All-Star Squadron #15 (November, 1982)
"Crisis on Earth-Prime, Book Three: Master of Worlds and Time!"
Writer - Roy Thomas
Pencils - Adrian Gonzales
Inks - Jerry Ordway
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Carl Gafford
Plot Consultant - Gerry Conway
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.60
Welcome to the penultimate chapter of Crisis on Earth-Prime. Having a heckuva good time with this arc... feel like it might be ripe for a trip on a certain Cosmic Treadmill somewhere down the line.
Reggie and I are nuts for research... and, boy howdy... the marriage between real world... the multiverse... and the heroes of various Comics-Ages, definitely see the makings of fun episode (or two)!
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
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We pick up right where we left off last issue. Degaton and his Degateam are overhead watching the heroes... which leads to a neat two-page spread where they're all introduced. As the Justice Society members come to, the others fill them in on what they've missed. This ain't our first comic book, we know a recap session when we see it. Can't get mad at it though, considering the comics market was still primarily newsstand at this point, and some readers may have missed out on previous chapters.
The JSA figures, since the others showed them theirs', they might as well share their story as well. It's pretty basic, actually. Remember how they found that "Mad One" in Earth-Prime (1982)'s underground last issue? Well, after that... they decided to follow Per Degaton's "trail", and hop over to Earth-2 (1942). That's it. They showed up just as the first nuclear missile went off.
The heroes head back to Washington, D.C. to plan their next move with F.D.R. Their chat is cut short by an audiovisual interruption... it's Per Degaton, and he's got more threats than you can shake a stick at. Ya see, he's got two dozen nukes ready to go. He gives the leaders of Earth five-hours to turn over all of their power to him, or else... boom.
The heroes turn to President Roosevelt for guidance, and he's all "why ya lookin' at me?". Realizing the severity of their current situation, and the potential for loss of innocent life... F.D.R. is fully prepared to cede power over to Degaton. The heroes ask him to hold off... for now.
The heroes split off into groups... the first one we'll follow includes Superman, Robotman, and Dr. Fate. They're headed into space to deactivate Per Degaton's satellite... which is how he's able to transmit his messages (and potentially control the nukes). As they tear into it, Robotman discovers a lead-lined box... which, despite Superman's warning... he opens! Guess what? It's Kryptonite! I mean, what else are you gonna store in a lead-lined box, right?
Just then... Ultraman from the Crime Syndicate shows up! He grabs the Green-K, and refers to it as "mother's milk". He then proceeds to lay a beat-down on the heroes. He tears off one of Robotman's arms and tosses him toward Earth's atmosphere. He hurls Dr. Fate toward Superman... which, as luck would have it, nudges Superman further away from the Kryptonite.
Superman re-powers, and socks the baddie in the mush.
Dr. Fate then traps Ultraman in a bubble (lots of "bubble-making" heroes, ain't there?). Superman takes off to save Robotman before his human brain burns up in the atmosphere. As the trio of heroes head back, we learn that the timer has ticked down to four-hours.
The next team we join is Aquaman, Liberty Belle, and Starman. They are headed toward Japan in search of a cache of Degatonian nukes. Libby says she doesn't know much about nukes... only that they should never be used. This leads to an awkward moment... since Aquaman and Starman know what's coming, and they don't exactly hide it all that well.
Starman and Liberty Belle arrive on the mainland to find a whole bunch of unconscious (but uninjured) folks. Starman uses his rod to get a reading... and discovers radiation. They follow the trail into a cave... where they discover, well I'll be... nukes!
A battle breaks out between the heroes and the Degateam. Starman rushes toward the missiles, hopeful that his Cosmic Rod might be able to deactivate them. He is, unfortunately, whipped by Superwoman's lasso! Liberty Belle asks why the Syndies would work with Degaton again after he double-crossed them. I think "double-crossed" might be a bit much... if you recall, the Syndies were going to attack him first. Anyhoo, Superwoman reveals that they've "made up"... for now. Once Degaton is in power, the Crime Syndicate will take him down and rule in his stead.
