I agree that it was a nice 3 part intro to the characters and also that the villains " poping" out was anticlimactic.  The team having an origin story that they can't remember is also a negative. The highlight of the issue for me was the one on one battle between Grundy and Robotman. I could feel the punches as they landed. 

I actually had more of a connection to the non JSA members

Probably Roy had more affection for the characters used and less for the ones left out. Or maybe he would have gotten to them if not for the Crisis.

All-Star Squadron #4



Is it just me, or does Dr Fate's eyeline make it look like he is more interested in watching Wonder Woman and Liberty Belle duke it out? So that's what he's into.......

Creative Team: Roy Thomas-WRITCOMPAC, Rich Buckler-ARTRON 3, Jerry Ordway-INKTASKGRU 1, John Costanza-LETNAVPERS, Carl Gafford-COLBRITDET, Len Wein CCO

(Glossary at end)

Synopsis: Having defeated the time-displaced forces of Per Degaton and protected the West Coast, the JSA and All-Stars are en route to Naval Station Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu. The Spectre is providing trans, with an assist by some of the other flying JSAers. Dr Fate reminds us that his half-helmet comes with reduced powers and Green Lantern alerts us that Plastic Man had pressing FBI business (Hoover's pleats needed ironing) and Phantom Lady had to go check on daddy. The other JSAers wiped up the drool and headed west, to help reunite Danette with her brother (she hopes) and to guard the base from further attacks. Hawkman is concerned about his fiancee, Shiera Saunders, who is on an archeological dig in Mexico, as Roy reminds us there were Nazis down there, in All-Star Comics #9. Johnny Quick gets an "attaboy" from Flash. The banter comes to a sudden end when they come in sight of Pearl Harbor....



The military is a bit touchy about flying contacts and fire off a few rounds, catching Superman (who is vulnerable to a bursting artillery shell) and making some close calls on the others. Supes recovers and catches the other rounds and Thunderbolt does some sky-writing, identifying the group. They land at Hickam Field, without further incidents. They confer with the brass and decide to abandon their orders to help protect the home front and hunt down Admiral Nagumo's fleet. A few stay behind to help protect the base, while the rest go hunting for the Japanese carriers.



As they land, Sir Justin and Danette notice the destruction to planes on the ground. Sir justin reminds Danette that the planes had been lined up in the open to guard against sabotage, based on orders from Washington, not dispersed in expectation of a possible air attack. Sir Justin and Danette go in search of Ens Rod Riley, USN, and Sir Justin notices that Danette is far warmer to the touch than she should be, and suggests she get checked out by a doctor. She says Dr Mid-Nite cleared her, then she locates Slugger, her brother's old driver and buddy. He's alive, but badly wounded, though ambulatory. He leads her to Rod, who is in a coma.

The attack contingent still haven't sighted the Japanese fleet and decide to head for Wake Island, as they are aware of the coordinated attacks there, on Guam and the Philippine Islands. The Spectre has an uneasy feeling and if he is spooked, trouble must be close by. Meanwhile, on a small island, a Japanese army detachment meet up with the Emperor's agent, The Dragon King. He reveals that a bit of science and the magic of the Holy Grail will stop the JSA...



The Dragon King has equipment in the locales where the Japanese have invaded, which will create a barrier that will protect Japan from the mystery men. the grail is activated and the energy field spreads. We learn from an officer that Dragon King was once a member of the Black Dragon Society.

The JSA approach Wake Island, when some of the members start acting strangely and turn upon the All-Star members. They spout jibberish about America being the enemy. GL has the All-Stars in his ring and holds them prisoner, while Hawkman battes Dr Fate. The All-Stars are on the ground, about to be rounded up by the Japanese, when Dr Mid-Nite informs Liberty Belle about the weakness of GL's ring. She finds a convenient hunk of driftwood and flings it at his head, knocking him out. Robotman blocks the shots from the Japanese, while the rest head for cover.



Dragon King watches from below and Mentions that Dr Daka has shielded the fleet from the JSA. The magical JSAers continue to fight the others, when Hawkman flies outside the range of the field, pursued by Dr Fate, who then shakes off the effect. Hawman lures the rest outside the field, where the effects wear off. Dragon King escapes in a submarine and plans on bringing the war to America's shores, after he strengthens the barrier.

