Well there were appearances by the Justice Society recently in some comics which I’ll post here in a second and then there was this, I think yesterday from Tom Taylor showing Amazing Man punching it’s assumed Hitler.
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Today Tom Taylor fully revealed apparently the new JSA series he’s doing, kind of mixed news, considering this takes place in the Injustice universe.
So it’ll be nice to see the JSA in this alternate universe of Injustice; it’ll be sad to watch Tom blow up most of them by the end of the story, which is his usual style.
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I did a whole post on All-Star Squadron issue #1 a while back and you can read that here, if you want.
- Roy Thomas didn’t just set All-Star Squadron during WWII. Roy Thomas set All-Star Squadron during WWII AND within the continuity of the original JSA stories in All-Star Comics. This means that he was: 1) Making sure everything was (relatively) historically accurate. 2) Making sure his stories fit with the All-Star Comics stories from the Golden Age. And 3) Reinterpreting a lot of those Golden Age stories so they were more “realistic” for the times. This… is both a blessing and a curse.
This is what Roy Thomas did. This is how he wrote comics.
The blessing is that you feel a kind of immersion. You feel like you are jumping into an alternate history. All the continuity checks make the comic nerd within you jump with joy. You almost feel like he’s creating a world that you like better.
The curse is that this is REALLY restricting. Roy can’t have Superman fly to Berlin in 1941, level the place, and end the war because that did not happen historically. Also, he has to have the JSA disband in All-Star Squadron #5 so they can join the army because that’s what they did in All-Star Comics #11 after Pearl Harbor. This means that he allows his story, his creativity to be restricted by the confines of history and continuity. It also means that he spends significant time and even entire issues making it all “work.”
And, please don’t get me wrong, I love Roy Thomas and this is what Roy Thomas did. I can’t picture him doing it any other way. You would not have the same charm with a different writer setting a JSA story in modern times.
That being said, a different writer setting a JSA story in modern times would have had MUCH more freedom to write their stories and spend much less time on continuity management.
Like I said: Blessing and Curse…
- When I was a kid, it was Johnny Quick- easy. Johnny just seemed to have more attitude and charisma than the other All-Stars.
This read-through, however, I’ve had a change of heart. Now, I think Shining Knight is my favorite. He’s just soooo out of place that it works when it shouldn’t. I really loved watching him try to hold off Grundy with just his sword because: Chivalry. Of course he would… Shining Knight is not a superhero. Not really. He’s just an out of date warrior that can’t really do anything else but this in the modern world. I like that.
- I think this is an outrage. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman get taken down while Atom stays free? Atom???
Nah, just playing. It’s fine. It was obviously done so Roy could use the less powerful, lesser known JSA’ers rather than have to work within the confines of the expectations and continuity of writing one of the Trinity or the likes of Green Lantern or The Flash on a regular basis (he’d given himself enough confines by that point). And, for the most part, I get how each villain could take down their JSA’ers. Except… maybe… Zodiak. Like, okay-fine, he uses alchemy to synthesize Kryptonite and take out Superman, but… how did he get Batman? That guy???
- The villains are fine. I always love seeing Grundy and Wotan creates a hard-to-conquer mystic foil.
Per Degaton is clearly the best, though. I really love what Thomas did with Degaton here. Basically, Per Degaton only exists in the day of his origin as told in All-Star Comics #35. He gets his meddle with time idea from Professor Zee, attempts to murder the Professor, steals the time travel device, attempts an evil scheme to conquer the world, loses, returns to the moment before he has the idea, everyone forgets what happened because- time travel, and he repeats the same thing in the very same day again and again. … I love it.
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Danette Reilly- Firebrand really stands out to me. She was a fearless adventurer even before she had powers. Then, when she gets them, it’s like they were meant for her. Also, Roy Thomas’ wife was named Dann. Does anyone think Danette’s name is coincidence?
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Roy Thomas was not writing the return of the JSA. I don’t care what he thinks, that’s not what he was doing.
First: Return??? He set the story during the JSA’s heyday. They hadn’t gone anywhere.
Second: JSA??? He was writing the All-Star Squadron- a larger, more diverse group of heroes that created multiple legacies.
In a lot of ways he was doing something better than writing the return of the JSA. He was creating a new legacy of superheroics. But… no… technically not the return of the JSA.
As always, thanks for putting up with my rants! Moth, out!
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Crisis should never have happened. Change my mind.
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I call my particular brand of passionate love for All Star Squadron as I am always particularly careful how i abbreviate the title ‘feckless meandering’ but i can see the semantic benefits of ‘rants’ as well.
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If I could utilize any means of time travel, I would go back to 1985 and change the minds of DC editorial board management whose blinkered narrow-mindedness caused far more confusion and obfuscation than the original problem they were misguidedly attempting to change.
The solution wreaked far more problems than there ever was a problem in the first place.
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Read this as part of the upcoming History Club focus on writers, and found JSA Club running a great read, so good chance to really cover this series. As for your questions.
- I really like the World War II setting on Earth 2, it gave the series it’s own playground without having to worry about current continuity. I know Thomas wanted to keep it consistent with established continuity, but I would have rather he taken a looser approach. Base it on the Golden Age JSA, but then go your own way so you’re not tied to having certain characters meet or be around at certain points. It also leaves one the possibility of knocking someone off or retiring them.
