All-Star Squadron #34

All-Star Squadron #34 (June 1984)
title: "The Wrath of Tsunami!"
writer/editor: Roy Thomas
penciller: Rick Hoberg
inker: Bill Collins
letterer: Cody
colorist: Gene D'Angelo
letter column: Roy Thomas
cover: Rick Hoberg & Jerry Ordway

Order of Appearance: Red Bee, the Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, Doll Man, the Ray, Black Condor, Uncle Sam 

Other Stars:  Firebrand, Johnny Quick, Neptune Perkins, the Spectre, Hourman, Starman, Liberty Belle

Opponents:
Japanese Imperial Navy (on two worlds), Tsunami, Baron Blitzkrieg

Overall Summary: 
The All-Star Squadron are involved in would-be invasions of Santa Barbara, CA on TWO worlds, as the Spectre fights to keep them from smashing into each other!   

Plot Summary:
On their Earth, Firebrand, Johnny Quick, and Neptune Perkins are chasing after a submarine that they saw off the California coast. Neptune dives deep and finds that the sub is, in fact, Japanese. Johnny impetuously follows him, and they both end up captured. Instead of pursuing them, Firebrand goes back to Perkins' house-boat in order to try to get some additional assistance. 

The Spectre is in the ether between their world and Earth-X, trying to keep the two worlds from combining and destroying both. 

On Earth-X, Baron Blitzkrieg is still gloating to the Freedom Fighters on a deck of a Japanese Destroyer. The Baron is showing off his hostage, Hourman, strapped to one of the Destroyer's giant gun barrels. The Freedom Fighters are confused, because they were told by Uncle Sam that Hourman had died nearly three months ago. Uncle Sam also notices that Hourman is sweating profusely. 

The Ray rides a sunbeam into Baron Blitzkrieg, and the Fighters take on the Imperial Navy. When Phantom Lady inadvertently blinds the Baron with her black-light ray, he goes crazy (due to an earlier incident when he was temporarily blinded.) 

The Human Bomb attempts to knock out the Baron, but in his hysteria the Baron accidentally catches the Human Bomb and tosses him into his friends, knocking them all out. Then the Baron himself knocks out Phantom Lady. Red Bee is unaccounted for.

As the Freedom Fighters are being taken away by the Japanese Navy, the Baron releases Hourman and beats him soundly. 

Back on Earth 2, the Imperial Navy attacks the oil fields in Santa Barbara, but they are protected by Starman's gravity rod. Liberty Belle, Firebrand, and Starman attack the submarine, freeing Johnny and Neptune. Then a stray shot by one of the Japanese seamen hits a tank of some kind, and the submarine explodes. 

Liberty Belle rises to the surface of the water with a wounded Johnny Quick, and as they hover on a buoy, Tsunami attacks! 

The Spectre is still in the ether between their world and Earth-X, and is now struggling mightily to keep the two worlds from combining and destroying both. 

Review: 

Let's start with the good stuff: the art by Rick Hoberg and Bill Collins is great! Each character is individualistic and easy to recognize. The art is by far the best part of the issue. Roy Thomas, as the writer, turns in another verbose and overly produced script. But aren't we all used to that by now? 

I don't particularly care for this installment in this story-line, mostly for the way the Freedom Fighters' story doesn't progress. This time out it is mostly the All-Star Squadron's time in the spotlight, which is fine in theory, but to me Liberty Belle, Johnny Quick, Neptune Perkins, and Firebrand are just not as interesting as the Freedom Fighters. Unfortunately, they are only featured on FOUR pages this issue (the four reprinted above and one would-be splash page). And Starman, who is one of my favorites, is only featured on ONE page. 

With that in mind, it's not surprising that most of the individual Freedom Fighters don't get a moment to shine. The Ray shows his bravery and mastery of his abilities by attacking Baron Blitzkrieg via a light-ray, but that is the highlight of their encounter. Phantom Lady's black-light ray merely distracts Baron Blitzkrieg. And call me cynical, but as soon as that attack occurred, I couldn't help thinking, "So that is why the Baron is here, because of his hysterical fear of being blinded." Talk about plot contrivances! 

Also, I have a HUGE complaint about how Roy portrays my favorite Freedom Fighter, the Human Bomb. Not only does he get stopped by a hysterical blind man, but when he is tossed at his friends by said blind man, he doesn't know enough to cover his hand with his body?!? This is amateurism and I don't like it. 

Likewise, I'm not a fan of the heavy-handedness with which Roy foreshadows what I'm sure is going to happen next issue. Here are the clues, and let's see if you come to the same conclusion I do. Exhibit A: Phantom Lady feels sorry for her erstwhile team-mate, Red Bee. Exhibit B: Red Bee does nothing useful in this story. Exhibit C: Red Bee is missing from the Freedom Fighter round-up by the Baron. And Exhibit D: "For Twin Earths to Live, One All-Star Must Die!" Wanna guess who my money is on? 

As for the majority of the story, it seems slow moving and, dare I say it, dull. It takes five whole pages for the Japanese Navy to capture Johnny Quick and Neptune Perkins? And then do we really need two plus pages to recount the based-on-fact story of how US oil workers laughed at Captain Kizo Nishino when he fell on a cactus? And a page of Baron Blitzkrieg slapping Hourman around, and telling us that he is a Miraclo addict? (How the Baron would know Hourman's real name and what his situation is, and what Red Bee's name is, is beyond me.) These are all great examples of why Writer Roy Thomas should not have been his own editor! 

I won't say anything about the Spectre, who is in the same predicament he was in last issue, with no change in his circumstances whatsoever. Ho-hum. 

I'll end this issue's review on a positive note: the cover to this issue is simply wonderful. The inking by Jerry Ordway on the waves is just fantastic.   

Phantom Lady Moment 

Phantom Lady incapacitates Baron Blitzkrieg!  

The Ray Moment

The Ray rides a sunbeam straight to Baron Blitzkrieg. Nice!! 

Worst Moment

The Human Bomb couldn't move his hand 

so that it wouldn't touch the floor of the Destroyer? 

Come ON!!  

Freedom of Information

• No Freedom Fighter appears on the cover of this story. 

The Freedom Fighters

assembled by Len Wein