Thoughts: This issue takes us into the devastation at Pearl Harbor. Fire fighting efforts continued for hours after the raid, then the treatment of the casualties, emergency procedures and trying to control the panic. We get glimpses of this, and the human cost of the attack, as we see the wounded, in a makeshift hospital.

Roy continues the notion that something is up with Danette Riley, who was enveloped in Wotan's magic, when she was dumped into artificial lava. It doesn't take a genius to see where this is going; but, what exactly is happening is still a mystery.

Dragon King becomes our first Axis villain, as we learn he is a former member of the Black Dragon Society and a major power in the military government that ruled Japan, through the Emperor. The idea that the Holy Grail could control the JSA was established in DC Special #29, with the Untold Origin of the JSA. That story, from Paul Levitz and Joe Staton, had Adolf Hitler with the Spear of Destiny, the alleged spear used to piece the body of Jesus, on the cross. The magic of the relic allowed Hitler to take control of the magic-based JSA members and turn them against the others. Once they were outside the sphere of influence of the relic, they would recover; but, it blocked the JSA from intervening in Europe. Now, Roy has the Holy Grail do the same, for Japan. This gives a convenient reason for superheroes not to win the war. This idea was carried forward to James Robinson's The Golden Age, where he reveals that the magic idea was hokum and that the real reason the JUSA stayed off the battlefield was that the Axis had an agent, code-named Parsifal, who had the ability to negate super powers, magic-based or not. Flash and the ray barely escape with their lives and FDR orders the mystery men to stay out of combat, for fear of the blow to morale if one fell in combat. However, that was dubbed an Elseworlds tale (thoguh I don't think it was pitched that way) and wasn't considered canon, at DC, except in Robinson's Starman series, which used some of that continuity for Ted Knight.

Roy has a hard time finding things for the entire cast to do, which is why we will soon see the core group whittled down. Plastic Man and Phantom Lady are already gone. Plas was a humor character and it would be hard to convincingly use him in this, so Roy ditches him early. Phantom Lady was another story. Roy had intended to use her as a regular on the team, but backed off.

Buckler and Ordway continue to make it look great, though Buckler needed some WW2 reference material, as his ships look nothing like actual warships, his aircraft are too generic for identification, except he yet again includes a B-29 bomber, which did not fly until 1942, as a prototype. He should be drawing a B-17, but doesn't see m to know the difference.

Roy later said he felt he tried to cram too much into this issue and should have extended the story of the Grail and Spear of Destiny preventing the JSA from attacking the Axis directly. It it was, he never got around to bringing back Dragon King, as he got distracted by other storylines, then Crisis, then the end of the series. I tend to agree that too much plot is crammed into this and the fight between heroes begins and ends rather quickly. AAlso, the JSA had just been neutralized in the opening story, to make way for the All-Stars, and now they are under someone's control, again? It seemed a bit too repetitive, so soon after the initial storyline. Probably should have waited until after issue 6 or so. Hawkman's concerns for Shiera and Nazi activity in mexico sets up our next storyline, as we go south of the border, down Mexico way...



Historical Notes: While Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and Hickam Field, they launched simultaneous attacks on Guam, Wake Island, the Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong. Wake Island and Guam had naval installations, as they had been gained from the Spanish, originally to be used as coaling stations, for the Pacific Fleet. Over time, they also became terminals for the Pan American Clipper fleet, in the Pacific, the aviation pipeline to Asia. Wake actually fought off the first attempts at landing on the island; but, were eventually overwhelmed and surrendered on Dec 23, 1941. The attack was dramatized in the 1942 wartime propaganda film Wake Island, starring Brian Donlevy and William Bendix (which features some stock footage of woefully incorrect aircraft).

Guam had fewer defenses and surrendered on December 10. the Philippines, with the greatest defenses, fought a holding action, with US forces gradually pushed to Corregidor, before MacArthur was ordered to evacuate to Australia, to coordinate future military operations in the Pacific and the eventual surrender of US forces in the Philippines, in May, 1942. It would be two years before US forces would return, much stronger, to retake the islands, which lasted into 1945.

