No "I" in Team

 Insomnia strikes for the first time since before Christmas...
The good people at Bronze Age Babies posted a Fantasy Draft last Friday; the task was to assemble a superhero team of one's own making, with a seven member-limit, like the one introduced for the Avengers in 1979. Now, the Avengers franchise is one of Marvel's most successful lines at present. But let's vworp back to the mid-80s , where I ask you to picture a West Coast Avengers title, with a Californian take on Grim and Gritty. It's Vampires in Hollywood pencilled by Gene "The Dean" Colan:

This is not Frank Miller's tormented catholic ninja either- this is Stan and Gene's husky, wisecracking swashbuckler and the haunted Madam Natasha.

The other couple on the team are moody teens Cloak and Dagger.

Diversity, philosophy and bone-shattering violence in the form of Shang-Chi:

Every team needs a powerhouse- although this is the schizophrenic Ultimate Moon Knight, I want the avatar of the Moon-God Khonshu in this group:

and as team leader, Steranko's super-spy, Nick Fury, with SHIELD-issue flying car.
But I mentioned vampires and vampires there will be; the principal villain for this mini-series is Lilith, Daughter of Dracula:

 Lilith was portrayed, in Foom Magazine at least, as slightly less malevolent than Satana but I'd have her manipulate a big Marvel brawl with these guys as her pawns:

It's spies, Kung Fu, and the Undead. How could it fail?

Meanwhile, at DC comics, it's 1971 but we're going to infuse the infant Bronze Age with a modern sensibility. Much as I love the first year of Gardner Fox's Justice League with Kanjar Ro and the Demons Three, I want to recast it as a gritty urban crime book. I chose '71 because Kirby Is Here but so are O'Neil and Adams; my book will be drawn by Jim Aparo.

The Darknight Detective and the hip ghost Deadman are my first selections- the leader of my team and his secret weapon. The next pairing appeared together in Bronze age comics a couple of times:

Batgirl says Bronze age to me far more than 40s broad Black Canary, plus Babs had a political career which could be fascinating and marks her out as no mere costumed cheesecake. Then, imagine planet-juggling Superman returning to his 30s roots of busting racketeers and crooked bosses...
Next. one of comics' biggest stars then and now and his buddy, one of the best-dressed heroes of the 70s:

Having said that, although I've never been a great fan of Hal Jordan, it strikes me that the simple elegance of his costume- the green of Earth and the black of space- makes him a suitable champion for the environment. I'd downplay -or perhaps disband- the Guardians of the Universe however.
 Finally, a lady who didn't exist in the 70s, maybe with her early 80s soubriquet, La Garro- The Claw or perhaps La Gata Loca:

As you may have gathered, I'm a big fan of Haney and Aparo's Brave and Bold, where the original Wildcat was often paired with Bats; so don't be surprised if this League features guests or even new members from the Haneyverse, like Aquaman, Plastic Man and the Phantom Stranger. Or this guy:

Finally, the villains for this book were originally going to be Kirby's Intergang but that would tie this Justice League too closely to the Pop Kozmic Fourth World. Instead, I'm going with Kanigher's criminal organization the 100 and their Metropolis leader Tobias Whale ( actually, a mid- 70s character):

I deliberated over League mainstays Flash and Wonder Woman but in the end, neither interests me enough; I also considered Sargon the Sorceror who had a brief villainous phase in the early 70s, so he would definitely show up:

It was a lot of fun, coming up with rosters for team books for both companies. So- who have you got?


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