Issue Description

Uncle Sam crashes an All-Star Squadron meeting and tells them about a parallel Earth!

Midnight races through the streets of Manhattan, clutching a metal box. Midnight's pursuers, Nazi soldiers in full uniform, close in on him. Midnight leaps aboard a speeding train, desperate to reach the All-Star Squadron. En route to the first general meeting of the All-Star Squadron, the Hawkgirl, and the Hawkman, meet the Black Condor, and the Ray. At the Perisphere, the Black Condor, the Hawkgirl, the Hawkman, and the Ray, are met by Gernsbeck, the robot butler of the All-Star Squadron. Virtually the full roster of the All-Star Squadron are in attendance. Dan, the Dyna-Mite, Robin, the Boy Wonder, Sandy, the Golden Boy, and Speedy argue over who has the better mentor.

The Seven Soldiers of Victory officially meet the Justice Society of America. The Manhunters argue over who has more of a right to the codename. The Phantom Lady speaks with the Starman, revealing their knowledge of each other's secret identities, and familial connection. Liberty Belle debuts her new costume. Liberty Belle and Johnny Quick continue to have conflict in their relationship. Sargon, the Sorcerer, meets with Zatara, the Magician. Johnny Thunder speaks with the Whip. Liberty Belle assembles the All-Star Squadron, and calls roll. Liberty Belle acknowledges the absences of Aquaman, the Amazing Man, the Blackhawks, and the Shining Knight.

Liberty Belle offers all members of the All-Star Squadron a radio communication device. The President of the United States of America, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addresses the All-Star Squadron. The Black Condor, and the Ray, voice their desire to attack the Axis powers directly, rather than protect the home front. Uncle Sam crashes the meeting. Midnight battles Nazi soldiers on the train, suffering a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Retuning fire, Midnight causes one of the solders to accidentally drop a grenade, that derails the train. Midnight is the only survivor of the train wreck. Uncle Sam introduces himself, and tells his tale.

One night, while subduing Nazi saboteurs, a portal appeared before Uncle Sam. Stepping through the portal, Uncle Sam found himself transported to a parallel Earth, one with neither super-heroes nor mystery men. It was also a world where Germany was winning the war. Uncle Sam returned to Earth-2, and recruited a half dozen super-heroes to return to "Earth-X" with him, to aid the Allie's war effort. Unfortunately, all six heroes died fighting the Germans. Uncle Sam barely made it back to Earth-2. Now, Uncle Sam has come to ask the All-Star Squadron to return to Earth-X, with him, to fight the Germans.

The Black Condor, the Human Bomb, the Phantom Lady, the Ray, and the Red Bee are all in favor of sending a delegation with Uncle Sam to Earth-X. Several other heroes dissent, believing that fighting for another world's liberty is outside of their purview. Liberty Belle puts the matter to a vote. Midnight stumbles into the Perisphere, and collapses. The Phantom Lady opens the metal box Midnight carried, and discovers the unconscious form of the Doll Man.

Note: The cover is a homage to the famous recruitment poster sporting Uncle Sam.

All-Star Squadron

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

"Come with us now to Earth-Two, and the awesome origin of the All-Star Squadron!"

Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler, Jerry Ordway (credited here as Jeremiah Ordway!) along with editor Len Wein, letterer John Costanza and colorist Carl Gafford begin the wartime adventures of the Golden-Age heroes of the DC Universe. Writer Roy Thomas is no stranger to World War II, or wartime comic book super-heroes having come off Marvel's WWII super-team, The Invaders.

The world of Earth -2 was at war. In a dimension not unlike that of the Justice League on Earth - 1, the greatest heroes of the 1940s had banded together to form the Justice Society of America, but even that wasn't enough to battle the Axis powers plaguing their society. So, at the behest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a new, larger team was created to help unite the war torn country. The massive All-Star Squadron was formed, setting up their headquarters in the Perisphere at the heart of New York's World's Fair.

The creative team of writer Roy Thomas and artist Rich Buckler on "All-Star Squadron" offered readers a nostalgic glimpse back in time, albeit through the slightly distorted lens of Earth-2's history. In this popular series that ran for 67 issues, readers were treated not only to the adventures of the more familiar Justice Society, but also to every other mystery man of the time and dozens of minor heroes from DC's Golden Age, including the speedster Johnny Quick, the patriotic Liberty Belle, power houses Robotman and Commander Steel, and the 1940s versions of Batman and Robin.

With Thomas'comprehensive knowledge of the heroes and history of World War II era Americana, the All-Star Squadron was a certifiable hit, even if the Earth - 2 shattering events of DC's tumultuous "Crisis on Infinite Earths" maxi series of the mid-1980s took a toll on the book's continuity.

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