The devastation on Oahu was extensive and casualties were huge, with the USS Arizona the site of the worst. There were tremendous actions of bravery and self sacrifice during the attack. It was just announced that the next US Navy aircraft carrier will be named for Mess Attendant 2nd Class Doris "Dorie" Miller, an African-American sailor who won the Navy Cross for his actions during the attack. In WW2, the US military was segregated and, for the Navy, that meant that African-Americans (and Filipinos) were restricted to the rating of Mess Attendant, where they acted as servants to officers, cooked and served food in the galley, and other menial tasks. On the morning of the attack, Miller was gathering laundry, when the planes attacked. He was stationed aboard the USS West Virginia (BB-48) one of the residents of Battleship Row. As such, they were a key target of the attack. Miller headed for his battle station in an anti-aircraft battery magazine; but, it had been destroyed by a torpedo hit. he went on deck and was assigned to help carry wounded to safety. Miller was the ship's heavyweight boxing champion and a former high school football standout. He carried wounded off the ship over his broad shoulders, making multiple trips, up and down ladders, through water and oil, over debris. Then, when anover wave of planes were coming in, he jumped on a .50 cal machinegun and started firing, until he exhausted the ammo supply. he had no formal training on the weapon, but had watched it being operated and took to it like a natural, downing one Japanese plane. Miller was awarded the Navy Cross, the first African-American to be awarded the medal, presented by Adm Chester Nimitz. He went on a war bond tour and his image was used for recruiting posters. However, he died when his ship was torpedoed, in 1943. 600 of a crew of 950 went down with the ship. Miller's actions were deserving of a Medal of Honor; but, it was not uncommon for African-American servicemembers (and the Nisei) to be put up for lesser medals for acts of heroism that would have got a white soldier the Medal of Honor. This will be the first aircraft carrier named for an African-American and also the first to be named after an enlisted servicemember.

The Black Dragon Society was a real paramilitary group, in Japan. They were ultra-nationalistic and arose at the dawn of the 20th Century, during the opening moves which led to the Russo-Japanese War. They trained members in espionage and provided great assistance during that conflict. Later, they made contact with African-American militant groups, in the hopes of sowing racial conflict into the US. They claimed that African-Americans would be treated better after the Japanese defeated the US, in the Pacific. An agent, Satokata Takahashi was sent to the US to make contact with these groups and became a patron to Elijah Muhammed and the Nation of Islam. The FBI rounded up members of the Black Dragon Society, in California, in 1942 and interred them in Manzanar, where they were notorious for intimidation of other Japanese-Americans. The activities of the group would inspire a couple of movie serials, in the 1940s.

The first was the Republic serial, G-Men vs The Black Dragon, with Rod Cameron as government agent Rex Bennett. The serial finds Bennett, aided by Chinese and British agents, fighting the schemes of the Black Dragon Society. The serial is regarded as one of Republic's best, directed by William Whitney, their ace director. It is filled with thrilling action and even includes scenes of Constance Worth, as British Agent Vivian Marsh unloading on thugs with a tommy gun (a rarity in films of the era). Actor Rod Cameron would return as Rex Bennett in the equally thrilling serial, Secret Service in Darkest Africa, where he battles Nazis in North Africa, while undercover as a Gestapo agent.

The other serial was Columbia's Batman, starring Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin. This is the better of the two Columbia Batman serials, with the villain being the Japanese agent, Dr Daka, who gets name dropped by Roy, in this issue. Daka's ring is carrying out sabotage and espionage and the good doctor also keeps a pit with alligators and isn't afraid to drop people into it.

Both serials came out in 1943, with G-Men in January, and Batman in July. Both were products of the time, with offensive stereotypes and language, though Batman is far worse about it, leading to heavy edits when the serial was released on home video, in the 80s. Sadly, Columbia did both Batman serials cheaply and the Batmobile is an average sedan, without even a bat hood ornament. Wayne Manor is a suburban house and the Batcave is rather sparsely furnished. The Dynamic Duo even keep their costumes in a filing cabinet (possibly under L, for long underwear, or T, for tights). Rifftrax did commentary for the second serial, with Robert Lowery, and clips can be viewed on Youtube (look for Gabe!). Roy will actually introduce Dr Daka into the series, in a future issue.

