From: [scott hollifield] at [the-matrix.com] (Scott Hollifield)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Golden Age Annotation 1/5
Date: 18 Jan 94 23:49:00 GMT
BOOK ONE
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Page 4
. Heroes pictured are:
. (flying) Black Condor, Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt, Johnny Quick
. (foreground) Captain Triumph, Plastic Man, Robotman
. (others seen prominently) Black Canary, Phantom Lady, Blackhawk,
. Dr. Mid-Nite, Manhunter (Paul Kirk), Vigilante, Liberty Belle,
. the Guardian, Tarantula, Dr. Fate
. (in background) Uncle Sam, [obscure], Doll Man, [obscure],
. [unknown], [obscure], Bulletman, the Ray, the Human Bomb,
. [unknown], Sargon the Sorcerer, [obscure], [obscure], the
. Shining Knight, Captain America, Johnny Thunder, the
. Spirit/Midnight, Wildcat, [obscure], [unknown], Mr. America,
. Batman, [obscure], [obscure], [obscure].
In the above list, "[obscure]" is used to indicate the depiction of
someone who is too indistinct to be intended as anyone recognizable.
"[Unknown]" is used to indicate someone who is clearly supposed to be
somebody, but somebody whose identity I can't discern.
The use of Captain America is obviously an in-joke of sorts, since he is
probably the most prominent Golden Age superhero whose adventures were
not published by DC, with the arguable exception of Captain Marvel.
Bulletman's appearance is purposely obscure, since DC is not allowed to
use this character anymore.
Batman's appearance is also obscure for a reason; the Golden Age Batman
no longer exists in DC history thanks to the Crisis on Infinite Earths,
but Paul Smith evidently felt it a good idea to acknowledge his
significance anyway.
The Spirit is a creation of Will Eisner, who produced the character's
stories for Quality Comics, among other companies. DC isn't allowed to
use the character, since it remains owned by Eisner, but they are
allowed to use Midnight, a virtual double of the Spirit also created by
Eisner, but who is now owned by DC. Roy Thomas used the Midnight
character as a homage to Eisner in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #31-32.
Page 5
The Atom was never depicted as being this short in comparison with the
other heroes. If he is 5'2" or 5'3", as has been said in other stories,
then all of the others in this picture are well over six feet tall, not
implausible in the world of superheros.
The Flash's chest emblem appears here as it did in his first appearance,
in FLASH COMICS #1--a fully-drawn lightning bolt in the middle of his
chest. In later Golden Age stories, the lightning bolt became "tucked"
into the Flash's belt, so that it was only partially visible. (Most, if
not all, of the Flash's depictions in ALL-STAR SQUADRON reproduce him
this way, and it is a style altered further with his recent appearances
in FLASH, JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA and JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA.)
This is not the first depiction of the JSA on the cover of LIFE
magazine. They also were shown on the cover of the magazine in ALL-
STAR SQUADRON #7, although under different circumstances (the headline
was "JSA Disbands/America's Masked Heroes Join The Army"). (The
All-Star Squadron were also given a magazine cover, albeit that of TIME,
in issue #45 of that book.)
The membership of the JSA as pictured here is not entirely consistent
with DC history. For one thing, Starman and Hourman were never in the
group at the same time until the 1960s, the former being a replacement
for the latter in ALL-STAR COMICS #8.
It is uncertain whether all of the criminals mentioned in these news
articles are from actual DC stories. The only ones which are
established beyond any doubt are Rag Doll and the Brain Wave (whose name
is incorrectly spelled as one word here); others who may or may not be
new creations are Mr. Fingers, the Theatre-Blade, the Spoiler and
someone whose name is cut off the page (we see the letters "Boots",
which may or may not be the whole name). Mr. Fingers is likely not a
true Golden Age character given his rather risque modus operandi.