Eagle-eyed readers might've noticed by now that Aquaman hasn't arrived yet. That's because he's busy asking for a favor from... a pair of 20-ton blue whales. Superwoman (and the nuclear cache) is overcome by a tidal wave! Worth noting, Starman mentions Jimmy Doolittle... which baffles Liberty Belle.
After the nuclear base explodes (yeah, it explodes... good thing the nukes weren't... uh... waterproof? Your guess is as good as mine...) the heroes leave (Superwoman in tow). Liberty Belle's all "Wassa Jimmy Doolittle?", thinking fast, Starman says he meant Dr. Doolittle... the guy who talks to animals, just like Aquaman. Nice save...
Next stop, the Midwestern United States... our team: Hawkman, Johnny Quick, and Huntress. They're following a Geiger Counter's readings to a farm... and deduce that they're either within range of the warheads... or flying over a Uranium mine.
Well, luckily... it's the former. The heroes figure out that the missiles are being stored in grain silos. Johnny Quick goes to do a speedy dismantling... only, they find themselves attacked by... Power Ring!
Since Power Ring... sucks, it only takes a single punch from Huntress to take him out. Unfortunately, as he goes down... he "accidentally" fires a blast at one of the silos, which launches a nuke!
Hawkman flies Johnny Quick skyward, where he can speedily dismantle the missile before it goes boom. Moments later, Quick has dismantled the lot of 'em. Power Ring is still kayoed... because he sucks.
We wrap up with Per Degaton... and he's not exactly pleased. His satellite has been taken off-line, and two of his missile sites have been FUBARed. No matter, the third is sure to pack a powerful punch!
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Before we get into it, I want to mention that this issue also came with the Masters of the Universe "Bonus Book". If you want to check that out, take a look at yesterday's piece. Click the image below!
Now, this is the kind of issue I refer to as a "procedural" one. In every crossover we seem to get this kind of issue. Where the teams intermingle, and split off into squads to achieve their goal.
One one hand, it's fun to see characters from different books (and Earths) interact and team-build. On the other... this has gotta be the least efficient way to take care of a problem. I mean, we've got five-hours to save the world... and three places we're going to investigate (this chapter). Why wouldn't you send the Justice League to, say... the Satellite, the Justice Society to Japan, and the All-Stars to the Midwest?
I mean, it would stand to reason that you'd get the best result keeping teams together, right? I mean, they're already used to working together... and probably have a bit of a synergy going, no?
If you've got all the time in the world... sure, have fun... mix up the teams... yadda yadda. But, c'mon... in five hours, power is going to be handed over to Degaton. Let's play this one safe.
Speaking of playing safe... howsabout blowing up the missile site in Japan?! That doesn't seem like the wisest decision, does it? I mean, I gotta assume the deactivated all of the nukes... considering that the entire island nation wasn't blown off the map by their antics... but, that's still a risky gambit, ain't it? How can you be sure that the missiles are completely deactivated? How can you be sure there aren't a couple more in the vicinity? Just seems sloppy to me.
I did appreciate the nods to real-world history. The awkward exchanges between Aquaman and Starman regarding the horrors of using nuclear weapons, and Jimmy Doolittle's bomber raid... all very interesting stuff. I swear, I'd love to see a picture of Roy Thomas's work space during this time... it's gotta just be cluttered with maps and texts... newspaper clippings... old comics. Least that's how I'm picturing it!
The bit in the Midwest was kinda neat... and shows us that this is not entirely hopeless. Johnny Quick is able to rapidly (I wanted to say "quickly") disarm an entire cache... including one that had already launched! So, even if worse comes to worst, all isn't necessarily lost.
Overall, perhaps a weaker chapter than the three that proceeded it, but by no means does that make it bad. There's a little bit of "wonk" here, but nothing we can't overlook. The Masters of the Universe bonus book still sucks though.
