All-Star Squadron Appreciation 2019

[Stingo]

Although it's a quick throwaway line (or is it?), it's nice to see Bendis acknowledge one of the better DC titles of the 1980s.

https://www.cbr.com/event-leviathan-...es-multiverse/

[caj]

They need to omnibus this series. It was so good, I can't believe they haven't attempted to give it better reprints than a showcase volume.

This is a head-scratcher. It seems to have such a nice fan-base. And it also has been critically praised.

[MajorHoy]

They need to omnibus this series. It was so good, I can't believe they haven't attempted to give it better reprints than a showcase volume.

This is a head-scratcher. It seems to have such a nice fan-base. And it also has been critically praised.

Well, it was written by Roy Thomas, and it featured all the Golden Age characters DC has trying desperately to ignore / replace for quite a long time.

DC management seems to have little-to-no respect for the characters from that era nor for Roy Thomas, and this unfortunately is not a new development when it comes to those in charge of DC.

[MajorHoy]

Man, in my wildest dreams I'd love to see Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway reunite for an All-Star Squadron reunion . . .

Well, at least there was the Marvel Comics one-shot of Captain America & The Invaders: The Bahamas Triangle by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway at the beginning of July:


Still waiting to see about DC bringing back the JSA in the 1940s (over in Justice League in September) and if DC will also bring back the other Golden Age / WWII-era heroes eventually.

[DrNewGod]

I've always wondered if Thomas intended to kill off All-Stars whose features had been cancelled during the WWII years. He whacked Red Bee, and most of Uncle Sam's first herd of Earth-X Freedom Fighters in All-Star Squadron, as well as TNT in the first issue of Young All-Stars. I'm curious if he had a list of who had been cancelled when, and was plotting stories to drive home that these people were fighting a war with characters for whom he had no other particular plan.

[MajorHoy]

I've always wondered if Thomas intended to kill off All-Stars whose features had been cancelled during the WWII years. He whacked Red Bee, and most of Uncle Sam's first herd of Earth-X Freedom Fighters in All-Star Squadron, as well as TNT in the first issue of Young All-Stars. I'm curious if he had a list of who had been cancelled when, and was plotting stories to drive home that these people were fighting a war with characters for whom he had no other particular plan.

I think the idea of killing off the first group of Quality Comics characters before the forming of the Freedom Fighters could also have easily been a nod to when Earth-X was first introduced to DC back in 1973 and how most of the heroes on that Earth (the Quality Comics Earth) had already been killed fighting the Nazis by the time the JLA and JSA accidently travelled to that Earth. Plus, the pathos of those dead heroes would provide further motivation for the members of the Freedom Fighters to leave their Earth (Earth-2) to fight on Earth-X instead.
Red Bee was also a Quality Comics character, so his death towards the end of that story also added to the drama.

As for TNT's death, why did Bambi's mother have to die? Probably more motivation for Dan to join the other Young All-Stars. (Sandy also worked with them in the beginning, but stayed with his mentor Sandman and did not join the YAS.)

[DrNewGod]

I think the idea of killing off the first group of Quality Comics characters before the forming of the Freedom Fighters could also have easily been a nod to when Earth-X was first introduced to DC back in 1973 and how most of the heroes on that Earth (the Quality Comics Earth) had already been killed fighting the Nazis by the time the JLA and JSA accidently travelled to that Earth. Plus, the pathos of those dead heroes would provide further motivation for the members of the Freedom Fighters to leave their Earth (Earth-2) to fight on Earth-X instead.
Red Bee was also a Quality Comics character, so his death towards the end of that story also added to the drama.

As for TNT's death, why did Bambi's mother have to die? Probably more motivation for Dan to join the other Young All-Stars. (Sandy also worked with them in the beginning, but stayed with his mentor Sandman and did not join the YAS.)

Yeah, that's not the point. Thomas put a lot of effort into folding the Golden Age published history into this series. I wonder if he looked at last-appearance dates of some characters as opportunities to inject some "Hey people! This was a ****ing WAR!" into his stories.

[MajorHoy]

From Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. I (March 1985):

[DrNewGod]

I loved the Perisphere's conference seating. Landing the All-Star Special always looked a bit suicidal to me.

[MajorHoy]

I loved the Perisphere's conference seating.

Here are some illustrations from online I found of how the Perisphere was suppose to look like during the World's Fair back in 1939-1940:

[Güicho]

From Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. I (March 1985):

I loved the Perisphere's conference seating. Landing the All-Star Special always looked a bit suicidal to me.

Love that the Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender prototype fighter, was retroactively made the Squadrons official transport- aka the "All-Star Special"



I wish DC would put out some kind of merch celabrating it (and of course the BlackHawk's Grumman XF5-F-1), either as a Hot Wheels scale to go with the many bat-vehicles, and others, something (small 80s)GI Joe/Superpowers scale, or an Eaglmoss type statue figurine, ...something! .

Thinking of buying a model of the XP-55 and repainting it with All-Star colors!

Curious how are people reading the color of All-Star Special, as White or as Silver?

[DrNewGod]

Love that the Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender prototype fighter, was retroactively made the Squadrons official transport- aka the "All-Star Special"



I wish DC would put out some kind of merch celabrating it (and of course the BlackHawk's Grumman XF5-F-1), either as a Hot Wheels scale to go with the many bat-vehicles, and others, something (small 80s)GI Joe/Superpowers scale, or an Eaglmoss type statue figurine, ...something! .

Thinking of buying a model of the XP-55 and repainting it with All-Star colors!

Curious how are people reading the color of All-Star Special, as White or as Silver?

The chassis? Silver.

[Güicho]

Curious how are people reading the color of All-Star Special, as White or as Silver?

The chassis? Silver.

The body/hull ?

[DrNewGod]

The body/hull ?

Hull. And I reiterate: it would take a pilot with great skill and iron nerves the land that thing