Issue Description

Wotan orders the Shining Knight to slay Doctor Fate. To ensure no aid is forthcoming, Wotan completely destroys the Blackhawk's downed plane. Realizing that the Shining Knight believes Wotan to be King Arthur, Doctor Fate tries reason, before resorting to violence. The Shining Knight fells Doctor Fate. Doctor Fate awakens, in captivity, alongside the Firebrand, and Robotman. The Shining Knight stands guard over them. Wotan reveals how he survived his last encounter with Doctor Fate.

Under cover of an illusion, Wotan rebuilt Camelot. Doctor Occult reveals that he, too, is Wotan's prisoner. Wotan reports to the Reichsfuhrer, Adolph Hitler. Wotan assures Hitler that Great Britain will fall. Unbeknownst to Hitler, Wotan intends to take the British Isles for himself. British military forces mass outside Camelot. For a brief moment, the visage of King Arthur fills the sky. Then, Wotan's "medieval" army, of robots, attacks. The British military forces are butchered by Wotan's mechanical knights.

Great Britain's Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, weighs the decision to send in the Royal Air Force, knowing it would leave London open to attack from the German Luftwaffe. Before another British solder can be put to the sword, the Hourman intervenes. Thought slain when the Blackhawk's plane went down, the Hourman survived by popping a Miraclo pill, which super-charged his physical prowess. Not only did the Hourman survive, but he was also able to rescue the Blackhawk, though both men were struck unconscious by Wotan's second attack.

The Blackhawk, and the Hourman, attack Wotan's forces. To rally the troops, the Hourman hoists the Union Jack. The British standard awakens memories in the Shining Knight, as he slowly comes out of Wotan's spell. Wotan attacks the Shining Knight, who deflects Wotan's mystic bolt with his enchanted sword. With Wotan defeated, the Shining Knight releases Doctor Fate, Doctor Occult, the Firebrand, and Robotman from their captivity.

In combat with a robot knight, the Hourman's hour of power expires. Against his better judgement, the Hourman swallows another capsule of Miraclo. The Hourman destroys the robot, then immediately collapses from a heart attack. Doctor Fate soars into the sky, carrying the Hourman, desperate to get the Hourman medical aid.

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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