This issue is available digitally... and, thanks to reader Grant Kitchen, I can tell you that the issue of Justice League of America we covered yesterday likely does come with the Masters of the Universe "bonus book" (it's listed as being 40-pages). This issue of All-Star Squadron, however, is only listed at 23-pages. So, if you're only looking for He-Man... you probably ain't gonna find him here.
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Letters Page (featuring... who else? The Mad Maple!):
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All-Star Squadron #14 (October, 1982)
"Crisis on Earth-Prime, Book Two: The 'Mystery Men' of October!"
Writer - Roy Thomas
Pencils - Adrian Gonzalez
Inks - Jerry Ordway
Letters - Ben Oda
Colors - Carl Gafford
Plot Consultant - Gerry Conway
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.60
Alrighty... we're going to head into Part Two of Crisis on Earth-Prime! and it's at this moment that I wonder... did I bite off more than I can chew? There's a lotta stuff going on here!
We'll, as ever, do our best...
Part One
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We open with members of the All-Star Squadron and Justice Society of America performing a semi-familiar "salute". They are doing so in reverence of he with the split-loaf haircut, Per Degaton. He is seated on a throne before a packed arena, as though he were Caesar, and the heroes give him the ol' Morituri te Salutant... because, they're about to fight each other... to the death!
The heroes pair off with their "most natural opponent"... which, I dunno... doesn't always seem all that natural to me, but we'll allow it as it really doesn't amount to anything. During the skirmish, a man who looks like Colonel Harland Sanders, but who identifies himself as Professor Zee. He shouts to the heroes that they shouldn't be attacking one another... but instead, should be fighting against Per Degaton! Speaking of Col. Sanders... have you tried KFC's Chicken and Waffles basket? Popped in for the first time in years this weekend to check it out. It's not half-bad... but, also... not half great.
Anyhoo, it turns out Professor Zee's warning is all it takes to make the heroes snap out of it... and they turn their attention to Degaton. Lucky for him, this is all a dream! Per has had this same nightmare every night for a month... and it's finally managed to stir his memory about his old enemies.
Ya see, Per Degaton had lost his memory of all the previous times he'd battled the good guys... and is now just a shlub, working as an assistant to... Professor Zee! He even tells him about his dream where he ruled the world... and Zee waves him off. It's really kinda pathetic. Looks like Degaton agrees, because the next morning... he shoots ol' Zee dead.
He then changes into his "night-dark" military outfit and hops into the Professor's time machine. His plan is to jump into the far-flung future to grab some advanced weapons... bring 'em back, and use them to lord over the world of his present. Ya dig? And so, he picks the year 1982.
During the trip through time, Degaton feels a slight "pull". He doesn't pay it too much mind. Upon arrival in 1982, he grabs a newspaper... and is shocked to find no mention of superheroes in the news. He (politely) asks a newsagent where he can find all of the heroes, and is told he can find them... in comic books! Ya see, Per Degaton is now on Earth-Prime! Worth noting... I can see the only issue of New Teen Titans I need to complete my collection... and, boy does it sting!
Degaton rushes back to his time-machine before the police show up to bring him to the bin or something. He realizes that he shifted through both time and space... and lingers in-between universes to catch his breath. While there, he happens across... the Crime Syndicate! Hey, we saw them yesterday! He frees them from the construct bubble and they make a deal to work together... for now.
Per Degaton has an idea about how he can, with one action, take care of both Earth-Prime... and his own Earth. He and the Syndies head back to Earth-Prime's 1962... right in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis. We're about to get very Thomas-y here... some very interesting blending of real-world stuff.
I'm not much of a "real world" historian these days, so I'm gonna do my best here. Following the botched Bay of Pigs Invasion, Fidel Castro made a deal with Nikita Khrushchev to place nuclear missiles on Cuba to prevent future potential U.S. invasions.
John F. Kennedy, the then-President of the United States would respond... and after thirteen days of negotiations with the Soviet Union, were able to come to a peaceful arrangement, where the Cuban missiles were dismantled and removed by the Russians. This is a pretty big deal, as Cuba is scarily close to U.S. mainland... and the thought of them having nukes, is pretty terrifying. It's certainly a situation that could have very easily escalated into full-blown nuclear war. Annnnnnnd, that's where Per Degaton comes in.