The Spear of Destiny, or the Lance on Longinus, was mentioned in the Gospel of John, but not the others. it is said that the Romans intended to break the legs of Jesus, to speed his death, but found him already dead and a soldier pierced him with a spear to verify. This would be a bad translation, as a Roman soldier would carry a javelin, and not a spear. The first reference to the name Longinus, for the soldier, came in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. Legends grew about this relic, giving it great mystical power. These legends were popularized by Trevor Ravenscroft in the 1972 book, The Spear of Destiny. Paul Levitz used this idea for the origin of the JSA, as told in DC Special #29. The Holy Grail, in German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, identified the Holy Grail as a gemstone, not the Cup of Christ, as in Arthurian lore. Later writers identified it as Moldavite, a meteoric metal from Czechoslovakia. Roy identifies it as a stone vase, carved with mystic runes. In part, this is probably to give a rational for being in the hands of gen Hideki Tojo; but, more likely to remove the connection to Jesus, for fear of offending Christian readers (though the legends of the Grail date mainly from the 12th Century, with links to earlier pagan myths, including the Celtic myth of the Cauldron of Manannan Mac Lir (in Irish myth) and the cauldron of Bran the Blessed, from the Mabinogion (in Welsh myth). Both feature life restoring properties, which were associated, later, with the Grail. Of course, the greatest Grail story is this one...



Next, it's time to head for Mexico.

(EDIT):  Forgot the glossary.  This is all Navy Speak.  WRITCOMPAC=Writer/Commander Pacific, ARTRON 3=Artist, Squadron 3; INKTASKGRU 1=Inker, Task Group 1; LETNAVPERS=Letterer, Naval Personnel; COLBRITDET=Colorist, Bright Detachment; CCO=Commander Comic Operations.

Naval commands are given abbreviations, which create an alphabet soup.  COMNAVSURFPAC=Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Pacific Fleet (substitute LANT for PAC and you have the Atlantic Fleet boss).  I worked for COMDESRON 4, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 4.

Interesting trip back through this series.

All-Star Squadron #5



No idea who the lady in Red is. Wish they would point these things out!

Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer, Rich Buckler-pencils, Jerry Ordway-inks, Ben Oda-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Len Wein-editor

Synopsis: The JSA quit.



Hawkman announces he is joining the Army and the rest admit they wanted to, but were afraid Hawkman would push them to stay out, per FDR's request. They are all joining, except Johnny Thunder, who is enlisting in the Navy. Hawkman is going to Mexico first, though, to fiend Shiera.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, Nazis are conferring with Mayans, trying to convince the Feathered Serpent, Kukulkan, to join them in their battle against the US. He relates how Germany tried to launch an airstrike on the East Coast, only for Green Lantern to sink their one aircraft carrier...



Kukulkan (Fran & Ollie) intends to sacrifice Shiera to create mystical power, which will conquer the US. The Nazi goon is fine with that, as long as they have bases from which to strike America and natural resources for their war machine.

Robotman and Johnny Quick run through New York, while observers wonder why they aren't in uniform, when the cops pull alongside and ask them to take care of saboteurs at Liberty Island. They head out, on foot and by boat. Two Bundists are holed up with dyma,ite, ready to blow it when the Germans declare war on the US. Johnny runs up the side and KOs one, then stops the bomb. However, the goon has a "potato masher" grenade and it explodes close enough to stress the already structurally damaged left arm. Robotman runs up the internal staircase and tries to brace the arm from inside. Johnny makes repairs at speed and they depart.

The All-Stars descend on the New York penthouse of playboy od Riley, where his sister Danette sleeps, after her ordeal. Hawkman tells them about disbanding the JSA and his trip to Mexico. meanwhile, Danette wakes up, remembers a key given to her by Slugger Dunn, finds a keyhole on a statue and opens a secret closet, with gauzy see-through clothes. Kinky!



The next thing you know, there is a fire in the room and the All-Stars burst in and find a masked woman, surrounded by flame. She faints, they extinguish the fire, recognize Danette, and ask her why she is cosplaying. She says the name is Firebrand, her brother's secret identity. She explains all she found inside, including red tights and see-through shirt. Really, the guy fought crime dressed like a ballet dancer. Luckily, he had Reed Crandall drawing it, or it would have looked really weird. Danette started the fire and has learned she has thermal powers.

