All-Star Squadron #47



Cover by some rookie named Todd McFarlane, with inks by veteran Tony DeZuniga. I don't know if this kid is going to make a dime in comics.

Is Nabu doing rhythmic gymnastics or something? You know, with that silly-looking ribbon swirling.....

Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer/editor, Tod McFarlane-pencils (pg 2-23), Mike Clark-pencils (pg 1 & 24), Vince Coletta-inks, Cody Weiss-letters, Gene D'Angelo-colors

Interior cover has a crowing fest about Swamp Thing being rated #1 of the Best Ten Books of 1984, by Amazing Heroes. The list is split evenly, with Dc with 4 titles, Marvel with 4 titles and 2 independents (all from First Comics).



The list is chosen by RA Jones, so it isn't sales based, which is probably evident by Blue Devil and Atari Force. Both are great books; but, I don't think they were lighting up the sales charts, compared to other books. It does illustrate how far DC had come in just a few years, post-Implosion, under the leadership of Jenette Kahn, Dick Giordano and Paul Levitz.

Synopsis: Starman got the origin last time (before the Liberty Bell stuff); so, why not Dr Fate? I guess that means he will suffer a crisis of confidence over the next few issues, too. He and Starman enter the meeting chamber, at the Perisphere and offer to tell Tarantula his life story, for his book. Dr Fate looks like his helmet has been tagged by Tarantula, while he was sleeping or something...



It's supposed to be a reflection; but it looks more like graffiti. They fire up a wire recorder...



and then everything goes all McFarlane.



The year is 1920 and archeologist Sven Nelson has-a been a-tapped to head a dig of Ur, in der Mesopotamian Valley, by ymininy! He brought his-a derboy, Kent, instead-a Mrs-a Whiggins, ta-hee-dee-hee! They are excavating an Egyptian pyramid, which is located among the Sumerian ziggurats. The locals want nothing do do with going inside. Dr Nelson consults with Dr Jones, who is busy playing with his whip, so he moves on. He takes little Kent inside, because there is no Health & Safety officer there and archeologists are an irresponsible bunch, blundering through ancient sights, setting off booby traps, knocking over statues and stealing Arks. Kent spots some treasure, while Sven notices weird writing that is neither Egyptian or Sumerian and makes the big leap in logic that it confirms his theory that the pyramids and ziggaruts were built by aliens. Kent von Daniken watches his father, lost in delusion. He goes off to amuse himself, oblivious to any snakes or other dangers that might be inside a cool, rak place in the Middle East. He comes across a big, bearded, half naked man, who somehow compells him to move a lever and bring him to life, where he reaches for Kent.



This is all rather creepy, in an unintended way, if you ask me.

Kent goes screaming for dad and finds him dead. Nabu says he can't help him, but he can teach Kent the secrets of the universe, whether he wants to or not. He then shuts off the entrance to the pyramid. Kent is mind-whammied and then trained, after Nabu buries Sven and makes the pyramid disappear. Kent learns the secrets of ancient magic and grows older, then is released by Nabu, so he can blast him and reveal a glowing orb inside. He learns that Nabu came from the planet Cilia, which orbited near Earth, and was sent down by the Lords of Order. Ancients worshipped him as a god.



He says he needs a new host and that is Kent and he then gets a snazzy cape, amulet and a swell helmet and becomes Dr Fate. He goes off to the hidden Library of Alexandria, to borrow some books and runs across a dead guy in an over-turned auto, in the desert. He fashions a crystal ball and sees Inza being held prisoner by Wotan and goes off to free her. He finds a windowless tower in the desert, flies through its wall and finds Wotan and Inza engaging in mystical BDSM. Wotan challenges him, but Fate has no idea who Inza is, so Wotan tries to tempt Fate to his side. He rejects him and they magic fight...



Wotan blasts Fate out of the building, then interrogates Inza, who says she is Inza Cramer, a tourist doing some sight-seeing, before school starts back up and to go pound some sand. Wotan takes her with him, even though she mocks his skin color with racist taunts. Fate turns up again and gets swatted. He tries again and goes down. Inza makes goo-goo eyes and pleads for Wotan to stop, which just encourages the bully. Inza goes over to Fate and removes his helmet, revealing the manchild inside. Wotan laughs and she blubbers and her tears fall on Kent. He is energized, puts the helmet back on, pops the strap and starts whoopin' Wotan, because it is "time to go home." Wotan "does the job" and gets pinned and then Fate stomps out his tower. He then picks up Inza, whose breasts are about to fall out of her torn shirt and they fly off together.

Fate finishes his story when Hourman interrupts, saying that FDR sent a message that Churchill needs Dr Fate or the Spectre in England. The end blurb says something about Camelot 1942; but, Lerner and Lowe haven't created that, yet. (Heck, TH White hadn't completed The Once and Future King, yet).

