All-Star Squadron Annual #9, homage to What If? issue #9 (second series)

Latest "Continuation Project" commission - All-Star Squadron Annual # 9, art by Bambos Georgiou, based as always on the cover of a comic written, plotted or scripted by Roy Thomas, in this case What If? #9 (second series) original art by Rich Buckler and Sam DeLaRosa.

Title: "Nothing To Fear, But Fear Itself..."

Story: President Roosevelt awakens, on the worst day of his life - the funeral of the Justice Society of America! Writing in his diary, he recalls what led to this day: persuaded by the War Department that the JSA 's recent mission to deliver food to starving patriots in Occupied Europe (All-Star Comics#14 and All-Star Squadron Annual #6) meant that the heroes could be temporarily protected from the influence of the Spear Of Destiny and the Grailstone, FDR authorised a surgical strike on Japan, to be carried out by the current nine members of the JSA, together with founding members Green Lantern and the Flash, and Hawkgirl, who insisted on accompanying Hawkman.

However, the Grailstone's sphere of influence proved to be more powerful than expected, and despite the magical protection field conjured by the Spectre and Doctor Fate, and reinforced from afar by Zatara, Sargon, Ibis, Tor, Merlin and Doctor Occult, the heroes were affected before they reached Japan. Trying to avoid falling under the control of the Japanese, the team attempted to flee, only to be killed by the ensorcelled Spectre, who then destroyed himself in remorse.

The President attends the memorial service for the fallen heroes, in the company of most members of the All-Star Squadron, including the team's surviving co-chairs Liberty Belle, Uncle Sam, and Spy Smasher. After the funeral, Roosevelt retires to his bedroom in the White House and, blaming himself for the tragedy, prepares to take his own life. But...

...at the last minute, Spy Smasher breaks in and restrains him! Snapping FDR from his near-trance, Spy Smasher explains that the White House has been attacked by agents of Prince Daka, who had stolen a prototype fear gas from the abandoned laboratory of Jonathan Crane, the villainous Scarecrow, imprisoned after his clash with Batman in World's Finest Comics #3.

Luckily the break-in and theft had been discovered by one of Crane's distant relatives (actually Robotman, secretly Robert Crane), and he and Spy Smasher has tracked down the Japanese agents, but just too late to stop them launching their fear-gas shells by mortar at the White House. While the heroes don't know what hallucinations the President saw, they were in time to stop him from killing himself.

Later, with the heroes departed, Roosevelt makes a decision - although he now knows that what he saw wasn't real, he can't take the risk that any of the JSA or All-Star Squadron might come under the influence of either the Spear Of Destiny or the Grailstone, so he signs an order forbidding any mystery-man to enter Axis-controlled territory without the explicit permission of the President himself.

Another great piece of art by Bambos, building on a fairly obscure What If? cover - but one which I think works really well. Hope you agree!