The group flies down to Mexico and goes looking for Shiera. They smell a rat when told she checked out of her hotel. They spot an hombre with her scarf and chase him down. he says she gave it to him and can lead them to her, for a price. The rest of the gang meet a boy, who says Shiera sent him to find them and leads them to a Nazi ambush. Liberty Belle sticks her foot into a Ratzi gut and it's on!



Fritz pulls out a flammenwerfer and the new Firebrand soaks up the heat and decks the Kraut. Atom slaps around a goosestepper and gets a location. Meanwhile, Hawkman and Shining Knight get mystically ambushed at the temple, by Kukulkan.

Thoughts: Transitional issue that closes out the beginnings by disbanding the JSA, showcases more of the new bunch, introduces a female Firebrand, then send everyone to find Senorita Rio. Roy wraps up the mystery of Danette and the magic & lava and whittles off more of the JSA, leaving us with pretty much his core team, for the duration.

I suspect the whole Mexico thing, as well as Kukulkan's reference to the Ark of the Covenant is all down to the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which made Nazi-smashing fun again, and sent people treasure hunting in the jungles and deserts, like in the 30s. The only thing missing is a Gestapo agent in a leather trenchcoat.

The female Firebrand loos less silly than the male, though she at least wears a bathing suit under the shirt. Um, ask Jeanie Epper about tumbling around in a strapless bathing suit and then think about your undergarments.



Firebrand upped the female quotient in the series and we will see another regular, soon.

This is a pretty good issue, with a nice mix of mystery, character, and action; but, I'm kind of getting a little tired of the constant mystical angle. It feels like too much of a cheat. let's get some science going in this joint, knowahatamsayin'?

Buckler actually drew Danette as naked, when she gets up from her bed, though she is seen from the rear and in shadows. Carl Gafford was assigned the task of drawing a line at her hips and shoulder blades, to suggest bra and panties (or an all-in-one). However, a couple of panels later, she is seen from the front, holding one of her brother's shirts, with no visible signs of undies.

Historical Notes: The Ratzi tells us it is Dec. 9, 1941. FDR delivered his address to the joint session of Congress, asking for a declaration of war. Roy creates the famous speech and reminds us there was only on dissenting vote. He also says the UK declared war on Japan. Then, he says Hitler had dispatched a secret experimental carrier, to attack the US on Dec 8, but Green Lantern destroyed it (in GL#4). Only problem is that he was busy off Wake Island. The man gets around. As it was, the Germans were unaware of the Japanese plans and did not declare war on the US until December 11, with Italy following suit. The US immediately responded.

Mexico would join the allies in May of 1942, after German U-Boats sunk 2 tankers. Mexico would provide an air squadron to fight the Japanese and guest workers for American industry, plus oil and other natural resources for the military.

The Germans conspiring with the Mayans (descendents, I assume) is reminiscent of the Fleischer Superman cartoon, "Jungle Drums," from 1943. In the adventure, the Germans are operating, in secret, from a jungle temple...

(Warning...racist African caricatures...)



Rich Buckler gets the German weapons mostly right, including giving the officer a Walther P-38, rather than the older Luger (though some did carry recent manufacture Erma Luger pistols); however, the soldier with the flamethrower is ina comic book fire suit. Flame throwers were operated by regular soldiers, in normal battle dress. Then again, Allied soldiers didn't wear capes and bright costumes in battle. The German ammo pouches are wrong, especially for the soldiers carrying MP-40 submachine guns. German kit usually consisted of two twin leather ammo pouches, with ammo clips for their Kar98 carbines (carried by most soldiers), on the front, a water bottle on the rear, and a mess tin and utility pouch. Their kit included a leather belt and leather suspenders, which helped spread the weight of the gear. US troops used heavy canvas for their gear, as did the British. NCOs might carry the MP-40, or other specialized troops, and would have larger ammo pouches, which held three magazines for the weapon, plus a sidearm. Also seen are Nazi Party armbands, which were only worn by party members, in ceremonial attire. Combat troops wore the usual German eagle insignia, rank patches, and sleeve tabs, indicating their unit. Buckler also has the officer wearing a "Sam Browne" style leather belt, with a shoulder strap crossing the chest to support the belt. This was not, generally, used by the Wehrmacht. they wore a simple leather belt with holstered sidearm. SS ceremonial uniforms did include a Sam Browne strap. All things considered, not a bad job, compared to his B-29 goof.