Thoughts: Interesting enough tale, though it wasn't that long ago that Dr Fate appeared in First Issue Special and in the Flash, in back-up stories. The story reads rather like a child kidnapping case, if you think about it for a minute, which makes Fate's origin really messed up. They threw in the Von Daniken nonsense of alien civilzations creating Babylon and Egypt and the Incan cities, with no proof whatsoever of alien origin, other than over-active imagination. Sure, it sounds cooler than the developed faster than other societies in the area (which more than likely migrated to those areas later, rather than originated alongside the more advanced people); but, sounding cool and offering proof are two different things.

McFarlane does a pretty decent job, with plenty of ankhs and such, following Walt Simonson's lead (which Keith Giffen carried forward, leading to Todd). McFarlane is more restrained at DC, as he was being tutored by Dick Giordano, polishing off his rough edges. Also, Coletta doesn't ink what he doesn't want to. Still, McFarlane was a interesting artist, in this time frame, as his page compositions livened up occasionally dull stories, from Roy, in the pages of Infinity, Inc and here. Todd would add things liek characters holding up panels, or character symbols around the borders and he understood the value of designing a page towards resale after the story was complete. His pages are mini-posters and, in that, he always had great design sense, even if his storytelling needed work. Personally, I prefer his earlier stuff to his Marvel work and any of that to Spawn, as it was so derivative of about a dozen features and spent most of its time having the character pose on rooftops, while Alien-wannabes cackled.

Next issue will see the return of the Shining Knight and also Blackhawk! And, we will learn why Roy felt the need to do Dr Fate's origin as a prologue. Sadly, that will be followed by Crisis interrupting things and then we start our slide to the end of the series.

Historical Notes: Nothing of real note, other than the period of Kent's childhood reflects the discovery of King Tut's tomb. Steve Martin was pleased, but didn't do a song about Nabu or young Kent Nelson.

August 1943

Germany ends the governing of Denmark, which had been neutral, but had been occupied by Germany, starting in 1940; and, replaces the civilian administration with military. Denmark would remain under German military authority until the surrender, in 1945.

Lord Louis Mountbatten, uncle to Prince Phillip, was made Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Southeast Asia (aka China-Burma-India Theater of Operations). He had been head of Combined Operations, since 1941 and was one of the chief architects of the failed Dieppe Raid. He had an experienced command staff who kept in check some of his wilder ideas. In 1947, he was appointed the last Viceroy of India, before the country gained independence. He was assassinated by the IRA, in 1979, when they placed a bomb aboard his unguarded boat and detonated it remotely, while he was offshore. He was recovered, alive, with his legs blown off, but died soon after from his injuries.

Patton and Montgomery linked up in Messina, ending the invasion of Sicily, though not before the evacuation of large contingents of both the German and Italian forces.

After the bombing of Rome, The Italian government attempted to declare Rome a free city, to prevent future bombings, based on the ancient sites there.

The Women's Army Service Pilots are formally organized, consolidating the previous Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Service and Women's Flying Training Detachment. The WASPs were female pilots who carried out the duties of ferrying aircraft to military bases in the US and elsewhere, conducting flight training, and towing air targets for exercises, freeing up male pilots and instructors for combat duty. The WASPs were highly skilled and experienced pilots and 38 lost their lives in service to this country, while another disappeared, while ferrying a plane, with her fate unknown. Despite their service, they were not granted veteran status until 1977 and were not publicly recognized for their contributions until 2009, when they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Their leader, Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (the first woman awarded the medal) and later flew jets, after the war. In 1953, using the sole F-86 Sabre in the Canadian Air Force (after being turned down by the USAF), she set a world speed record and became the first woman to fly supersonic.

The Allies carried out Operation Tidal Wave, a B-24 airstrike on the Ploesti Oil Fields, in Romania. The planes launched from airfields in Benghazi and flew across the Mediterranean, to Romania and attacked their targets. However, the oil fields had one of the densest anti-aircraft defenses in Europe, particularly after a strike in 1942, also by B-24, which created minimal damage, but spurred the Germans to beef up defenses. The attack was carried out in daylight. Confusion caused by radio silence and a near collision, after an aircraft began to fly erratically and plunged into the ocean caused the flights to be spread out and out of sync when they commenced attack runs. of the 177 planes that launched on the mission (one additional was unable to take off), only 88 returned and over half of those were battle damaged. 310 air crew were killed and 108 captured, 78 were interned in neutral Turkey and 4 were found by partisans, in Yugoslavia. Five Medals of Honor were awarded for the raid, 3 of them posthumously. The raids had little effect on oil production at the targets. Additional raids were carried out through 1945, as part of the Allies overall bombing campaigns, targing fuel production and storage, industrial targets and other strategic sites.

