Joshua, John :: All-Star Squadron 'continuation project' commissions

All-Star Squadron #134, homage to Fantastic Four issue #131

Artist: Craig Shepard (All)

4 Comments - 977 Views - 1 Like

All-Star Squadron #134, homage to Fantastic Four issue #131 Comic Art

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Fantastic Four #131 - source

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Artwork Details

Title:	All-Star Squadron #134, homage to Fantastic Four issue #131
Artist:	Craig Shepard (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Commission
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	977
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	4
Added to Site:	6/23/2021
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Latest "Continuation Project" commission - All-Star Squadron #134, art by Craig Shepard, based as always on the cover of a comic written, plotted or scripted by Roy Thomas, in this case Fantastic Four #131, original art by Jim Steranko and Joe Sinnott. Craig drew a commission for me earlier in the year featuring the "original design" versions of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, and I knew I wanted to have him contribute to my All-Star Squadron covers - and I think he delivered brilliantly!

Title: "Faster Than A Speeding Bullet..."

Story: This is the latest of the regular "Altered Egos" spotlight issues, in which Jonathan (Tarantula) Law sits down with his fellow heroes to take notes for his post-war book. This time, he interviews Jim (Bulletman) Barr and Susan (Bulletgirl) Kent, learning how Jim Barr had determined to fight crime after the death of his policeman father.

Barr had created a chemical which gave him greater strength, drawing on the work of Erskine and Tyler, and worked on a gravity regulator helmet with scientist Professor Davis, eventually taking on the identity of Bulletman, the Flying Detective --- and later sharing his identity with Susan Kent, who became his crime-fighting partner, Bulletgirl.

The two also recount a recent adventure in which they, together with All-Star Squadron co-chair Spy Smasher, and alongside Minute-Man, had attended a parade for one of Fawcett City's heroic sons, famed aviator Mickey Malone, secretly the Phantom Eagle, at which Malone had been granted the freedom of the city.

The celebrations were interrupted, however, by an attack on the nearby Woolfolk-Beck Institute - by super-powered Nazi speedster Zyklon! The heroes rush to the scene, to find that Zyklon is in the process of kidnapping Professor Davis and others scientists involved in vital war work! They confront the villain, but his speed allows him to evade their attempts to capture him - and even catch Bulletgirl, speed off with her, and try to remove and make off with her flying helmet!

Zyklon reveals that his plan is to abduct the scientists who are retro-engineering the techology used by America's heroes for possible US military purposes - and take them to the Third Reich and force them to work for the Nazis! Bulletgirl is able to evade Zyklon's clutches, however, and alert the other heroes, who work together to overpower the speedster, although he is eventually able to escape from them - but they know they'll confront him again in future!

Returning to the site of the interrupted parade, the heroes are interviewed by visiting Daily Star newpaper reporter Clark Kent, Bulletgirl's distant cousin, although she wonders (being unaware of his secret identity) how she could be related to such a bumbling fool...

I thought it was time that some of the Fawcett heroes got their chance at a cover, and this one allowed me to use not only Bulletman and Bulletgirl, who I've always liked, but also give a first appearance to Fawcett's Phantom Eagle. As a side-note, it also let me establish a link between the strength serum used by the pair and the chemical enhancements used by other heroes - and between the gravity-regulator helmet and Starman's gravity rod, also designed by Professor Davis (even though Davis isn't part of the published Bulletman origin, it seemed unlikely that a policeman would have the technical skills to build the flying helmet, and the happy coincidence of names between the two pieces of kit led me to this idea). Obviously the possible family connection between Susan and Clark Kent is my invention, as well.

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About the Owner

	John Joshua
Joined:	May 2015
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED KINGDOM
On CAF:	John's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 6/23/2021

Those curved trail speed lines are reminiscent of the Schomburg golden age covers which the FF artist tried to do. These commissions are really helping by building the lore perpetually.

Aidan (Re-Legion ) Lacy
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 6/23/2021

I love the intricate yet totally plausible story telling. It reminds me of course of the retro hero history that was part of the All star Squadron mythos

John Joshua
Member Since 2015

Posted on 6/23/2021

Aidan (Re-Legion ) Lacy wrote:

I love the intricate yet totally plausible story telling. It reminds me of course of the retro hero history that was part of the All star Squadron mythos

Thanks - that's a huge compliment!

michael dunne
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 6/26/2021

Love this!

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