Degaton tasks the Crime Syndicate with stealing the missiles... this way, the Russians can't prove to the United States that they've been dismantled. This would, in theory, lead to an escalation of distrust between the super-powers... and ultimately, nuclear war! If you recall yesterday's piece, the Justice Society arrived on a post-nuclear war Earth-Prime!
Back in the "in-between", Degaton and the Syndies are floating about, nukes in tow. Ya see, with these missiles, Per Degaton will be able to scare Earth-Two straight, and easily take it over. It's a win-win for ol' split-loaf. At this point, the Crime Syndicate decides to... attack him! He doesn't even sweat 'em... just sends 'em someplace else. Of course, we know from yesterday... that "someplace else" is Earth-One.
We shift scenes over to Earth-Two, where All-Star Squadron members Firebrand, Liberty Belle, and Johnny Quick are returning to New York City from an outing in San Francisco. They are attacked by a geek calling himself Nuclear, the Magnetic Marauder. Ay yai yai.
During the fracas, the All-Stars are joined by Robotman (not that Robotman) and Commander Steel. They battle Nuclear atop a building... and they all fall off. Nuclear is able to, I dunno, ride the magnetic waves, and get away. The heroes manage to grab onto a flagpole before becoming metallic splats on the ground.
They reconnoiter and decide to head into the Justice Society's abandoned headquarters (the JSA had disbanded a little while back, and gave the All-Stars access to their digs). Upon opening the door, they find... the Justice League! Deja vu, all over again.
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Alright, gang... we got quite a bit to unpack here.
Before going into the real-world-history bit, I just wanna say... for such a complex story, involving so many different eras and universes... Roy and Gerry did a fantastic job keeping everything easy to follow! I'd assume, under less-capable hands... this sort of a story would be a disaster! We jump from Earth-Two, to Earth-Prime... a couple of different eras... send the Syndies to Earth-One... heck, we even spend some time in-between universes, and not once did I feel lost.
I've said it before, but I just love Roy Thomas' ability to connect his stories with things in the real-world. I really wasn't expecting a history lesson on the Bay of Pigs nor the Cuban Missile Crisis when I opened this book. I think it was around then that I realized that I'd never read this one all the way through before!
It's really as seamlessly done as I could imagine... just really great storytelling. With that one move by Degaton, he was damning one Earth to destruction... and another, to his conquer! Doncha love it when everything comes together?
They did that thing where we end exactly where we ended last chapter... which, usually gets on my nerves. That's because it's usually done (these days) as a way to get an extra issue out of an arc... and is usually just filled with chatter. Here, however, we get a completely different angle... which answers some of our questions, while offering up even more. Just so well done.
As if I gotta say it... this one gets a pretty high recommendation. Definitely an arc to keep your eye out for. This one is available digitally.
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Letters Page:
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All-Star Squadron #7 (March, 1982)
"Carnage for Christmas!"
Writer - Roy Thomas
Penciller - Adrian Gonzales
Inker - Jerry Ordway
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Carl Gafford
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.60
Oof, must'a left them chestnuts roasting too long on the open fire... it's 114° today in fair Phoenix! If this keeps up, people are gonna start calling me the "Christmas sweater" rather than this ugly awesome thing...
Today we're going to stick with our Christmas on Infinite Earths... in July! special, and discuss an issue that barely even mentions that it's the most won-der-ful time of the year... mostly because it was during World War II, and that might've been a bit more important.
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We open on December 22, 1941 with the news that the Justice Society of America has decided to disband! They have stepped down from their superhero roles to actually enlist in the United States Armed Forces! A pair of trenchcoated figures walk down the street, bumping into a Private Pratt, before heading down an alley where they are stood before a poster for the film Nazi Agent (an actual 1942 film starring Conrad Veidt). They give the ol' Hitlerian salute and the brick wall rises.