The RAF carried out Operation Hydra, a bombing mission, targeting the Peenemunde rocket facility, where the V-2 was undergoing development and testing. This was the start of the larger Operation Crossbow, which targeted German rocket sites and facilities. During the mission, a master bomber designated the targets, for other bombers to attack, for greater accuracy. The raid succeeded in disrupting testing, forcing a dispersal of test subjects and seriously affecting the morale of operational staff. The plan called for bombing at 8,000 feet, instead of the normal 19,000 ft, targeting workers quarters and research facilities (in that order). The goal was to kill or maim as many of the workforce as possible, then destroy as much of the research material. Diversionary attacks were launched to draw away fighter protection, with a Mosquito raid on Whitebait (Berlin), which simulated pathfinder strikes for a larger bombing attack. This was followed by Mosquito and Beaufighter attacks on German airfields. The main force attacked in 3 waves, with the first wave targeting the quarters for research scientists. however, errant markers led to slave labor huts being bombed and some 5-600 were killed in the raids. Soft grounds muffled some of the bombs, though time delayed fuses, some up to 3 days, created additional casualties and hampered salvage efforts after the raid. Th strategic value was minimal, as the end result delay in testing and production was only about 6-8 weeks.

At the Battle of Vella Gulf, the US Navy destroyed a group of four Japanese destroyers, when 6 US destroyers were allowed to operate independently of cruiser forces. they approached the Japanese without detection and launched torpedo attacks, sinking 3 of the 4 ships, preventing them from landing troops, with no loss of American ships. The Navy had been alerted to Japanese intentions to land reinforcements and dispatched the destroyers independently to stop the Japanese destroyers. the flotilla was under the command of Cdr Frederick Moosebrugger, who split his group into two divisions, using three that were still armed completely with pre-war torpedo tubes and the others, which had additional 40 mm guns replacing some tubes, to act as cover and available to launch a second strike, if necessary. The destroyers lay in the shadows of Kolombangara, using the islands mountainous terrain to mask their silhouette, while also figuring it would mask any radar signature, as the earlier US models couldn't differentiate between terrain and a vessel, at that range. As it was, none of the Japanese ships had radar and could not differentiate the destroyer silhouettes from the mountains of the island. The strike division fired 24 torpedoes, in a span of 63 seconds and turned to starboard. They withheld gunfire until the saw torpedo hits, after the lessons of previous torpedo attacks, including those by PT boats (more in a moment). As soon as the torpedoes hit, the covering force crossed the T (moved in line, perpendicular to the Japanese ships) and fired their guns. 3 of the 3 Japanese destroyers burst into flames and were sunk nearly immediately from the torpedo hits or gunfire. the fourth, the Shigure, was hit by a torpedo; but it was a dud and passed through their rudder, allowing them to escape. They launched 8 torpedoes as they fled, but none hit their targets. The Japanese abandoned attempts to resupply Kolombangara and it was bypassed and cut off by the Navy, with landings at Vella Lavella. The Navy attempted to rescue the Japanese sailors and soldiers, but they refused rescue and 1200+ were lost in drowning or injury.

CDR Moosebrugger was later promoted to vice admiral and the Spruance class destroyer, USS Moosebrugger ("The Mighty Moose') was named in his honor. It was homeported in Charleston, SC, where I was stationed, as part of Destroyer Squadron 6 (I was attached to Destroyer Squadron 4). The two command staffs shared a building (we had the top floor, while DESRON 6 had the ground floor) and we assumed command of the squadron, when the command staff deployed to Bahrain, during Operation Desert Storm. The Moosebrugger was part of the Kennedy's battlegroup, during the operation. Part of my duties included compiling reports about vital repair work on our ships and tracking down repair parts and expediting delivery for those repair jobs, including those deployed during Desert Storm. It was amazing how quickly manufacturers could get us a part, with the fighting going on, compared to the previous few months, when the standard answer was "6 months," for the same parts. A fellow lieutenant and I used to grouse about how the USS Yorktown went from the Battle of Coral Sea to the Battle of Midway, in 72 hours, with round the clock repairs, and we struggled to get civilian repairs on a steam pipe. Now, all we had to do was ask them if they were aware of events on the other side of the world and the fumbled over themselves to assist.

