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Posts tagged All-Star Squadron
All-Star Squadron
Mar 14th
So we have been over who and how the All-Star Squadron formed and what their focus is in WWII on Earth-Two. With all that covered we are going to briefly go over the main five All-Stars.
Libby Lawrence is a journalist and a patriot. Naturally athletic and of course not suitable for battling the forces overseas, Libby takes it upon herself to be inspired by the Liberty Bell and quite possibly the bomber The Liberty Belle and becomes a bombastic woman of mystery.
Whenever the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia was struck her belt buckle which was made out of the missing piece of the Liberty Bell would give her an increase in strength, speed, and stamina. Eventually, Libby would gain some sonic powers thanks to a Nazi villain and the actual Liberty Belle. Libby is the first female super-hero to hold the chairmanship of an organization historically, but since her position was awarded in the 1980s, its hard to say that this decision was not in part influenced by the Women’s Liberation movement.
(Those pants are called Jodhpurs, handy for trivia nights at your local bar.)
Johnny Quick is Johnny Chambers who works as a newsreel photographer. You must be saying, “Well, I sure hope he met Libby at some point.” Of course he did, eventually Libby and Johnny would marry each other. Johnny uses a mathematical formula to tap into his superspeed powers. Once he says his formula: “3X2(9YZ)4A” Johnny’s speed rivals that of the Flash and like the Flash is quite capable of running across bodies of water before he can sink.
Commander Steel is Henry Haywood who was a U.S. Marine prior to the start of WWII. When the base Henry was stationed to was attacked, Henry was caught in the attack and was in need of major medical rehab. The doctors decided to reinforce his skeleton and joints with.. (wait for it) steel. Cue the Million Dollar Man theme. I say this because Steel was created in the late 70s, birth of the Bionic Man 1974. Now, I would say this was just an influence, not an out an out rip as the word “bionics” were never used and it is not as if comics didn’t already have androids, half robots/half men characters wandering around all over the place.
And you thought G.I. Joe was the Greatest American Hero?
Danette Reilly, Vulcanologist. That would be a scientist specializing in the study of volcanoes. Again, this type of thing, wins you free beer on trivia nights, so don’t knock it. While in Hawaii shortly before Pearl Harbor, Danette ran afoul of the JSA villain Per Degaton. Leaving her for dead, Per Degaton left, however what he had accomplished was to give Danette the ability to create heat and fire from her hands. She can encase herself in an fiery aura in order to fly.
Now, Firebrand, had an older brother named Rod, who was the very first Firebrand. A guy named Rod, wearing pink and red poofy sleeves. Yeah, he was straight. Heh. In the meantime, Firebrand tragically meets her end shortly after WWII.
No, no boys. Don’t touch. This one will burn ya.
Robert Crane was a scientist. It helps to be a scientist, occultist, or an all-around American athlete in order to survive these origin stories. If you aren’t one, well odds are, you are going to wind up being a villain or dead. Anyways Robert was shot, bang! His science friends decide to put his brain into a robot body. So again we have the human faced with being inhuman. See: Red Tornado, Cyborg, etc.., This is a common theme in comics and continues to this day. Since Robert is a robot he has superhuman strength, stamina, he’s pretty quick and that science brain means he’s not just a meat head.
Next Time: We get into the meet and potatoes of that cross over I told you about last week!
Super Heroes, World War II, and the Spear of Destiny
Mar 9th
It is the mid 1930s, the shadow of fascism has slowly begun to rise in Germany. Based on the premise of the “Ubermensch”, Adolf Hitler rose to power and Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympic Games and in retrospect we have to assume that Hitler was confident that his superior race would win out.
Then came along Jesse Owens. An American. A Black American. No one used African-American back then. He won four gold medals in Berlin in track and field. Humiliating the German ubermensch and enraging Hitler. Now, was Hitler’s mad dash for power because of this? God no. But this mini drama is the opening salvo in America’s entry into World War II.
On September 1st, 1939, Germany invades Poland and the war is on. America remains deeply divided as Germany conquers country after country. And with America’s eyes firmly fixed on the foundation of isolationism while keeping on eye on Europe, December 7th, 1941, the Japanese surprise attack the United States in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. An enraged America rises up and Franklin Delano Roosevelt gives one of the most rousing political speeches of all time.
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – The United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces – with the unbounding determination of our people – we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.“
This being the case that our history serves as a mirror to the history in our fictional universes, the question that fanboys must ask themselves is “Why do they not just send Superman over there to kick Hitler’s butt?”
Very good question and it deserves an answer that will hold substantial water.
And now we introduce our first official religious icon into the DC Universe.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” John 19: 31-37 NIV Version.
This bit of text from The Holy Bible is a description of what soldiers did and did not do as Jesus’ dead body hung from the cross. The spear is the key though that we will be focused on. As any watcher of Indiana Jones movies knows, one does not mess with artifacts related to the Old and New Testaments. It is a really good way to get your face melted off.
All these religious artifacts are rumored today to hold immense powers if used in the correct way and by those interpretations in modern pop culture.. the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail.. lets add this. The Spear of Destiny or The Spear of Longinus. We need to make the leap that this is a literal spear and not a metaphorical one for the purposes of storytelling in the DCU.