- I like the lesser known characters. Those were the ones I remember reading rather than the big guns because we see them all the time. So, I’d say Liberty Belle, Johnny Quick and Firebrand.
- There’s a little of the hand wave going on with the easy capture of the JSA’s more powerful members. This is where tying to established continuity weakens the series.
- Villains, meh. They were fine
- My standout characters are completely colored by what’s to come and my memories of the characters rather than what actually happens in these issues. Liberty Belle and Firebrand are two I would love to see updated or somehow brought back into the DCU.
- This is not the JSA, and that’s a good thing. It’s so much more expansive and that’s its strength.
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Did either of you read Wonder Woman #750 and/or Flash #750? Those books contained stories that were going to lead into a retelling of the Golden Age.
Spoilers ahead:
In Wonder Woman#750, you see WW save FDR’s life.
Which you see inspire Alan Scott.
In Flash #750, there is a Jay Garrick story where he also admits to being inspired by WW. You also see him battling The Thinker and there is an image that hints at The Fiddler, Shade, and… a Golden Age Reverse Flash…?
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Liberty Belle and Firebrand were always my two favourite characters as well.
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No, but I heard there was some of that in those issues.
With Dan DiDio gone, I’m not sure if that’s going to be used now…5 G seems abandoned or on pause, that’s what’s really curious her.
I hadn’t read those either @TheCosmicMoth. Interesting…
I wondered about that. That might indicate yet another change of plans(?). Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
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Yeah, 5G is definitely not going through as planned. That being said, rumor has it that some of what they planned is still going to happen. Since they already published these issues… Why not this?
I guess we’ll see…
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This is my first time reading All Star Squadron and it’s been really fun so far! I think it’s the series I always wanted and didn’t know existed; a more in depth look at the JSA in the golden age and WWII, with the added bonus of a more balanced team in terms of gender.
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I was excited for the WWII setting and am enjoying it, but it’s falling a little flat in areas. The over-the-top patriotism is something that’s fun to read in books from the 40s, but knowing this book is published so much after the fact makes it seem forced and a little patronizing at times. Still, overall I’m happy with the setting. I also like the tie-ins to events in the 40s Justice Society book.
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Picking a favorite is tough! I’m really enjoying Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle, and Shining Knight. They’re characters that always interested me but I haven’t gotten to read much. I’m loving Danette, too.
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I liked that all the team heavy hitters were out of the way. It raised the tension and stakes without needing a crazy powerful villain.
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I liked Per Degaton, just because he’s so believably unlikable. He’s entitled and petty and full of himself, and it ends up being the thing that defeats him.
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Danette! She’s a compelling character, and I like how organically she gains her powers and joins the team.
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This definitely seems like something very separate from the JSA, but I like that. I get bored reading new takes on characters and teams (especially origin story re-tellings!) So I like that this is its own thing, in a way that makes sense.
Another thing I liked was how characters like Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle were able to guess each other’s secret identities. It made them seem smart and capable to be able to connect those dots, especially in a genre where characters are often expected not to notice those things for plot convenience.
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Yeah, that made me very uncomfortable. I think it made these stories a little more two dimensional and flat than I know writing at the time was capable of.
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I am extremely gratified that All Star Squadron can find new readers in 2020 nearly forty years after it was first published.
The flirtatious instant chemistry and attraction between Libby Lawrence and Johnny Chambers who then become teammates and a couple when they both guess their secret identities is so romantic and sweet.
It is a more elegant series for a more civilized age than the one we currently are living through.
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I honestly love these classic characters and the setting. It is pretty impressive that these stories are canon with their original titles from the 40’s too. Those stories might have been a little sillier but this update was refreshing. Like I stated before I read this a few years ago and loved this title.
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My favorite team member is either Robotman or Shining Knight. I like that there is a different Robotman separate from the Doom Patrol.
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For someone who can time travel he can find a multitude of ways to stop the other members.
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I forgot about the German guy disguising himself as Kukulkan. HAHA I can believe in Degaton taking down the JSA but how does a German take control of the original natives of Mexico? I don’t think I picked up on that in my first read through.
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Firebrand def seems like the standout character because you are essentially joining the Squadron with her. Through her eyes as a civilian and her transformation into a fiery hero.
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I think it was great because he could build on the mythos of not only the JSA but all of the classic characters like the Seven Soldiers of Victory, Robotman, and the other characters in this book. I honestly would love a book similar to this one that continues from this book almost as if Crisis didn’t happen. Set in it’s own pocket universe where we could see Huntress as Batman’s daughter once again. Oh to dream!
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That was the panel i had forgotten about when rereading the issues again as it is a cheap joke and quite a naughty one for 1981. A.S.S. indeed.
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What’s interesting is if you read the extensive interview Thomas did with Twomorrows Alter Ego magazine available on the History Club All-Star topic, he talks about deciding not to use more offensive slurs even though to be accurate, you would have to include them. This choice goes along with his decision to add more women and minority heroes to the roster. Agree, he probably wouldn’t include them today.
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