One of the preludes to the Battle of Vella Lavella was a combined PT boat strike on Japanese destroyers of the Tokyo Express. PT Boats were built in the hundreds, between 1942 and 1945. Their hulls were made of of two layers of mahogany planking, which gave them excellent speed, but little protection. They were crewed by 3 officers and 14 men, displacing about 56 tons, fully loaded. They were equipped with powerful engines, capable of reaching 41 knots, though such speeds were pretty rare, due to the waters and reefs in the Solomons and the lack of sufficient repair parts to maintain the engines properly. crews often modified the boats, adding additional armament to give them a better punch. The Mark torpedoes proved troublesome, as they were inaccurate at greater distances and often didn't arm properly. One of the Pt-boats in the strike was captained by Lt(JG) John Fitzgerald Kennedy, son of former US Abassador to England, Joseph P Kennedy. The younger Kennedy had graduated from Harvard, where he had been a top swimmer and involved in sailing. Despite a chronic bad back and asthma, Joseph Kennedy was able to use his influence to get John accepted into the US Navy, at the Office of Naval Intelligence. However, an affair with Danish journalist Inga Arvad created a bit of trouble. Arvad had been a guest of Adolf Hitler, at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and she was suspected of being a spy by the FBI. Investigation found no proof to back up those fears, yet the FBI continued wiretapping Arvad and Kennedy. The Assistant Director of the ONI, Captain Howard Klingman, wanted kennedy out, though his superior, Capt Seymour Hunter didn't believe he had access to anything sensitive; and, at worst, it was just a mild embarrassment. Kennedy was reassigned to Reserve Officer Training School, in Chicago. His father's influence again interceded and LCDR John Bulkey approached Kennedy about joining the PT-Boat service and he was transferred and sent to school. Bulkey was impressed with Kennedy's grades at Harvard and his experience in sailing, as part of the Harvard sailing team, as well as his communication skills and confidence. Kenendy graduated from his training course with high marks and was asked to stay, for a brief period, as an instructor. He then transferred to Motor Torpedo Squadron 14, in the Panama, patrolling the Canal. He again used family influence to get himself reassigned to the Solomons, where he took command of PT-109.

On August 1, 1943, 15 PT boats sailed to a position near Kolombangara, to intercept 5 Japanese destroyers, scheduled to move through the Slot and land troops and supplies. The group was split into 4 sections, to fire torpedoes at the destroyers. Some 30 torpedoes were launched, without a single hit. Kennedy's section was led by PT-Boat 159 and the boat received radar blips of a destroyer approaching their sector. Three of the boats moved off to attack; but, PT-109 was not radioed and alerted and left in fog and darkness. The PT-Boat radars were weak and often failed to operate. Around 2 am, the destroyer Amagiri was bearing down on the boat, which was idling, to reduce it's wake. Kennedy attempted to turn and fire a torpedo, but, had less than 10 seconds to try to get the engines up to speed. Ens "Barney" Ross tried to fire a newly installed 37 mm anti-tank gun, which was lashed to timbers on the boat, but was unable to get a shell into the closed chamber before the destroyer collided with PT-109, severing it. The collision ignited the boat's aviation fuel and the explosion immediately killed two men and badly burned 2 more. Kennedy rescued MM1 Patrick McMahon, who had 3rd degree burns over 70% of his body, and got him to the floating bow section. He then rescued two more from the burning water (burning fuel floating on the surface. The bow section drifted and eventually had to be abandoned. The planking that had held the anti-tank gun was used to swim to Plum Pudding Island, which was one of the few nearby without a Japanese presence. Shoes, lanterns and non-swimmers were put on the planking, where thet propelled it by kicking their feet. Kennedy swam for shore, while towing McMahon, by grasping a chord from his lifejacket between his teeth. The survivors made it to shore, without encountering sharks or crocodiles, which were threats in the waters of the Solomons. Plum Pudding had no food or water, which is why the Japanese hadn't occupied it. The men hid inside the treeline, to avoid detection from air or landing barges supplying the Japanese. On Aug 2, Kennedy swam 2 milesto Ferguson Passage (a gap in a coral reef) to try to signal passing PT-Boats, without success. On Aug 4, he and Lenny Thom led the men on a tough 3.75 mile swim to Olasana Island, which had coconuts. Kenendy and Ross them swam again to Naru Island, looking for food and water and in an attempt to spot any PT-boats. they found a canoe, left by the Japanese and used it to return to the men. They then encountered two Melanesian coast watchers and Kennedy was able to communicate in pidgin english, learned from a native bow a few months earlier. The men gave them some yams and other provisions and vowed to get help, taking a coconut, carved with a message (the idea of one of the coastwatchers, not Kennedy, as seen in the movie). The caostwatchers were under the guidance of Sub-lieutenant Arthur Evasn, of the Australian coastwatching service. he spotted the explosion of the aviation fuel, from his position on Kolombangara and dispatched the two natives to search. They were investigating a wreck on Naru when they spotted the men. They first thought they were Japanese, until Kennedy was able to communicated in pidgin english. The carried back the coconut and, slowly, made it to the PT base at Rendova. Evans, having been alerted, further radioed the base, which finally convinced the squadron commander that the coastwatchers were speaking the truth. PT-157 was dispatched and reached the survivors on August 8th.

