From: scotth@cyberspace (Scott Hollifield)
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Subject: Golden Age Annotations 4.1
Date: 17 Apr 1994 20:17:40 GMT
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Annotations For
_The Golden Age_
Version 4.0
Written by Scott Hollifield
(scotth@cyberspace.net)
General notes:
THE GOLDEN AGE
(subtitled: A Different Look at a Different Era)
is a four-issue Elseworlds miniseries published by DC Comics, Inc.
Written by James Robinson
Illustrated by Paul Martin
Colored by Richard Ory
Lettered by John Costanza
Copyright 1993 DC Comics.
There are no page numbers in THE GOLDEN AGE. Each book is 48 pages. The
story itself is 45 pages in Books One and Two, 44 pages in Book Three, and 46
pages in Book Four. The page numbers given here are counted by using the
first page of the *story* as page 1.
An awful lot of this file is used to point out where THE GOLDEN AGE differs with
previously established DC universe continuity. Just so you know, yes, THE
GOLDEN AGE is an Elseworlds story, meaning that it's not bound by continuity,
but a good bit of it *does* use past continuity, and so I thought I'd point out
which of it is, and which of it isn't.
A lot of the continuity for the Golden Age characters was created by Roy Thomas,
in ALL-STAR SQUADRON (as well as its successor, YOUNG ALL-STARS, and its
companion book, INFINITY, INC.). Thomas' affection and dedication to the
characters and their histories was extremely apparent in those stories, and he
did an enormous amount of research in not only tying up various inconsistencies
that existed with the characters, but in also placing them in a consistent World
War II historical context. DC has chosen to ignore a lot of what Thomas
was single-handedly responsible for doing, notably the creation of new All-Stars
like Amazing-Man and the female Firebrand (not to mention the entire lineup of
the Young All-Stars, of whom only non-Thomas creations Dyna-Mite and Tigress are
seen here), so sometimes it seems, to me anyway, as if Thomas has a rather
thankless footnote in comics history, particularly given the low interest of
Golden Age characters by modern readers. (Note: A new Amazing-Man, related
to the first, is being introduced in JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA as I write this, so
maybe there's hope.) There is so much that Thomas did to breathe life into
those characters, that you're going to see a lot of references to his writing in
this file. Still, I'm happy that James Robinson acknowledged Thomas' work
as much as he did (the marriage of Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, the
prominence of heroes like Robotman and Tarantula, who were quite obscure
pre-Thomas, Hourman's addition to Miraclo, etc.). Given that the final
roster of the All-Star Squadron listed fifty-two heroes, including three that
never appeared with them and six others who did nothing but attend one of their
meetings, there's a *lot* of ground to cover in handling the Golden Age; Thomas
managed a lot of it, and Robinson takes a good-sized swipe at it. However,
in the true style of Roy Thomas, who valued *continuity* almost as much as he
did storytelling, I don't hesitate to point out examples where the visions of
the two men differ.
In other words, you've been warned!
BOOK ONE
--------
Page 4
Heroes pictured are:
(flying) Black Condor, Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt, Johnny Quick
(foreground) Captain Triumph, Plastic Man, Robotman
(others seen prominently) Black Canary, Phantom Lady, Blackhawk,
Dr. Mid-Nite, Manhunter (Paul Kirk),
Vigilante, Liberty Belle,
the Guardian, Tarantula, Dr. Fate
(in background) Uncle Sam, [obscure], Doll Man, [obscure],
[unknown], [obscure], Bulletman, the Ray,
the Human Bomb,
[unknown], Sargon the Sorcerer, [obscure],
[obscure], the
Shining Knight, Captain America, Johnny
Thunder, the
Spirit/Midnight, Wildcat, [obscure],
[unknown], Mr. America,
Batman, [obscure], [obscure], [obscure].
In the above list, "[obscure]" is used to indicate the depiction of someone who
is too indistinct to be intended as anyone recognizable. "[Unknown]" is used to
indicate someone who is clearly supposed to be somebody, but somebody whose
identity I can't discern.
The use of Captain America is obviously an in-joke of sorts, since he is
probably the most prominent Golden Age superhero whose adventures were not
published by DC, with the arguable exception of Captain Marvel.
Bulletman's appearance is purposely obscure, since DC is not allowed to use this
character anymore.
Batman's appearance is also obscure for a reason; the Golden Age Batman no
longer exists in DC history thanks to the Crisis on Infinite Earths, but Paul
Smith evidently felt it a good idea to acknowledge his significance anyway.
The Spirit is a creation of Will Eisner, who produced the character's stories
for Quality Comics, among other companies. DC isn't allowed to use the
character, since it remains owned by Eisner, but they are allowed to use
Midnight, a virtual double of the Spirit also created by Eisner, but who is now
owned by DC. Roy Thomas used the Midnight character as a homage to Eisner
in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #31-32. (There appears to be some debate as to
whether or not Eisner created Midnight. Any information on this is especially
welcome.)
