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

All-Star Squadron #140, homage to Marvel Triple Action #36

Artist: John Watson (All)

2 Comments - 697 Views - 0 Like

All-Star Squadron #140, homage to Marvel Triple Action #36 Comic Art

Additional Images:

Prelim

Marvel Triple Action #36 - source cover

Avengers 44 - original cover

The Flying Wing - the Squadron's new aircraft

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All-Star Squadron #142, homage to Dr Strange issue #177

Artwork Details

Title:	All-Star Squadron #140, homage to Marvel Triple Action #36
Artist:	John Watson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Commission
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	697
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	3/24/2022
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Latest "Continuation Project" commission - All-Star Squadron #140, drawn by the fantastic John Watson, and based as always on the cover of a comic written, plotted or scripted by Roy Thomas, in this case John Buscema and Vince Colleta''s cover to Marvel Triple Action #36 - which was a slightly-adjusted version of the cover to Avengers #44.

Title: "Behind Enemy Lines, Part 3: Combat!"

Story: Robotman, Firebrand, Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle are crossing the Atlantic in the All-Star Squadron's new plane - a modified Northrop XB-35 Flying Wing. The mood is sombre, as the heroes know that they're disobeying President Roosevelt's order not to attempt to rescue their captive team-mates, Commander Steel and Captain X Of The RAF - but they refuse to let their fellow heroes perish under the bombing raid planned to destroy the Nazi stronghold which houses Project: Master Race (see last issue).

Landing under cover, the four heroes make contact with the local resistance, and sneak up on the hidden Axis base. After Johnny Quick overpowers the guards, the All-Stars sneak in and split up - with Robotman locating the main laboratory, and starting to destroy the equipment and notes producing the Nazi version of Abednego Danner's serum, only to be interrupted by the arrival of the Red Panzer!
While Robotman and the Red Panzer clash, Firebrand locates the cells which are holding Commander Steel and Captain X, and quickly burns through the locks, freeing them. Rejoining Liberty Belle, the heroes follow Johnny Quick - who has raced to Robotman's aid - but their path is barred by Captain Nazi and a horde of the super-powered Axis agents, led by Ubermensch!

A massive fight ensues, with Commander Steel going toe-to-toe with Captain Nazi, while Firebrand and Liberty Belle are able to take down Ubermensch only to face being overwhelmed by the super-powered Nazis. They're saved, however, by the arrival of Robotman and Johnny Quick, who had been able to overpower the Red Panzer with the help of another of the heroes working undercover behind the lines - the bow-and-arrrow-wielding Marksman!

Together, the heroes are able to force the Nazi villains back before - hearing the sound of approaching Allied bombers - they escape from the Project: Master Race stronghold, which is flattened by an aerial bombardment, destroying the records and surviving samples of Abednego Danner's serum. However, as the heroes return to the Flying Wing, Captain Nazi, Ubermensch and the Red Panzer emerge from the rubble - their plan to create an unstoppable army of super-powered Axis agents may have been ended, but the villains are still alive and vow vengeance on the All-Star Squadron.

Commander Steel and the Marksman remain in Europe, continuing their undercover work - but as the other heroes fly back to England, with Captain X at the controls, President Roosevelt sits in the Oval Office, trying to decide what action he should take to deal with the flouting of his instructions. Should the four heroes who went to Occupied Europe be punished in some way - or should he disband the entire All-Star Squadron? Find out the answer - in issue #144, coming soon!

I opted to use the adjusted Marvel Triple ACtion cover rather than the original Avengers issue(#44)because that cover left very little space for an All-Star Squadron logo, while the Triple Action cover allowed those to be added *and* kept all the key elements in place, albeit in some cases is slightly different places. As ever, John did a phenomenal job with this, and I really must stop asking him to take on covers with umpty-zillion characters on them!

Side-note for fellow aviation geeks - on our world, the Northrop Flying Wing was a result of a request (in 1941, just prior to Pearl Harbour) from the Government for an aircraft which would be able to bomb Europe from the US in the event that Britain fell - but it seemed to me that in a world where Washington was attacked by a prototype Nazi super-bomber in 1940 (in the JSA origin story) it's entirely possible that the request could have been made earlier.

While the aircraft didn't fly until 1946 in our reality, with design input from the genius of Terry Sloane, engines fettled by Pat Dugan, and (possibly) a bit of Nth Metal reinforcing the airframe, it's not impossible that a modified protoype might have taken to the air in late 1942 on the Squadron's world. And since I'd been responsible for destroying the Squadrons previous plane in issue #129, I thought I really ought to provide a replacement...

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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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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 3/24/2022

One of the great all time in battle covers by John Buscema gets a great John Watson treatment here! Their enemies are just as vile as the red army they were fighting before!

Aidan (Re-Legion ) Lacy
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 4/12/2022

John did a phenominal job here

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