All-Star Squadron homage to X-Men #82

Latest of my All-Star Squadron continuation commissions --- issue #88, homaging the cover to X-Men #82, which reprinted the Roy Thomas-written issue #34 (I wanted to use the reprint cover as it, unlike the original, has a speech bubble and an additional caption). Mike Collins, the artist, outdid himself on this one, so I've scanned the entire page including the surrounds (and my credit as 'editor', which amused me) rather than just the cover image.

In story terms - several of the All-Stars head for the West Coast for a war bond rally and to consider whether a West Coast branch of the team needs to be established. Touring an aircraft production facility, the heroes are shocked when a huge robot in the form of a Japanese samurai attacks the plant, directed by an image of the Dragon King! Although they battle valiantly, the heroes are defeated and carried away by the robot - but not before Miss America sends a distress signal back to the Perisphere.

To be concluded in All-Star Squadron Annual #5 (though at present rates that will probably not appear until next year - sorry to leave you on a cliff-hanger).

And just to note that the Samuroid has two sources - one, obviously, is the original Samuroids from Flash #180-181, who weren't robots (or not exactly) but who had a connection via their creator to World War 2 --- so it seemed to me not impossible that on Earth 2 the Imperial Japanese might have designed a giant robot in the same form; and the second inspiration was Roy Thomas' idea that, had he gone ahead with his alternate-universe plan in which the Axis started to win the war, the West Coast might have been attacked by either a Godzilla-esque monster (which is what he used in "Anthem"), or ... a giant robot.

... and it all came together.