Page 5
The Atom was never depicted as being this short in comparison with the other
heroes. If he is 5'2" or 5'3", as has been said in other stories, then all
of the others in this picture are well over six feet tall, not implausible in
the world of superheroes.
The Flash's chest emblem appears here as it did in his first appearance, in
FLASH COMICS #1--a fully-drawn lightning bolt in the middle of his chest.
In later Golden Age stories, the lightning bolt became "tucked" into the Flash's
belt, so that it was only partially visible. (Most, if not all, of the
Flash's depictions in ALL-STAR SQUADRON reproduce him this way, and it is a
style altered further with his recent appearances in FLASH, JUSTICE SOCIETY OF
AMERICA and JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA.)
This is not the first depiction of the JSA on the cover of LIFE magazine.
They also were shown on the cover of the magazine in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #7,
although under different circumstances (the headline was "JSA Disbands/America's
Masked Heroes Join The Army"). (The All-Star Squadron were also given a
magazine cover, albeit that of TIME, in issue #45 of that book.)
The membership of the JSA as pictured here is not entirely consistent with DC
history. For one thing, Starman and Hourman were never in the group at the
same time until the 1960s, the former being a replacement for the latter in
ALL-STAR COMICS #8.
It is uncertain whether all of the criminals mentioned in these news articles
are from actual DC stories. The only ones which are established beyond any
doubt are Rag Doll and the Brain Wave (whose name is incorrectly spelled as one
word here); others who may or may not be new creations are Mr. Fingers, the
Theatre-Blade, the Spoiler and someone whose name is cut off the page (we see
the letters "Bootsy" which may or may not be the whole name). Mr. Fingers
is likely not a true Golden Age character given his rather risque modus
operandi.
Page 10
Tex Thompson, the Americommando, was an obscure Golden Age hero whose adventures
were published in ACTION COMICS. He first appeared without superhero
trappings, merely as Tex Thompson, in ACTION #1 (which, in addition to Superman
and Zatara, also featured the even-more-obscure Pep Morgan, Chuck Dawson, and
Scoop Scanlon). He became the costumed hero known as Mr. America in ACTION
#33. His stories switched from domestic adventure to anti-Nazi fighting
abroad in ACTION #52, when his name was changed to the Americommando. His
last appearance in ACTION is issue #74 (September 1942?). He would remain
unseen for over forty years until Roy Thomas brought him back in ALL-STAR
SQUADRON #31 (which also featured appearances by many other obscure wartime
heroes). The beginning of Thompson's secret mission and the transition between
identities was documented in SECRET ORIGINS #29, and retold in YOUNG ALL-STARS
#27.
Page 11
Otto Frentz ("the dreaded Parsifal") is an entirely new creation. He will be
discussed more thoroughly later in the book.
The Army private in the theater here is Bob Daley, who fought crime as "Fatman",
Mr. America's sidekick. In the original 1940s adventures, Bob Daley
apparently goes to Germany along with Thompson (confirm?), as the two become
known as the "Americommandos". However, in YOUNG ALL-STARS story (and in
the SECRET ORIGINS story?), Daley/Fatman remains behind (saying, "You gonna miss
your old crimebusting pard while you're behind enemy lines?").
Page 13
This is Paul Kirk, the hero known as Manhunter (created by Joe Simon and Jack
Kirby). His adventures appeared in ADVENTURE COMICS beginning with #73,
and ran through #92 (Simon and Kirby's last issue was #80). Walt Simonson
brought the character back with a new costume and logo blurb ("He Stalks The
World's Most Dangerous Game!") in DETECTIVE COMICS #437-443. His full
origin, and how he related to the other two heroes called Manhunter (Dan
Richards and Mark Shaw) was told in SECRET ORIGINS
#22.
Paul Kirk's presence in Germany is consistent with his background as established
in DETECTIVE COMICS, where he was revealed to have gone on secret missions
behind enemy lines.
Page 14
The President here is Harry S Truman. The men seated behind him are
General Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Douglas McArthur.
Page 15
This is Johnny Chambers, aka Johnny Quick. In his original stories (in
MORE FUN COMICS #76-97) and in appearances in ALL-STAR SQUADRON, Chambers was a
photo-journalist; his transition to being a maker of documentaries here is new.
Johnny's use of the term "mystery men" was created by Roy Thomas in ALL-STAR
SQUADRON to replace the word "superheroes", which was both ahead of its time and
mostly inappropriate in the '40s.
Page 16
The "Senator Hughes" mentioned here doesn't appear to have an established
precedent.
The shot at the bottom of the page may be of the original Vigilante, a
western-flavored hero who fought contemporary Nazis and criminals in the '40s,
and was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.
Page 17
The Flash's retirement is pushed a couple of years or more ahead here, for the
sake of the story. In established DC history, Jay Garrick retired in 1949,
the same year his series was cancelled. He did marry his girlfriend, Joan
Williams, around this time, although I'm uncertain an actual reference date
exists for this event.