Page 10
Tex Thompson, the Americommando, was an obscure Golden Age hero whose
adventures were published in ACTION COMICS. He first appeared without
superhero trappings, merely as Tex Thompson, in ACTION #1 (which, in
addition to Superman and Zatara, also featured the even-more-obscure
Pep Morgan, Chuck Dawson, and Scoop Scanlon). He became the costumed
hero known as Mr. America in ACTION #33. His stories switched from
domestic adventure to anti-Nazi fighting abroad in ACTION #52, when his
name was changed to the Americommando. His last appearance in ACTION is
issue #74 (September 1942?). He would remain unseen for over forty
years until Roy Thomas brought him back in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #31 (which
also featured appearances by many other obscure wartime heroes). The
beginning of Thompson's secret mission and the transition between
identities was documented in SECRET ORIGINS #29, and retold in YOUNG
ALL-STARS #27.
Page 11
Otto Frentz ("the dreaded Parsifal") is an entirely new creation. He
will be discussed more thoroughly later in the book.
The Army private in the theater here is Bob Daley, who fought crime as
"Fatman", Mr. America's sidekick. In the original 1940s adventures, Bob
Daley apparently goes to Germany along with Thompson (confirm?), as the
two become known as the "Americommandos". However, in YOUNG ALL-STARS
story (and in the SECRET ORIGINS story?), Daley/Fatman remains behind
(saying, "You gonna miss your old crimebusting pard while you're behind
enemy lines?").
Page 13
This is Paul Kirk, the hero known as Manhunter (created by Joe Simon and
Jack Kirby). His adventures appeared in ADVENTURE COMICS beginning with
#73, and ran through #92 (Simon and Kirby's last issue was #80). Walt
Simonson brought the character back with a new costume and logo blurb
("He Stalks The World's Most Dangerous Game!") in DETECTIVE COMICS
#437-443. His full origin, and how he related to the other two heroes
called Manhunter (Dan Richards and Mark Shaw) was told in SECRET ORIGINS
#22.
Paul Kirk's presence in Germany is consistent with his background as
established in DETECTIVE COMICS, where he was revealed to have gone on
secret missions behind enemy lines.
Page 14
The President here is Harry S Truman. The men seated behind him are
General Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Douglas McArthur.
Page 15
This is Johnny Chambers, aka Johnny Quick. In his original stories (in
MORE FUN COMICS #76-97) and in appearances in ALL-STAR SQUADRON,
Chambers was a photo-journalist; his transition to being a maker of
documentaries here is new.
Johnny's use of the term "mystery men" was created by Roy Thomas in
ALL-STAR SQUADRON to replace the word "superheroes", which was both
ahead of its time and mostly inappropriate in the '40s.
Page 16
The "Senator Hughes" mentioned here doesn't appear to have an
established precedent.
The shot at the bottom of the page may be of the original Vigilante, a
western-flavored hero who fought contemporary Nazis and criminals in the
'40s, and was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.
Page 17
The Flash's retirement is pushed a couple of years or more ahead here,
for the sake of the story. In established DC history, Jay Garrick
retired in 1949, the same year his series was cancelled. He did marry
his girlfriend, Joan Williams, around this time, although I'm uncertain
an actual reference date exists for this event.
Carter Hall, the original Hawkman, is the reincarnated form of an
Egyptian prince named Prince Khufu. His obsession with the idea and
potential insanity, as told in Johnny's comments here, are new; in
current DC history, Carter Hall went on to found the Justice League of
America in the 1960s.
Mr. Terrific's implied dirty dealings here are also new.
Johnny Quick's separation from his wife, Libby (Liberty Belle),
mentioned here, is consistent with established DC history. Married in
1942 (ALL-STAR SQUADRON #50), the couple were prime examples of volatile,
impulsive personalities, and it's very easy to see how their marriage
may have been premature. In the most recent JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
series, Johnny resurfaced in the '90s as a fitness corporation executive
and revealed to others that he and Libby had been divorced for some
time. They had one child, a daughter named Jesse who inherited her
dad's super-speed. (Jesse was depicted as being in her early '20s,
which would seem inconsistent, on the face of it, with Johnny and Libby
divorcing in the '40s--until we realize that we're talking about comic
book time.)
