Dreamcasting #1: Justice Society of America

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with the Ultimate Central message board. It started out as a discssion forum for Marvel's Ultimate line, when the imprint hadn't lost its sense of novelty yet. Lately, however, enthusiasm for Ultimate continuity has waned, and it's become (yet another) general-purpose comic discssion board.

Anyway, one of the regular features at UC is a bi-weekly Dreamcasting game (two, actually -- one strictly for comic-derived franchises; another for broader geeky interests, like remakes or novel adaptations). I thought i'd share a few of my older entries from previous Dreamcasting rounds.

Of course, I'd highly recommend that you offer suggestions, if you think you've got better choices than mine (and I have no doubt that you do). So without further ado, I give you...

The Justice Society of America

THE PREMISE

1958: The Good Soldier, the Scientist, the Working Class Hero, the Detective, the Industrialist, and the Magician join forces, using their abilities to stop a Cthulu-esque extra-dimensional evil summoned by an Immortal Villain, temporarily sealing both in a pocket universe. As a result, they are forced to unmask before a fearful public, due to McCarthy-era paranoia.

2008: OUr aging heroes run a Hogwarts-style academy to train future government-registered superheores (including the proteges and successors of many of their old collegues). The Immortal Villain somehow reenters our world; seeks revenge; punks out an entire field team of younger heroes. The surviving Old Guys show the kids how its done, Silver Age style.

Straightforward, no-frills superhero action. Light on complex plotting; big on heartfelt world-saving and retro macho bombast.


THE VETERANS


Alan Arkin as The Flash.


Anthony Hopkins as Green Lantern.


Harvey Keitel as Wildcat. Working-class tough guy with nine lives, portrayed by veteran of street-level Scorsese films.


Christopher Walken as The Sandman. Former teen sidekick turned eccentric billionaire with a passion for sleuthing.


James Cromwell as Dr. Fate. Timothy Leary-esque oddball. Adept at chaos magicks.



THE STUDENTS and TRAINERS


Don Cheadle as Mr. Terrific, 21st century version of the sagely negro. Thinks in quantum mechanics, speaks in ebonics.


Maria Bello (Coyote Ugly, Thank You For Smoking) as Power Girl.


Jake Busey (The Frighteners, Contact) as Hourman.


Olivia Wilde (Alpha Dog) as Stargirl. Relative unknown to play the untested Stargirl. Wilde also played lesbian hellraiser Alex in season 2 of The O.C.



THE VILLAINS


Rip Torn as Vandal Savage, immortal gentleman-rogue.


Gabriel Byrne (Stigmata) as Mordru, would-be trans-dimesnional conqueror.


If you want to see the casts picked by other users, click here.