Carter Hall, the original Hawkman, is the reincarnated form of an Egyptian
prince named Prince Khufu. His obsession with the idea and potential
insanity, as told in Johnny's comments here, are new; in current, post-Crisis DC
history, Carter Hall went on to found the Justice League of America in the
1960s.
Mr. Terrific's implied dirty dealings here are also new.
Johnny Quick's separation from his wife, Libby (Liberty Belle), mentioned here,
is consistent with established DC history. Married in 1942 (ALL-STAR
SQUADRON #50), the couple were prime examples of volatile, impulsive
personalities, and it's very easy to see how their marriage may have been
premature. In the most recent JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA series, Johnny
resurfaced in the '90s as a fitness corporation executive and revealed to others
that he and Libby had been divorced for some time. They had one child, a
daughter named Jesse who inherited her dad's super-speed. (Jesse was
depicted as being in her early '20s, which would seem inconsistent, on the face
of it, with Johnny and Libby divorcing in the '40s--until we realize that we're
talking about comic book time.)
Page 18
The Spear of Destiny, mentioned here, was an example of retroactive continuity
used by Roy Thomas in ALL-STAR SQUADRON, to explain why the more powerful heroes
never ganged up and won World War II on their own. The Spear was a mystic
object of great power which, in legend, was used by a Roman soldier to stab
Jesus of Nazareth while he hung on the cross. The subject of numerous
books, the Spear made its first comics appearance in WEIRD WAR TALES #50, and is
first wielded by Hitler against superheroes in a Justice Society story from DC
SUPER-SPECIAL #29. In ALL-STAR SQUADRON, it was used to place an invisible
field around Nazi-occupied territory that caused any magically-powered superhero
that crossed it to fall under Hitler's sway. This field affected not only
most of the era's most powerful heroes who coincidentally happened to be magical
in nature (Wonder Woman, the Spectre, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern and Captain
Marvel), but also Superman, whose particular weakness to magic is a longtime
part of continuity. (Japan's General Tojo held the Spear's counterpart, the Holy
Grail, which had the same effect on Axis-held territory in Asia and the
Pacific.) The Spear was also used by Hitler in an attempt to bring about
Ragnarok and thus end the world, as seen in THE LAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY
#1. Still, as good a plot device as it was, the presence of Spear still failed
to explain the inaction of NON-magical heroes like the Flash and Starman, who
were powerful nonetheless. In this story, the Spear of Destiny is made out
to be a hoax, to hide the truth about a more plausible (but potentially
controversial) explanation, that a German superhuman named Parsifal had the
ability to cancel the powers of *any* super-powered hero.
In this alternate reality, Tex Thompson's public acclaim indirectly moved the
other heroes to give up their costumed identities soon after the war, but in the
mainstream DC universe, the JSA stayed together as a group until 1951.
Page 19
The depiction of Green Lantern's power ring as a miniature "lantern" is
relatively new; I don't think it was represented as such until the late '80s, at
the earliest.
Alan Scott's position as president/owner of the Gotham Broadcasting Company is
an established part of DC history, although he wasn't shown to be so until
stories that took place some considerable time after the war. (GBC is also
the familiar abbreviation of another media outfit, the Galaxy Broadcasting
Company, which appeared prominently in the Superman books starting in the early
'70s.) GBC's employees' problems with HUAC are new, though understandable
given the timeframe.
Page 21
The description of costumed heroes' role after the war is comparable to that in
Alan Moore's WATCHMEN, where the heroes felt a similar mood of despair and
irrelevance at this time in history.
Page 23
This is Libby Lawrence, the heroine known as Liberty Belle. Her original
Golden Age adventures appeared in BOY COMMANDOS #1-2 and in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS
#20-68. Her prominent role here is clearly due to Roy Thomas' significant
use of her in ALL-STAR SQUADRON, where she became leader of that group.
The man Libby is living with is Jonathan Law, aka Tarantula. His original
adventures were told in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #1-19, although he wore a garish
purple-and-yellow costume which would later be adapted for the Golden Age
Sandman. (Roy Thomas told the story behind the similar costumes in
ALL-STAR SQUADRON #18.) In most of his All-Star Squadron appearances, he
wore a new brown-and-black costume designed by Jerry Ordway; his costume here is
a new adaptation based on the same scheme. Roy Thomas also changed his name to
Jonathan Law, whereas in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS, he was merely known as John Law.
Jonathan Law's trophies here reflect an interest in safari adventuring which is
a new element of the character.
His book about super-heroes, mentioned here, was _Altered Egos_ (subtitled _The
Star-Spangled Super-Heroes of World War II_), in which Law documented the
origins and exploits of a number of wartime heroes. (This was used occasionally
as a framing plot device to introduce a new telling of a particular hero's
origin story in ALL-STAR SQUADRON.) THE GOLDEN AGE conflicts with
established DC history here, though, by having Law's book as already published;
in mainstream continuity, _Altered Egos_ was not published until the 1970s.
