through half-assed alternate reality stories? What for? If they want to write up new origins for everything, fine. Go ahead. Where does this need to write up a convoluted "explanation" of how it all "fits" with everything else that's ever been written come from? It irritates me.

 

With apologies to Billy Joel:

 

Continuity

(to the tune of "Honesty"):

 

If you search for Bats' origin

it isn't hard to find

In many a comic book-let.

But if you look for Power Girl's

You might just as well be blind.

It always seems to be so hard to get.

 

Continuity is such a dirty word.

Everyone thinks its so untrue.

Continuity is hardly ever heard.

And mostly what I need from you.

 

...

[Kevin Boyd]

This is what I'm asking: Who the frick cares? I don't seem to recall a huge screaming fanbase demanding a reconcilement between GA characters and modern characters back in 1985. So why did they do it? There never needed to be a Crisis in the first place, and there doesn't need to be one now.

 

"Reconcile" Earth-1 and Earth-2, explain Power Girl's origin, kill/revive Donna Troy, etc etc, all through half-assed alternate reality stories? What for? If they want to write up new origins for everything, fine. Go ahead. Where does this need to write up a convoluted "explanation" of how it all "fits" with everything else that's ever been written come from? It irritates me.

 

Um, because some people like that?

 

DC's sales were in the doghouse in 1985, and they were contemplating licensing the characters to Marvel. They didn't need to in the end, as Crisis revived DC and brought a generation of kids who had no previous use for DC Comics after the age of 5 over to try their books. Crisis bought DC another 20 years of life. And now an entire generation doesn't give a fig about Earth-1/Earth-2 and the many different colors of Kryptonite, imaginary stories, et al. To them the DC is one universe with Marvel-style continuity.