Regardless of political belief, propaganda or revisionist history Kennedy acted in the finest traditions of the Navy, exercising a cool head in a crisis and strong leadership, collecting his surviving crew and keeping them together, then leading them to safety. He was a "hero," not because the media said so, not because of his prominent family, not because of his uniform; he was a hero because he carried out heroic actions. He undertook great personal hardship to find food and water and alert possible patrols to their position, at the expense of an already bad back. Kennedy was reassigned to PT-59 and carried on with his duties, though his physical condition deteriorated, over time. he remained close friends with Lt Thom, one of the officers of the 109, and was a pallbearer at his funeral, after a car crash in 1946. The coconut came into the possession of Ernest W Gibson Jr, of the 43rd Infantry Division, who was serving in the Pacific. He later returned it to Kennedy and it was kept in a glass paperweight case, on his desk, in the White House. Kennedy was recommended for a Silver Star, but was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Medal (as were the other two officers, Thom and Ross), as well as the Purple Heart, for his injuries during the explosion. Kennedy may have been the privileged son of a wealthy and influential family (though Joseph Jr was the one who was supposed to become president, but died when his bomber was shot down), Kennedy, despite health issues, joined in with the war effort, in the US Navy and was rated as a good skipper of his PT-boat. He demonstrated leadership and a calm demeanor, which are the two greatest strengths an officer has in combat.

I thought #47 was so-so by All-Star Squadron standards. Nothing special in terms of writing or art, though certainly not bad, either.

I definitely liked #48 more. It was a quite good, but not great, All-Star Squadron issue, though we have Hourman feeling sorry for himself, of course. Because he's a superhero and this is a comic. Also, the Mike Harris art was good. I actually enjoyed it more than the McFarlane stuff from the issue before. McFarlane would go on to do a very good job on Infinity, Inc., though.

Yeah, in reading Infinity, Inc., McFarlane had some very interesting and original page layouts, but sometimes it was to the detriment of clarity and/or the storytelling.

ps the Letters pages have a lot of Roy talking about Dr Occult, feedback on Starman's origin and Roy's rationale for his story, and a suggestion from Lou Mougin, that they could link The Silent Knight to Clark Kent, as he was Brian Kent, and could have been a family ancestor. Mougin would later write intros to Airboy and Hillman Comics, for the launch of Eclipse's Airboy revival. Roy then tells us what's up for issue 50, which includes Firebrand being taken by Harbinger for the gathering in Crisis #1. Get read for a lot of red backgrounds!

I thought #49 was a pretty good issue overall, though I find it surprising that the All-Stars don't seem to believe in a historical Arthur, even though Sir Justin, a member of King Arthur's court, is a teammate of theirs. Do they think Sir Justin is lying about King Arthur?

I agree that Wotan is worthy ASS (pardon the acronym) opponent.

And while I like the Mike Harris art, I wouldn't say I like it any better than Arvell Jones.

All-Star Squadron #50



Harbinger is the perfect figure for the cover, as her appearance really is that of a harbinger of doom.

For the future of this book and the JSA.

So, have fun!

Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer/editor and probably wishes he had been less cooperative, Mike Clark-pencils (pg 1-10), Arvell Jones-pencils (pg 11-38), Vince Coletta & Tony DeZuniga-inks, Cody Weiss-letters, Carl Gafford-colors

Synopsis: April, 1942......Hey, we got through March a hell of a lot faster than January or February! Hawkman is on his way to the JSA meeting and his thought balloons recap the events of the war, at that point (the St Nazaire Raid, convoys reaching Russia, the Philippines)...



The gang is present, except Dr Fate (in England) and Hawkman calls the meeting to order. Johnny Thunder wants a pastrami on rye. Hawk says the government wants them ready for potential sabotage action, as the nazis are about to launch an offensive on the eastern Front. meanwhile, some Ratzis have broken into the building where the JSA meets and have set up something to lock them in and suck out all of the oxygen...



They all fall down, go boom, including Spectre, who wastes a lot of verbiage questioning how that can happen, since he is a dead man. Plot convenience? The Ratzis enter, wearing pseudo-diving helmets (with no visible oxygen supply) and "Ser gut" a lot. One of the lower ranks questions why they don't just put a bullet in each hero's head and, as usual, no one listens to "that guy." They scoop them up to cart them away. They hop into a Mayer Moving truck (Favorite movers of Ma Hunkel!) and head for New Jersey and a "rocket farm!" Awaiting them there is Engineer Gootsden, the Nazi scientist who F-d with Captain Marvel. He details his plans to rocket the JSA into space, so that the Axis Powers can win the war and "Rule ze vorld!"