(THE GOLDEN AGE also changes the title of Law's book, as seen in issue #3.)
As part of his agreement with the heroes in the book, Law promised not to
publish the book until each of them had retired, so as not to endanger their
secret identities.
Page 24
In his original adventures, Jonathan Law was a mystery writer, and in ALL-STAR
SQUADRON, he is implied to be something of a hack. This is consistent here
with his inability to make progress on writing "the great American novel".
Page 25
This is the first indication of Thompson's plan of creating a new superhero for
the post-war atomic age.
Pages 26-28
This is Robotman, whose adventures appeared in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #7-82 and
DETECTIVE COMICS #138-202. Originally a human scientist named Robert
Crane, he was shot by gangsters and had his brain transplanted into an
experimental robot body by his assistant, Chuck Grayson. On occasion, he
disguised himself as a human and called himself Paul Dennis. In
STAR-SPANGLED #15, Robotman was put on trial in order to determine his humanity,
and was declared human; this story was expanded and retold in ALL-STAR SQUADRON
#13. Robotman's brain was eventually given a human host, the
cryogenically-preserved body of the deceased Chuck Grayson, in DC COMICS
PRESENTS #31. Working solely from the ALL-STAR appearances, however, his
evolution to a non-feeling machine here is nearly consistent; during his last
major story with the All-Star Squadron, Robotman became increasingly
antagonistic towards the human race, as he protected his "beloved" robot
companion Mekanique (secretly a villain seeking to rule the world). This
disillusionment could possibly have evolved into the Robotman we see here given
the appropriate circumstances. Robotman's somewhat stunted speech pattern
here is evidently the result of talking to virtually no one for so long; in
previous stories, his speech, was, of course, perfectly human.
Page 30
The Atom was always plain-spoken, but his speech patterns here are noticeably
less articulate than his previous appearances.
The newly-manifested superstrength he mentions here is part of established
history, having appeared for the first time in 1947 (causing the Atom to don a
new, more traditional super-hero costume in ALL-AMERICAN COMICS #42). In
ALL-STAR SQUADRON, Roy Thomas explained the Atom's superstrength as being a
delayed effect of exposure to the radioactive super-criminal Cyclotron in 1942.
Page 31
The "accents of the scientists" (presumably German, judging from the name of one
of them, Von Lowe) is the first indication that Tex Thompson has a secret agenda
behind the one he's promoting to the public.
Page 33
As Hourman, Rex Tyler's problems with the Miraclo pill are a contemporary part
of his continuity. In ALL-STAR SQUADRON, Miraclo was shown to be
addictive, so Hourman stopped using the pills, instead resorting to a less
effective but safer "Miraclo ray". Even his final Miraclo formula wasn't
completely safe, having given cancer to his son Rick (the second Hourman), as
revealed in the recent JUSTICE SOCIETY series.
Tyler Chemicals is also an established part of Hourman's past, having been
originally named Bannerman Chemicals until Rex Tyler bought it.
The Icicle is an established supervillain, although his arch-nemesis was Green
Lantern, not Hourman. The Icicle went on to join the Injustice Society,
which fought the JSA as a group, Hourman included. The Gambler and the
Mist were also established villains; their arch-foes were Green Lantern and
Starman, respectively. (Like the Icicle, the Gambler was a member of the
Injustice Society.)
Pages 35-37
The history of Ted Knight, a.k.a. Starman, is significantly different here than
previously established. Prior to this story, Ted Knight was only an
amateur astronomer, having mostly lucked into unleashing the power of the
Gravity Rod (later called the Cosmic Rod). Roy Thomas depicted him as an
ordinary wealthy debutante who began fighting crime because he was bored with
his decadent life. Ted Knight's genius as a theoretician, his role in the
invention of the atom bomb, and his relationship with Einstein are all new here.
(The mention of Einstein's name may be intended to replace the original
scientific mind behind the Gravity Rod, Professor Abraham Davis, from ALL-STAR
SQUADRON #41.) Ted Knight's psychiatric problems here are also new, of
course.
Page 44
Daniel Dunbar was Dan the Dyna-Mite, the sidekick to an obscure Golden Age hero
named TNT. Their adventures were recorded in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #7-23,
and were brought back for a cameo in ALL-STAR SQUADRON. (They also made
way-out-of-continuity appearances in SUPER FRIENDS and SUPERMAN FAMILY.)
Roy Thomas used Dan more extensively in YOUNG ALL-STARS; Dan joined the group
after TNT was killed in the first issue of that title. (It was probably
this recent prominence that led James Robinson to utilize Dan for this story.)
Page 45
Among Dan's trophies and souvenirs is a baseball autographed by Wally Pip.
Pipp is known mostly as the player replaced in the New York Yankees by Lou
Gehrig. Mark Coale speculates that this could symbolize the fact that Dan
himself is a historical footnote in the story, or that, since this is an
Elseworlds story, Pipp may have been a bigger star than Gehrig.
