Post by redsycorax on Jul 23, 2019 22:52:21 GMT
Although the early Golden Age was far more uninhibited insofar as firearms use, violence and killing were concerned, the advent of the Comics Code Authority due to Professor Frederick Wertham's anti-comics moral panic started in the United States, but the effects were also felt in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. (It all had to do with EC Comics horror titles, which, however, had innovative plots, often explored social issues and had excellent if graphic artwork). As a result, superhero comics had squeaky clean superheroes and even the supervillains were relatively inhibited. Lex Luthor may have been Superman's mortal enemy, but when he detained Superboy after the latter valiantly but futilely tried to prevent the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on Earth-One, Luthor showed deep remorse after he realised what he'd done. On Lexor, he actually may have saved that planets inhabitants from destruction. In the imaginary story where an alternate Luthor did kill Superman, he was sentenced to the Phantom Zone as a consequence. In Batman's story arcs, none of his rogues gallery killed anyone after the Golden Age was over. Instead, the Joker, Riddler, Catwoman and Penguin all conducted petty larceny using their villainous motifs, as did the Flash's rogues gallery. It took a long time before something dark happened to any of DC's superheroes- either Aquababy's death, or Speedy's drug addiction.
As this moral restraint was the case, I pondered how that would affect the conduct of supervillains in such a context. As long-time readers of the Multiverse board are aware, I wrote a story about the "Last Days of the Justice Guild of America", dealing with the backstory behind the heroic sacrifice of Tom Turbine, Black Siren, Catman, Green Guardsman and the Streak when their Seacoast City home was targeted by an ICBM during the Cuban War on Earth-109 (October 22-23, 1962). Given the positive feedback about that from some quarters, I decided to do the same thing to their enemies within the Injustice Guild of America. Which raises some interesting questions about the moral limits of supervillains on more innocent alternate Earths like Earths Two, Four and S, doesn't it? : forum.5earths.com/thread/523/last-night-injustice-guild-america
As this moral restraint was the case, I pondered how that would affect the conduct of supervillains in such a context. As long-time readers of the Multiverse board are aware, I wrote a story about the "Last Days of the Justice Guild of America", dealing with the backstory behind the heroic sacrifice of Tom Turbine, Black Siren, Catman, Green Guardsman and the Streak when their Seacoast City home was targeted by an ICBM during the Cuban War on Earth-109 (October 22-23, 1962). Given the positive feedback about that from some quarters, I decided to do the same thing to their enemies within the Injustice Guild of America. Which raises some interesting questions about the moral limits of supervillains on more innocent alternate Earths like Earths Two, Four and S, doesn't it? : forum.5earths.com/thread/523/last-night-injustice-guild-america