Then, Harbinger turns up in space, revealing that the Monitor provided the rockets (Von Braun and his team wouldn't test their weapons for another year). her presence sends out waves of energy that affects events and they reach berlin, where CDR Steel is attempting to sneak into the Reich Chancellery.



Note the stealthy red, white and blue clothing! He recaps his conversation with Gloria, that her hubby, Captain Farley, has been captured by the Nazis. they think he knows about her father's research. Steel sees the goons with Fairley and then busts in to do his Captain America bit, but gets a rifle butt to the head and goes down like a b@#$%.

Meanwhile, at Madison Square Garden, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia introduces the All-Star Squadron at a War Bond Rally and possible championship wrestling match...



I think that's Toots Mondt, in the bowler hat!



Maybe not.

Danette and Sandra Knight man the bond booth, with Ens Rod Reilly there, in a uniform that didn't exist (white uniform, but with a white double breasted jacket, not the "choker white" blouse of the Service Dress Whites). He also wears shoulder boards and collar insignia. More on this later. Rod is itching to return as firebrand and Danette says she is cool with that and makes fun of his costume, which she says is a bit of an issue for her (since she has to wear a leotard underneath it); but, she secretly thinks that she isn't giving up being Firebrand, no matter what big brother wants.

Some a-hole in the crowd wonders what the "black boy" is doing with the All-Stars and Amazing Man thinks coming was a bad idea; but, Dr Fate tells him to hang tough. Easy for you to say paleface. We see Dr Occult there, too, back from England and captivity. Hourman has been healed by Dr Fate's magic, after a heart attack, brought on by a Miraclo OD. Sandra dances with Dr Occult. Sir Justin is also back, signing autographs (Keepeth them flying, Tummy!) Danette lights a stove with her flame. Dr Osgood Armsby's (Dr Occult) magic talisman glows and Harbinger turns up to whisk Danette away.



They run into a barrier, caused by the Nazis messing about with the Monitor's tech. harbinger sends a feedback wave to them and electrocutes the head Nazi and Steel busts some heads. then, he and the dead goosestepper disappear in an energy bubble. Fairley escapes.

In New York, Rod alerts the All-Stars that Danette has disappeared, literally. They chase after her, after Sandra Knight stops to change into her costume, in front of Plastic Man...



Uncle Sam turns up, with the rest of the Freedom Fighters and recruits Phantom Lady and Plastic Man to accompany them to Earth-X. They agree and soon join the rest of a real Quality group...



Meanwhile, out of the blue, a marriage occurs...



Green Lantern turns up to spoil the honeymoon. Gee, all my aunts did to my sister, on her wedding night, was to short-sheet the bed and hide the towels!

They join the others and head for the energy barrier, with some getting through, but Robotman and Dr Fate getting knocked back, to be rescued by Tarantula's web gun. The All-Stars land and they, as well as Steel, in Berlin, figure out something isn't right. Things seem a bit different. They realize they are on another Earth. A small flying device, with a microphone, hovers nearby, spying.



Roy tells us to get ready for the Monster Society of Evil!

Does that include Nippo and Mr Banjo?

Pinups of Rich bucklers "covers" to the All-Star Squadron Preview (with Starman in place of The Shining Knight) and issue one (minus the picture of Captain triumph).



On the letters page, Roy announces that Arvell Jones is stepping down as regular penciler, but will alternate with Mike Clark for the next few issues.  The entire year will be taken up by Crisis-related stuff and the 8 JSAers sent into space.

Thoughts: Usually, 50th issues are big celebrations, ending storylines or having self contained ones. Unfortunately for Roy, he has to tie into Crisis; but, he is also setting up new phases of action. he does do some celebrating, by gathering all the gang who have appeared (well, in prominent roles, not juts a roll call "aye."). He has to cover a lot of ground, so it feels rather frantic and disjointed. It's not helped by some rather substandard art. This time, I think the inking is to blame, as Arvell has looked much better than this, though Mike Clark is a bit of a rookie. This looks like a Coletta slapped together job and DeZuniga is along for the ride. Lots of things off model, including the Squadron Ascender plane, until the last page.

The wedding of Libby Lawrence and Johnny Chambers comes out of nowhere. I get that it is war time and they nearly lost each other; but, this seems rather sudden, even for that. They don't even get a honeymoon, thanks to some Crisis Interruptus! That doesn't bode well for the future (see James Robinson's The Golden Age).