BOOK TWO
--------
Page 1
Some time has passed since last issue. Johnny Chambers' mystery man
documentary, _Masks_, is finished, when, in Book One, it had the working title
_Yesterday's Gods_.
Page 3
The Atom appearing unmasked and uncostumed here is slightly curious, considering
he never publicly revealed his Al Pratt identity to the public. Presumably,
Thompson's idea is to avoid association with the traditional masked superheroes
(and their costumes) that the public is already familiar with.
Thompsons remarks to the crowd about Robotman are ironic considering what we saw
of Robotman last issue.
Page 5
Libby comments that the Atom was too young and volatile to have been trusted
with the secret identities of the other JSAers. This is unlikely
considering how close-knit the JSA seemed to be, although the tone of the
original 1940s tales did not lend itself to personal conversation about each
others identities. The Atom *did* participate in such a tale-swapping
session in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #2, in which he, Liberty Belle, Johnny Quick,
Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Robotman and Plastic Man all shared origin stories with
one another. The Atom's characterization has been altered somewhat for
this story; while he was headstrong, he was never deemed untrustworthy or
unreliable in a previous story.
Jonathan Law's statement to Libby that "it was your husband that everyone went
to with their secrets" is also strange, since it was Law himself who collected
the secrets of other heroes for his book. If anything, Johnny Quick was
more hot-tempered and volatile than the Atom, as depicted in ALL-STAR SQUADRON.
Like most of the vices depicted in this story, Law's drinking habit is new.
Page 6
Ted Knight erects a theory that the cosmic radiation he tapped in 1939 was
responsible for physically and psychologically causing certain people to become
costumed heroes. While James Robinson may have chosen to make this a valid
idea in this story, it would be inaccurate in DC history, since there were a
number of costumed heroes around before 1939 (including Doctor Occult, Zatara
and the Crimson Avenger).
Page 9-14
The Sportsmaster was a foe of Green Lantern during the '40s, consistent with
what is seen here (although his first appearance was as the non-costumed villain
"Crusher" Crock). He was also a member of the Injustice Society. The
personal details about his ex-wife and daughter are new. In DC continuity,
he eventually married a fellow Injustice Society member, the Huntress, who
appears later in this story.
Page 19
The man trying to gain entrance to Al Pratt's office is Johnny Thunder. His
magic word, "Cei-U", is pronounced "say you".
Page 20
Johnny's talk about visiting Tibet, the land where he was born, is partially
made up. In DC history, Johnny was born in a fictitious Asian land called
Bahdnesia, and it was there where he was awarded possession of the powerful
Thunderbolt. Al's remark about the JSA "putting up" with Johnny is based
in past continuity; Johnny always did stick out, not having any real powers or
costume of his own. In JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #220, Johnny mentions that he
seemed like a fifth wheel in the group, and felt even more useless when the JSA
replaced him with Black Canary.
In mainstream continuity, Johnny Thunder had lost most of his control over the
Thunderbolt in 1947, due to a hex placed on him by a Bahdnesian shaman (as
revealed in SUPERMAN FAMILY #204 and rectified in that same story).
Al Pratt is sketching the design for his new costume, which appeared about this
time (see Book One, page 30). His previous one is seen here hanging up.
Page 21
Dan's power manifestation of slamming his fists together at the bottom of the
page is no doubt intended as an acknowledgement of his previous power, which
worked the same way. In his original adventures with TNT, the two heroes
each wore a ring that, when slammed together, produced a bomb-type explosive
blast. After TNT was killed, Dan retrieved the other ring and discovered
that he could wear both of them, one on each hand, and produce an explosion by
slamming them together. Apparently, as Dynaman, Dan's new explosive power is not
dependent on any rings.
Page 23
Dan's words to the crowd about America needing "supermen" as opposed to shadowy
mystery men is a central theme to the book: the transition from pulp-style
crimefighters who did their work in darkness, like Batman and Dr. Mid-Nite, to
gaudy colorful heroes whose motives were clearer. Two prominent Golden Age
heroes, the Sandman and Crimson Avenger, actually made a switch from the one
style to the other, changing costumes and acquiring sidekicks.
Page 25-26
The blond-haired man is Lance Gallant, aka Captain Triumph, a hero who appeared
in Quality's CRACK COMICS in the '40s. His gimmick is pretty accurately
described on page 26: by touching the T-shaped birthmark on his wrist, he could
combine with the spirit of his dead twin brother Michael and become the
super-strong Captain Triumph. DC bought the rights to Captain Triumph
along with all the other Quality Comics heroes, although he was never really
used as a character in a story. The closest example was in ANIMAL MAN #7, when
Animal Man encountered an aged supervillain named the Red Mask, who told of
fighting Captain Triumph in a flashback. (I'm uncertain whether or not the
Red Mask, or his partner The Veil, actually appeared in any Captain Triumph
story; does anyone know?) The Red Mask tells Animal Man that Captain
Triumph had "the personality of a deck chair", which is not entirely
inconsistent with his portrayal here. Roy Thomas intended on using the
character in ALL-STAR SQUADRON, but never got the chance. He appeared
partially on the cover of that series' first issue, however, and eventually was
officially counted as part of the group's roster, in WHO'S WHO UPDATE '87, even
though he never actually appeared in a story with them.