Page 18
The Spear of Destiny, mentioned here, was an example of retroactive
continuity invented by Roy Thomas in ALL-STAR SQUADRON, to explain why
the more powerful heroes never ganged up and won World War II on their
own. The Spear was a mystic object of great power which, in legend, was
used by a Roman soldier to stab Jesus of Nazareth while he hung on the
cross. In ALL-STAR SQUADRON, Adolf Hitler weilded the Spear, and it
placed an invisible field around Nazi-occupied territory that caused any
magically-powered superhero that crossed it to fall under Hitler's sway.
This field affected not only most of the era's most powerful heroes who
coincidentally happened to be magical in nature (Wonder Woman, the
Spectre, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern and Captain Marvel), but also Superman,
whose particular weakness to magic is a longtime part of continuity. The
Spear was also used by Hitler in an attempt to bring about Ragnarok and
thus end the world, as seen in THE LAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY #1.
(Japan's General Tojo held the Spear's counterpart, the Holy Grail,
which had the same effect on Axis-held territory in Asia and the
Pacific.) Still, as good a plot device as it was, the presence of Spear
still failed to explain the inaction of NON-magical heroes like the
Flash and Starman, who were powerful nonetheless. In this story, the
Spear of Destiny is made out to be a hoax, to hide the truth about a
more plausible (but potentially controversial) explanation, that a
German superhuman named Parsifal had the ability to cancel the powers of
*any* super-powered hero.
In this alternate reality, Tex Thompson's public acclaim indirectly
moved the other heroes to give up their costumed indentities soon after
the war, but in the mainstream DC universe, the JSA stayed together as a
group until 1951.
Page 19
The depiction of Green Lantern's power ring as a miniature "lantern" is
relatively new; I don't think it was representated as such until the
late '80s, at the earliest.
Alan Scott's position as president/owner of the Gotham Broadcasting
Company is an established part of DC history, although he wasn't shown
to be so until stories that took place some considerable time after the
war. (GBC is also the familiar abbreviation of another media outfit,
the Galaxy Broadcasting Company, which appeared prominently in the
Superman books starting in the early '70s.) GBC's employees' problems
with HUAC are new, though understandable given the timeframe.
Page 21
The description of costumed heroes' role after the war is comparable to
that in Alan Moore's WATCHMEN, where the heroes felt a similar mood of
despair and irrelevance at this time in history.
Page 23
This is Libby Lawrence, the heroine known as Liberty Belle. Her
original Golden Age adventures appeared in BOY COMMANDOS #1-2 and in
STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #20-68. Her prominent role here is clearly due to
Roy Thomas' significant use of her in ALL-STAR SQUADRON, where she
became leader of that group.
The man Libby is living with is Jonathan Law, aka Tarantula. His
original adventures were told in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #1-19, although he
wore a garish purple-and-yellow costume which would later be adapted for
the Golden Age Sandman. (Roy Thomas told the story behind the similar
costumes in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #18.) In most of his All-Star Squadron
appearances, he wore a new brown-and-black costume designed by Jerry
Ordway; his costume here is a new adaptation based on the same scheme.
Roy Thomas also changed his name to Jonathan Law, whereas in
STAR-SPANGLED COMICS, he was merely known as John Law.
Jonathan Law's trophies here reflect an interest in safari adventuring
which is a new element of the character.
His book about super-heroes, mentioned here, was _Altered Egos_
(subtitled _The Star-Spangled Super-Heroes of World War II_), in which
Law documented the origins and exploits of a number of wartime heroes.
(This was used occasionally as a framing plot device to introduce a new
telling of a particular hero's origin story in ALL-STAR SQUADRON.) THE
GOLDEN AGE conflicts with established DC history here, though, by having
Law's book as already published; in mainstream continuity, _Altered
Egos_ was not published until the 1970s. (THE GOLDEN AGE also changes
the title of Law's book, as seen in issue #3.) As part of his agreement
with the heroes in the book, Law promised not to publish the book until
each of them had retired, so as not to endanger their secret identities.
Page 24
In his original adventures, Jonathan Law was a mystery writer, and in
ALL-STAR SQUADRON, he is implied to be something of a hack. This is
consistent here with his inability to make progress on writing "the
great American novel".