Rod Reilly's uniform is just plain wrong; but, I think it is a miscommunication with Carl Gafford. Reilly is wearing a white double-breasted jacket, with shoulder boards and sleeve braiding, white trousers, white cap, white shirt with black tie, collar insignia and black shoes. No such uniform ever existed in the US Navy. The Service Dress Blues have a double breasted jacket, with sleeve braiding; but, no shoulder boards (the rank insignia worn at the shoulder, with a gold star and gold stripes). The trousers are also Navy Blue (black, really). A white cover is worn on the cap, with that uniform. Service Dress Whites, aka "Choker Whites" have white trousers, with a white blouse, which has a high collar that has loops to close it around the throat (hence the "choker" name, as they can feel like you are being choked if they aren't tailored right). Shoulder boards are worn with that uniform, as well as a white cover; but, the shoes are also white (and that uniform is a bugger to keep clean!). There is no combination. I think what was intended was the Serive Dress Khaki, which existed in 1942, but was discontinued when I served (1984-1992, including my midshipman training). That features khaki shirt and pants, black tie, khaki jacket, with shoulder boards, khaki cover and black shoes. Metal collar insignia is worn on the shirt. Also, the jacket has lapels, like the Service Dress Blue jacket; but, it is single-breasted.



Also, there is no sleeve insignia on this uniform (or the Service Dress White; only on the Service Dress Blue jacket).

Civilians!

The uniform was discontinued in 1975, but reintroduced in 2006, in a test, and authorized for summer and tropical wear in 2008. However, in 2012, it was dropped again because of the cost of re-outfitting every officer in the Navy. We always wanted it, in my day, instead of having to haul out our Dress Blues for more formal things. Those things were rather warm, in Charleston, SC and Choker Whites were kept to things like Change of Command, dances, and other hoity-toity things, where we were playing toy sailor for the public. Khakis were our working uniforms and the Service Dress Khaki was a nice upgrade, for more formal situations. So, of course, they got rid of it. Typical military thinking.

Anyway, I think that was what they were going for; but someone didn't get the memo.

Otherwise, this would be a decent issue if the art was tighter and had better inking. Man, I wish Ordway was still here!

Historical Notes: Mostly just background, as Hawkman namedrops the St Nazaire Raid, where British commandos and naval personnel sailed an old destroyer into St Nazaire and rammed it into the gates of a drydock, with explosive charges set to detonate and destroy the drydock. It looked like a failure, until the time-delay fuses went off a bit later than expected and achieved the mission goal and flipped the bird to the Nazis (and disabled an important drydock which was used to refit German ships).

November 1943-

US Marines land at Bougainville, as part of Operation cartwheel, the campaign to isolate the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul. Bougainville was targeted as it could provide an airfield for medium range bomber strikes, with fighter escorts, on Rabaul. The marines carried out the initial assault, establishing the beachhead and moved inland. Despite using outdated charts, with minimal updating, the Marines were able to land unmolested, catching the Japanese forces by surprise. Experience from Guadalcanal and New Guinea led to landing transports half full and cargo 1/3 and used 30% of the troops landed for rapid unloading of material. With the Japanese caught unawares, there were no airstrikes on the beaches, facilitating rapid unloading, allowing the Marines to get a large contingent of men and equipment on the beach and move on. Japanese forces were platoon strength and were overwhelmed. The Marines and the Army then moved on to jungle fighting, expanding their perimeter. Seabees were landed and began construction of three airstrips, through December. In January, the encirclement of Rabaul began, with further landings on other islands. The Japanese would launch a counter-attack, in March, which would be fought tooth and nail, to little publicity, before the Allies pushed them back and forced the withdrawal of Japanese troops. The Allies were further reinforced by the 91st Division, the first African-American infantry unit to go into action, in the war. By Novermber, 1944, the operations were turned over to Australian forces, who continued fighting the Japanese in the area until the eventual surrender, in August, 1945.

On November 20, the Marines land at Tarawa. Unlike Bougainville and Guadalcanal, the Japanese were expecting the landings and were well entrenched and supplied. The Makin Island Raid, of April, 1942, convinced the Japanese of the strategic importance of the Gilbert Islands and they reinforced their positions there, with engineers builing concrete pillboxes and firing pits, with excellent fields of fire on the beaches. the island was a long, thin triangle, only about 2 miles long and the Japanese installed 14 coastal guns, which could fire upon ships attempting to land troops. The US fleet was the largest assembled, so far, in the Pacific, with 17 carriers (including escort carriers and light carriers), 12 battleships, 8 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 66 destroyers and 36 transports. 35,000 troops, from the 2nd Marine Division and the Army 27th Division were landed. The Japanese opened fire with 4 of the coastal guns and received counter battery fire from the USS Colorado and USS Maryland, which proved very accurate. One 16 inch shell hit an ammo supply and caused an immense explosion, knocking out 3 of the 4 guns, with the remainder providing inaccurate fire. The landings commenced after. Neap tides prevented the necessary depth to get the Higgins boats across the surrounding reef, as planned, and only amtracks were able to cross, allowing the defenders time to man their firing pits. It took until noon to establish a significant beachhead. Fighting would be fierce and continue through November 23, with mopping up operations continuing through the 28th. By the end, of the 3,600 Japanese defending, only one officer and 16 soldiers survived. Of the 1200 Korean laborers brought to construct defenses, only 120 survived. The marines lost 894, with an additional 84 dying later, of wounds; plus, nearly 2200 wounded. News reports of the high casualties sparked outrage in newspapers and from families, as the public had trouble understanding the Japanese will to fight and die, the extent of their defenses, and the problems of navigation and intel in the island chains,. The Marines were critical of navy planning, which they felt led to the high casualty rate, with most occurring during the 76 hour period between landing and securing the island of Betio, the initial assault location.