The woman is Joan Dale, a Quality Comics heroine named Miss America. She was
first used by DC in ALL-STAR SQUADRON, as a part of a retconned "prototype"
lineup of the Freedom Fighters who were recruited by Uncle Sam, taken to the
parallel world Earth-X, and all killed while fighting Nazis in their first
battle. Unlike the other members of this group like the Red Torpedo and
Neon the Unknown, Miss America was brought back to life in YOUNG ALL-STARS; she
was retconned to take the place in the JSA of Wonder Woman, who didn't exist as
a Golden Age character after the Crisis On Infinite Earths. Joan's
relationship with Tex Thompson is, of course, new, although their pairing makes
sense if only from a name-game standpoint, as they were known separately as Mr.
America and Miss America.
Pages 30-31
The addictiveness of Miraclo is not new (see Book One, page 33), but this is the
first time it has been seen as having psychedelic properties.
Page 32
Paula Brooks, aka the Tigress, first appeared as a foe of the Golden Age
Wildcat, although she was called the Huntress in those days. Roy Thomas
used her in some YOUNG ALL-STARS stories that took place before her criminal
career; at the time, she was written as an aggressive but generally good person.
Thomas gave her the name "Tigress" so as not to confuse her with the
then-current Huntress, who had her own series. The character also went
through a psychological change towards the end of the series that was meant to
establish the background for her impending criminal career. Her last
appearance even portends the name change, as she tells the Young All-Stars, "If
you juvenile delinquents ever see me again, I'll be a *huntress* after my own
fortune--not a non-profit do-gooder!" James Robinson chooses to continue
with the name Tigress here, although he writes her as being supposedly reformed.
In DC history, she married "Crusher" Crock, the Sportsmaster, in the late '40s,
and the two had a daughter who became a costumed criminal in the '80s named
Artemis.
Paula's picture on the bandstand, the facial portrait in her Tigress outfit,
differs from the way she was depicted in past appearances. The mask shown here
is brown, while all of her DC universe appearances, as both heroine and
villainess, were in a yellow outfit (although only her heroic "Tigress" persona
went masked).
Page 33
Paula's personal thoughts regarding Lance Gallant are consistent with her
personality as portrayed in YOUNG ALL-STARS.
BOOK THREE
----------
Page 1
The use of the term "politically correct" strikes me as an anachronism here,
although it does provoke thought as to exactly what it means. In other
words, "politically correct" is not dependent on specific politics, liberal or
conservative, but rather who has the power to enforce it. Here, it's being
used to describe a superhero who agrees with Thompson's populist anti-Communism.
Page 2
Libby Lawrence is an established journalist in previous continuity, so much so
that her fellow All-Stars recognized her from television and newspaper photos
when she unmasked. She worked as a war correspondent on the radio during
the war, and was also seen on television from time to time. She also
attainted celebrity status when she swam the English Channel to escape from
Germans at Dunkirk.
Page 3
Carter Hall is seen in panel 8, caressing the cheek of a blonde woman who is
apparently supposed to represent his fiancee/wife Shiera Sanders. (It was never
clear exactly when the two got married.) In the past, however, Shiera has
always been seen as having brown hair, not blonde.
Page 4
Joan Dale's picture appears on the cover of _Ladies Home Journal_, with the
caption "The Future Mrs. America", indicating that her engagement to Tex
Thompson is public.
Page 11
Johnny Chambers' remark to himself that his life has been such a rush, he even
forgot to kiss Libby on their wedding day, would be false if this were in
continuity; Johnny and Libby *did* kiss on the wedding altar, at the appropriate
time, as seen in the depiction of their wedding in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #50.
Page 14
James Forrestal was really U.S. Secretary of Defense in actual American history.
He was, in fact, the first man who hold the position of that name, after the War
Department was changed to the Defense Department. See also Page 19 of this
issue.
Page 15
Jonathan Law's book on costumed heroes is seen here with the title _Behind The
Mask_; in actual DC continuity, it was called _Altered Egos_, as noted
previously. Compare _Behind The Mask_ with Hollis Mason's _Under The
Hood_, in WATCHMEN.
Page 17
The caption that refers to "Joan Davis" is a mistake, as she was identified as
Joan Dale last issue. (It's possible that both names were used in the old
Quality Comics stories, as Golden Age writers weren't nearly as worried about
continuity as we are <g>, and that James Robinson got his notes mixed up.)
Page 19
Although his death in this story was arranged, Forrestal actually did commit
suicide in real life, two months after resigning from his post in 1949. As
far as I know, there was no controversy or mystery surrounding his death;
Forrestal was known to be depressed and under heavy stress. Compare to reports
of him here, which paint his mood as considerably upbeat, and his political
ambitions likewise.