Inside the tall fella sheds his trenchcoat revealing himself to be Baron Blitzkrieg! His diminutive associate is Major Zwerg. The pair are greeted by s'more Nazis... with "heils", reminding me of that Jerry Seinfeld bit where he jokes about the different kind of "heils" between Nazi officers, with the casual one being a "heil'ya doin'?" Anyhoo, they are there to watch a film... in it, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill arrives in the United States to meet with President Franklin Roosevelt. When they shake hands... they explode! Well, hell... it turns out these are robots, naturally... and perhaps not as convincing as they need to be. At this point, FDR had been stricken with Polio and was in a wheelchair most of the time. In public, he would be on a cane and have a person to support him... none of this is depicted in robo-Roosevelt. This film, I should mention, is to be sent out to Berlin to be shown as evidence of the death of Allied leadership... but the plan is to abduct them and put them before Der Fuhrer himself.
We shift scenes to President Roosevelt reading a copy of LIFE Magazine, when he is visited be Private Pratt... well, the Atom that is. The LIFE magazine features a cover story about the JSA's disbandment and, I can't quite make out the back cover ad, but I'm going to assume it's legit. Roosevelt's dog Fala is sitting on his lap, another neat nod to actual history. A note in the letters page states that Fala was the most photographed pooch in the world at this point.
The two catch up, discussing events that occurred in a Blue Ribbon Digest where Pratt had saved Roosevelt's life, jumping in front of a Valkyrie blast. I'm guessing it was here where many members of the Society decide to enlist. FDR asks the Atom how the new recruits are doing, and he goes down the roster... he is a Tank-Corpsman, Hawkman is a "Dodo" in the Air Force, Sandman is Anti-Aircraft, Dr. Fate is a Paratrooper, Dr. Mid-Nite is a Captain in the Med-Corps, Starman is in flight training, and Johnny Thunder (oof) is in the Navy.
In the next room, the President has assembled members of the All-Star Squadron. He has received word that there is a "plot afoot" to kill PM Churchill when he arrives stateside. The All-Stars are quick to offer up their services as security detail for the British Destroyer battleship, Duke of Earl. It's pretty cute seeing the heroes literally sprinting down the hallways to head out.
We rejoin the heroes later that day. Hawkgirl, Liberty Belle, and Shining Knight are on U-Boat watch over the Atlantic, Firebrand and Johnny Quick are on the roads (of note, Johnny hands Firebrand a Christmas gift... to hold on to for Liberty Belle... cold-burn). Meanwhile at the Navy yard, Robotman and the Atom are admiring... or lamenting, the (ominous) heavy fog that has drifted in.
Time passes, and the Destroyer finally appears. It looks as though it will safely dock at the Naval yard when.... Bhh-kooom! It's nailed by a torpedo (which I typed as tornado... backspaced... and retyped as tornado)! Atom and Robotman board the boat... but take on a barrage of blasts from the befuddled Brits. They are able to convince them of their credentials and go about starting their rescue.
Robotman scans the seas, and locates a U-Boat. Turns out the sub was equipped with an attachment that caused the foggy sea air, affecting visibility all around. He throws a thick cable to Shining Knight to try and capture the sub. Liberty Belle catches it and takes a dive in the freezing cold late-December water. She wraps the U-Boat up, after which, Hawkgirl plucks her from the sea. Robotman sets to yanking the German's outta the drink with some good ol' American brute strength... and a winch.
Meanwhile on board the Destroyer, Baron Blitzkrieg (feels like we haven't seen him in months!) is visiting with Winston Churchill.
On the beach, Robotman has nyoinked the U-Boat ashore. The Atom asks that the military stand down to entice the Germans into exiting their craft. They do, they do too, and we get ourselves a bit of a battle, which ends just about as quickly as it begins with the All-Stars victorious.