Tarawa was a major learning field for the Marines and led to the formation of the Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams, to help clear beach obstacles and conduct reconnaissance on landing sites, in advance of an amphibious landing. It revealed the ineffectiveness of naval gunfire on well entrenched troops, as the explosive shells failed to penetrate bunkers. Communication issues had to be addressed. these lessons would inform later landings, at Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Allied bombing campaigns over Germany and Italy continued, without major interruptions in German industry. An RAF raid on berlin, on November 18, resulted in the loss of 9 aircraft and limited damage to the city. On November 5, Allied bombs fell on neutral Vatican City, by accident, though blame for the error was never assigned to a specific aircraft. On a slightly more successful note, bombing raids on hydro-electric plants providing power and heavy water production, in Norway, resulted in extensive damage and forced the Germans to move their entire supply of heavy water to Germany, which led to it being lost when the resistance was able to plant a bomb on the SF Hydro, a ferry carrying rail cars of heavy water, sinking it and the materials. The loss effectively ended the German program, as the setback prevented further development of nuclear research.

On November 3-4, 43,000 Jews were massacred by Germans and Ukrainian collaborators, at Majdanek, Trawniki and Poniatowa concentration camps, in Poland. It was the largest single-day massacre of the war. Gypsies were added to the list of those to be treated like the Jews and be shipped off to the camps, by order of Heinrich Himmler, on November 15. On November 19, prisoners at Janowska concentration camp, near Lwow, Poland, rose up against their guards, but the rebellion failed and all were killed in the aftermath, with 6,000 dead.

The Allies meet at the Cairo and Tehran Conferences to discuss strategy. The Cairo Conference focused on the Pacific and was attended by FDR, Churchill and (EDIT) Chiang Kai-shek. Stalin did not attend, as the soviet Union was still officially neutral in relation to Japan. The US and Great Britain wanted to keep the French from reoccupying Indochina and offered the territory to Kai-shek, who publicly declined. The Allies agreed to continue fighting until the unconditional surrender of Japan and the return of all captured territory, dating back to 1914. Stalin did attend the Tehran Conference, where it was planned to open the Second Front with Operation Overlord, the invasion of France, by the US and Great Britain, while the Red Army would launch a simultaneous offensive in the East. The US, Great Britain and Commonwealth forces would continue to push up Italy, though the higher priority given to Overlord meant they would have to make do with less men and material, continuing the slow progress in the Italian Theater. On the political side, the Partisans were given full rcognition and support from the Allies, in Yugoslavia. Post-War occupation of Germany was discussed and conversations were held which formed the initial basis for the future United Nations. The Soviets agreed to basing 1,000 bombers at Vladivostok, after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan; but, only after the defeat of Germany. An alleged German assassination plot led Roosevelt to quarter inside the Soviet embassy, which had the end result of building trust between him and Stalin, which aided in the negotiations. However, there is conjecture as to whether the plot was real or fabricated by the NKVD (Russian intelligence). Otto Skorzeny, the SS officer who led the rescue mission that freed Mussolini, was said to head up the operation, which he denied in post-war memoirs. The American delegation was skeptical of the alleged plot, which later inspired Jack Higgins' The Eagle Has Landed, where German fallschirmjagger are sent, disguised as Poles, to capture or assassinate Churchill (the Gran Sasso Raid was also an inspiration, and discussed as Hitler's inspiration for the idea, within the novel).

The Nazis executed the Lubeck martyrs, on November 10. these were three priests (Johannes Prassek, Eduard Muller, and Hermann Lange) and a Lutheran minister (Karl Friedrich Stellbrink) after delivering sermons which suggested that the British air raids on the city were God's judgement on the Nazis. The three Catholic priests were beatified in 2011. It took until 1993 for German courts to overturn Stellbrick's conviction and clear his name.

(Edited due to confusion over which way an Asian name was being presented in history books, as it often isn't consistent.  See below)

Okay, how about Frankie, Winnie and Kai-shek met in Cairo?

No?

How about Chiang Kai-shek was there to agree to whatever Churchill and FDR wanted, since they were propping him up, as Mao was winning the hearts and minds of the countryside and was better at fighting the Japanese?

No?

Chiang it is!