Page 23
Libby's ability to flip Jonathan Law so easily isn't surprising; while Law was
an able hand-to-hand combatant, Libby, as Liberty Belle, was known to be one of
*the* most capable non-powered fighters in the All-Star Squadron. (Roy
Thomas gave her sonic powers in a issue #46 of that group's book, which I regard
as one of his few major retcon mistakes. Thankfully, Robinson doesn't
acknowledge them in this story.)
Page 29
Carter Hall's appearance, dress and attitude are fairly far removed from any
portrayal of him prior to this story.
Page 30
The friendship between Paul Kirk and Tex Thompson is new, although it makes
sense, given the similarity between the two heroes prior to contemporary
appearances.
Page 32
None of the Nazi superhumans pictured here have ever appeared before, to my
knowledge. Notice that one of them appears to be a masked Hitler-lookalike.
One of them, a masked man with a lightning bolt, could theoretically be a new
representation of Der Zyklon, a Nazi super-speedster who appeared in ALL-STAR
SQUADRON. In any case, Kirk's comment about he and Thompson killing "all
the enemy's superhumans" doesn't take into account, at least not on the surface,
unmentioned but already established DC Nazi supervillains like Baron Blitzkrieg
and the villain group Axis Amerika.
Page 34,37
Tex Thompson is revealed to be the Ultra-Humanite!
The Ultra-Humanite, before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, was regarded as an
arch-foe of the Golden Age Superman. He had the rather ambiguously-handled
super-power of being able to successfully transplant his brain into other
people's bodies, and did so to the actress Dolores Winters in ACTION COMICS #17.
The Ultra-Humanite went unseen for forty years until finally being brought back
in a JLA/JLA team-up tale (in JLA #195-197), in a new super-evolved ape body, as
leader of the Secret Society of Super-Villains. He also appeared soon
after in a SUPERMAN FAMILY Earth-2 tale set in the 1950s, where he possessed the
body of a giant ant. (A wartime story in YOUNG ALL-STARS also had Ultra
occupying the body of a tyrannosaurus rex.) In ALL-STAR SQUADRON, the
Ultra-Humanite was pitted against the Squadron while in his Delores Winters
body, the first time he was depicted as having fought other Golden Age heroes
besides Superman. The scene depicted here, then, showing him being pursued
by the Justice Society (including Black Canary) is incongruous with mainstream
continuity in that the Ultra-Humanite never fought the JSA proper until the
1980s. Apparently, since Ultra could never have been a Superman foe, the
role of his primary nemesis has been given to the JSA. (He has also been
seen in INFINITY, INC. and the most recent JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA series,
the latter of which showed him in the body of a specially evolved human male.)
The diary entry which dates the Ultra-Humanite's takeover of Delores Winters in
1942 is also at odds with DC continuity, where he took female form in those
early ACTION tales of 1938-9.
Page 38
Paula's line "It gets worse", and Lance's subsequent reaction, are harbingers of
a secret more surprising than what's been revealed at this point. This
secret is shared with other heroes behind the scenes and revealed in Book Four.
BOOK FOUR
---------
Page 2
Johnny Chamber's reference to Daniel Dunbar in panel 1 is the first overt
indication that all is not as it seems with Thompson's young protege.
Page 4
"I really have changed," says Jonathan Law, and apparently he has; note that
he's pouring out his whiskey bottles.
Page 5
Note Ted Knight's use of the phrase "Cosmic Rod", consistent with the change
from "Gravity Rod" mentioned in these annotations for Pages 35-37 of Book One.
In panel 2, another hint that Dunbar is not really Dunbar.
Page 6
Pictured in the first panel--
Background, in the air: Neon the Unknown, Black Condor
Midground, in the air (sort of): Plastic Man
Foreground, in the air: The Ray, Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt
Walking into building, from left to right, top to bottom:
Quicksilver, Batman?, the Jester, Sargon the Sorcerer, Black Canary,
Wildcat, the Flash, Stripsey, the Star-Spangled Kid, unknown (red cape),
the Guardian, Sandman, Air Wave, Mr. Terrific, the Whip, Hourman,
Phantom Lady, Zatara, Tarantula, Superman?, the Human Bomb, Crimson
Avenger
If characters like Superman and Batman were intended to appear in this picture,
the idea was undoubtedly a subtle tribute to their now non-continuity Golden Age
careers, as with the first group panel in Book One.
Quicksilver appeared not too long ago as a supporting character in FLASH, where
the character was called "Max Mercury". Apparently, DC is not allowed to
call him Quicksilver due to the prominence of Marvel's character with the same
name.
"Tubby" is Tubby Watts, Johnny Chambers' cameraman sidekick.
Johnny addresses Black Canary as "Diana", but her real name is supposed to be
Dinah, or at least it has been so for a long time. This may be a mistake,
or, as Abhijit Kale speculates, it could be a subtle reference to the Golden Age
Wonder Woman.