We later join Baron Blitzkrieg and Major Vatziisface as they are sending the Churchill-bot to meet with President Roosevelt. Hmm... okay, perhaps Der Fuhrer only wants private audience with Churchill then. Anyhoo, Liberty Belle and Johnny Quick are present, and note that Churchill isn't acting quite himself... he doesn't recognize them, for one... for another, his stogie ain't lit. Anyhoo, he trudges up to the Prez, extends his hand, and... BOOM! Just like in the movie. When the dust settles, however, it turns out that "FDR" was really Plastic Man!
Thinking their work is done, the Baron and his puny pal drive away. Luckily, the rest of the All-Stars are present to slow his escape. The Baron wallops Robotman with a right, then attempts to fly away with Churchill in tow. Shining Knight gives chase, and the Baron, knowing he can't flee as fast with the added-Winston weight, drops the PM into Hawkgirl's waiting arms. In the distraction the miniscule Major escaped as well.
Our story ends December 24th, 1941 at the White House where Churchill and Roosevelt meet in friendship. The All-Stars are present for the traditional lighting of the White House Christmas Tree (oh yeah, this is a Christmas issue!) and to hear Winston Churchill's (actual) stirring speech on the White House lawn.
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As much as I love this series, it's always such a daunting task to go through and synopsize it. It feels like I'm doing it a disservice (and I'm sure I am, in more ways than one). These issues are jam-packed with story, sidebars, actual United States/World history... just so densely written that I almost need a rest break after finishing one! I've said it before, will again, and will now... Roy Thomas doesn't mess around when it comes to making everything fit. Fiction/non-fiction/historical (pop)culture/continuity... everything works here! What's not in the story... is included as a footnote in the letters page for chrissakes! He does such an amazing job of capturing the gestalt but not being a complete slave to it, it's clear that this series (and his eventual "corner" of the DC Universe) is a labor of love... and that makes following along all the more engaging.
With that said... and, this is going to sound pretty hypocritical, but... I love how Thomas is weaving real-world history into this story. Yeah, I'm a guy who hates when a sitting President is used in comics, or when comics are politically motivated... but this just feels perfect! Perhaps it's the passage of time... maybe it's the fact that I wasn't even born until nearly a half-century after this went down... I suppose stories of Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler and World War II are just so far from anything I can wrap my head around that I can mentally allow comics to "use" history here. Maybe it's that such names feel so important and legendary, that they belong in comic books? Who knows?
The issue itself, it's a really good time. I appreciate being given the Atom as sort of a touchstone/POV character, as these All-Stars, while not totally unfamiliar to me, are less-so than JSA members. I'm still very much "meeting" these folks... as many "back in the day" readers would be too, as this is only the seventh issue of the book. I wasn't entirely clear on the purpose of the robo-Roosevelt/robo-Winston bits... I thought Blitzkrieg was trying to abduct both men, but it appears as though Der Fuhrer's personal beef was with Winnie at this point. At least I think that's how it was meant to go? Churchill gets captured, Roosevelt goes boom?
Speaking of clarity... here's one that I've always had a sorta nebulous understanding of. The Spear of Destiny... is that a thing at this point? Does that stop all supers from getting into Germany and keeping their wits, or just the "biggies" like Superman and the Spectre? Seems strange that several super-types would enlist in the military if it would be impossible for them to enter into battle. I'm likely misunderstanding it.
The Christmas bits, are brief but powerful. The use of actual language used in Churchill's Christmas Eve address was excellent. His message of separating, for one day, the present crisis from feelings of familial love is... again, powerful. The presence of mystery men in the background really doesn't distract from what's truly important.
Overall, another wonderful issue of All-Star Squadron... one I'd most definitely recommend. I warn you that it's dense... it's certainly not passive (or quick) reading. If you're more accustomed to comics of today, you might want to pack a lunch! Available digitally and (if you're cool with black and white) as part of SHOWCASE Presents All-Star Squadron.
That's all for today... tomorrow's piece won't be Christmasy, but will be in celebration of a movie that I'm not going to see, when we discuss a certain caped crusader meeting a certain wall-crawler! I never was good at giving hints...
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Letters Page (and footnotes!):
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