Now that the Spear is lost to time and memory…eventually falling into the hands of Adolf Hitler. It is rumored that whomever has the Spear, will conquer the world. Well, Hitler very nearly did conquer the world. Did he have the real Spear or just a facsimile? I won’t argue either side for now.
In the DCU, Hitler did have the Spear of Destiny and was quite an accomplished occultist. Hitler used the Spear of Destiny to form large areas that would instantly assert mental control over any super powered being that entered into them. Get too close to Europe or Japan and boom! You’re suddenly a pawn of Hitler?
Nice solution really when you think about it. We have to explain how Superman could let all these normal people go overseas and die for their country when Supes could zip in there and take care of them all at superspeed.
The Justice Society of America was formed prior to the All-Star Squadron, the All-Star Squadron is the “beefier” version of the JSA including every Golden Age character that existed.
Between these characters and our fighting men and women, the Axis never stood a chance.
Next Time: JSA Roll Call!
Crisis on Earth-Prime
Mar 8th
Okay, we’ve eased into the idea of alternate earths correct?
Previously there was Earth-One, the earth where all our characters exist and…
Earth-Prime, the earth where all of us gentle readers live in a non-super powered world.
Well HANG ON FOLKS! We’re about to blow that idea up to the ceiling.
Just take a look at this cover.
Here are the keys I would like to point out:
- The 20th Annual team-up of the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America.
- Guest starring the All-Star Squadron
- And who are those quasi familiar villains coming out of that cube?
All good questions… now, just park it for a second.
The Justice Society is the precursor of the Justice League. Originally published back in the 1940s primarily for kids and to be shipped overseas for the boys far from home. The Justice Society fought all sorts of Nazi saboteurs and their own super-criminals.
In the 40s most heroes veered on the “pulp” style of masked mystery men. The only main DC characters published at the time who did not appear in the JSA were those with their own adventures like Superman and Batman as those characters were “too busy” in their own books.
After the world had vanquished the Axis threat, superheroes waned in popularity due partly to not needing heroes so much any more during the idyllic late 40s and 50s. Additionally we can thank Dr. Frederick Wertham who wrote a snappy little dissertation called “The Seduction of the Innocent” in which comics (and a number of other things) are blamed for juvenile delinquency.
So, in the interim, the JSA declined and basically went away while the genres of the Wild West comic and Space Adventure (sounds very Toy Story, doesn’t it?) soared in popularity. The only characters to continue throughout this drought were Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman with Aquaman and Green Arrow appearing in backup features.
Eventually, Editor par excellance Julius Schwartz decided it was time to bring back the Super-Heroes. Instead of resurrecting the older heroes, he took their names and with various creators around DC Comics twisted them into origins that were less mystical and more scientific to relate to the new Atomic Age.
This is basically the break down of the Golden Age of Comics and the Silver Age of Comics.
The Golden Age heroes exist on an Earth called Earth-Two. They were active during World War II.
The Silver Age heroes exist on an Earth called Earth-One. They are active in the present day, for this story that is 1982.
Additionally on Earth-Two the Justice Society heroes got older, added some more modern characters, and exist in the present in 1982.
The JLA and JSA have met each other for 20 years at this point starting with this iconic comic.
NOW.. do you notice anything about this cover that looks.. odd?
Yeah, that’s Black Canary up there with the JSA, not the JLA.. WTF is going on here???
Well, okay guys, just calm down. There is a lot of things going on here and we’ll touch on all of it eventually. Here’s what you need to know.
DC COSMOLOGY:
Earth-One: The home of the Silver Age characters. These are the characters we read in “modern” comics and their official starting point at this point is the 1950s in the Atomic Age.
Earth-Two: The home of the Golden Age characters. These characters started in and around WWII but continue into the present day as well.
So, that’s all well and good. let’s go back to the next point…Who is the All-Star Squadron?
The All-Star Squadron is a World War II group that was formed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Earth-Two as a draft action to enlist every mystery man or woman into the service to combat the Axis threat. Formed and then disbanded after WWII concluded the All-Star Squadron includes every Golden Age hero that DC Comics owns, but their stories tend to focus on the five heroes shown above: Liberty Belle, Johnny Quick, Robotman, Firebrand, and Commander Steel.
Now, we also have to address those pesky villains coming out of the Transmatter Cube.
Ultra-Man, Superwoman, Owl Man, Johnny Quick, and Power Ring, together they are The Crime Syndicate from Earth-THREE!
On Earth Three, everyone who is good on Earth-1 is EVIL on Earth-3 and everyone who is EVIL on Earth-1 is actually good. The one hero left on Earth-3? Lex Luthor. The villains correlate directly to Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, and Green Lantern.
Wait! Darren, there can’t be two Johnny Quicks and two Green Lanterns? ARGH!!! Slurpee headache!!! Don’t worry, here.. breathe into this paper bag. Nice and slow.
Since, I have more than blown your mind with this nugget of DC history. So, rest your swollen noggins my peeps.
Next Time: The All-Star Squadron and The Spear of Destiny!!!