Page 25
This is the first indication of Thompson's plan of creating a new
superhero for the post-war atomic age.
Pages 26-28
This is Robotman, whose adventures appeared in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS
#7-82 and DETECTIVE COMICS #138-202. Originally a human scientist named
Robert Crane, he was shot by gangsters and had his brain transplanted
into an experimental robot body by his assistant, Chuck Grayson. On
occasion, he disguised himself as a human and called himself Paul
Dennis. In STAR-SPANGLED #15, Robotman was put on trial in order to
determine his humanity, and was declared human; this story was expanded
and retold in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #13. Robotman's brain was eventually
given a human host, the cryogenically-preserved body of the deceased
Chuck Grayson, in DC COMICS PRESENTS #31. Working solely from the
ALL-STAR appearances, however, his evolution to a non-feeling machine
here is nearly consistent; during his last major story with the All-Star
Squadron, Robotman became increasingly antagonistic towards the human
race, as he protected his "beloved" robot companion Mekanique (secretly
a villain seeking to rule the world). This disillusionment could easily
have evolved into the Robotman we see here given the appropriate
cirumstances. Robotman's somewhat stunted speech pattern here is
evidently the result of talking to virtually no one for so long; in
previous stories, his speech, was, of course, perfectly human.
Page 30
The Atom was always plain-spoken, but his speech patterns here are
noticeably less articulate than his previous appearances.
The newly-manifested superstrength he mentions here is part of
established history, having appeared for the first time in 1947 (causing
the Atom to don a new, more traditional super-hero costume in
ALL-AMERICAN COMICS #42). In ALL-STAR SQUADRON, Roy Thomas explained
the Atom's superstrength as being a delayed effect of exposure to the
radioactive super-criminal Cyclotron in 1942.
Page 31
The "accents of the scientists" (presumably German, judging from the
name of one of them, Von Lowe) is the first indication that Tex Thompson
has a secret agenda behind the one he's promoting to the public.
Page 33
As Hourman, Rex Tyler's problems with the Miraclo pill are a
contemporary part of his continuity. In ALL-STAR SQUADRON, Miraclo was
shown to be addictive, so Hourman stopped using the pills, instead
resorting to a less effective but safer "Miraclo ray". Even his final
Miraclo formula wasn't completely safe, having given cancer to his son
Rick (the second Hourman), as revealed in the recent JUSTICE SOCIETY
series.
Tyler Chemicals is also an established part of Hourman's past, having
been originally named Bannerman Chemicals until Rex Tyler bought it.
The Icicle is an established supervillain, although his arch-nemesis was
Green Lantern, not Hourman. The Icicle went on to join the Injustice
Society, which fought the JSA as a group, Hourman included. The Gambler
and the Mist were also established villains; their arch-foes were Green
Lantern and Starman, respectively. (Like the Icicle, the Gambler was a
member of the Injustice Society.)
Pages 35-37
The history of Ted Knight, a.k.a. Starman, is significantly
different here than previously established. Prior to this story, Ted
Knight was only an amateur astronomer, having mostly lucked into
unleashing the power of the Gravity Rod (later called the Cosmic Rod).
Roy Thomas depicted him as an ordinary wealthy debutante who began
fighting crime because he was bored with his decadent life. Ted
Knight's genius as a theoretician, his role in the invention of the atom
bomb, and his relationship with Einstein are new here. (The mention of
Einstein may be intended to replace the original scientific mind behind
the Gravity Rod, Professor Abraham Davis, as revealed for the first time
in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #41.) Ted Knight's psychiatric problems here are
also new, of course.
Pages 38-39
What did Paul Kirk see in Germany that's causing dreams like this?
Page 44
Daniel Dunbar was Dan the Dyna-Mite, the sidekick to an obscure Golden
Age hero named TNT. Their adventures were recorded in STAR-SPANGLED
COMICS #7-23, and were brought back for a cameo in ALL-STAR SQUADRON.
Roy Thomas used Dan more extensively in YOUNG ALL-STARS; Dan joined the
group after TNT was killed in the first issue of that title. (It was
probably this recent prominence that led James Robinson to utilize Dan
for this story.)