The man she speaks about getting married to is Larry Lance, who she did marry
about this time.
Page 7
The identity of the young hero introduced on this page is fairly significant.
More will be discussed about him later.
In the first panel on this page, the hero walking next to Doctor Mid-Nite is
Magno, the Magnetic Man. The other two, of whom all we see are boots, are
harder to peg; the one with the brown boots may be Tarantula.
In panel 3, the heroes depicted are Doll Man, Doll Girl, and two others whose
identity I'm unsure of. Going on the idea that they, like Doll Man & Girl,
are Quality Comics creations, I think the barechested man is the Quality
character Hercules, from HIT COMICS. The black-haired man with the star on
his chest may be X-5 Super Agent or USA, Spirit of Old Glory, neither of whom
I've seen pictures of before. He may also be an Eisner-created character
called Black X, who I've seen on the cover of SMASH COMICS, with a somewhat
different costume but similar hair and mustache. Information on these
characters is very welcome.
I'm of the opinion that the creators of this book wanted to make a statement by
having obscure characters like Doll Girl appear in the same panel as the young
hero getting rejected because he's not "famous" enough.
Page 8
There's a small group of villians huddled in the upper-lefthand corner of panel
3. They are the Harlequin, the second Psycho-Pirate, the Fiddler, the
Gambler, and someone I don't recognize, who appears to be an older woman wearing
a derby. I don't suppose it's unrealistic to expect a few villians to
"reform" and show up at Thompson's registration drive, especially considering
that at least once of them, the Harlequin, actually did reform and marry Green
Lantern.
I believe the appearance of the second Psycho-Pirate, with his flashy red
uniform, is somewhat of an anachronism, since he didn't actually appear until
1965, in SHOWCASE #56. (To my knowledge, the first Psycho-Pirate never
wore such an outfit.)
Note that the Atom is now wearing his new costume design.
Standing at the desk is Captain X, a character from STAR-SPANGLED COMICS.
In recent years, Captain X was revealed to be the grandfather of the young hero
called Firestorm (Ronny Raymond).
Four other Quality Comics characters are seen in the lower left, speaking with
Tarantula. They are the Red Bee, the Spider, the Red Torpedo, and
Firebrand. (Note that Roy Thomas' ALL-STAR SQUADRON introduced a new
Firebrand, sister of the original, who is never shown at all in this series.
Nor is Amazing-Man, another Thomas original.)
Speaking with Black Canary are Hawkgirl and Merry, Girl of 1000 Gimmicks.
Note that Hawkgirl's hair is now the correct color (as opposed to Book Three,
page 3), and that she has apparently removed her wings.
Paula Brooks was the appropriate choice to retrieve the Ultra-Humanite's diary,
given her cat burglar modus operandi.
Page 12
As old and hoary as the idea of saving Hitler's brain is, it almost makes a kind
of sense given the Ultra-Humanite's gimmick of brain transference, although
Ultra has never been seen using this ability with others than himself.
This revelation means that the "real" Dunbar probably died in the "operation"
mentioned in Book Two, page 8, which Thompson had assured him was merely "a few
internal tests". In other words, Dunbar's brain was replaced by Hitler's
two weeks before the desert project that created Dynaman; Daniel Dunbar never
got to experience having the new powers.
The Golden Age Blue Beetle appears on this page, in all three of the group
panels. To my reckoning, he is the only character in this series who was
not owned in the '40s by either DC or Quality Comics (with the exception of the
cameos on page 6 of Book One). Blue Beetle's wartime adventures were
published by Fox Publishing, and ownership of the character had passed to
Charlton Comics in the 1960s.
Page 18-19
The behavior of Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt is a little puzzling, at least,
because the Thunderbolt is supposed to have an absolute prohibition on killing.
In other words, technically, the Thunderbolt should flatly refuse Johnny's
command to kill Hourman, rather than experience the confusion he does.
However, the Thunderbolt *has* been known to compromise this taboo once before,
in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #220; while taking orders from the evil Earth-1
Johnny Thunder, the Thunderbolt refrains from killing anyone but appears to be
finally about to knuckle under after a while.
The Thunderbolt's questioning, "Stop him? Who him?" on page 18 is related
to his literal-minded nature. The Thunderbolt tends to carry out Johnny's
orders as literally as possible, and can't do any decision-making on his own
regarding ambiguous commands.
Page 19
Hourman's remark about Dunbar's body and brain needing to be transformed
simultaneously would seem to contradict the two-week gap between the two, again
from Book Two, page 8. It's possible that the "internal tests" done on
Dunbar were merely that, to verify the compatability of Dunbar's body.
The sword-wielding character in the final panel of this page is the Gay Ghost,
later renamed the Grim Ghost for obvious reasons. He appeared in SENSATION
COMICS beginning with the very first issue. (This character has also been
incorrectly identified as the Gray Ghost in some sources, including the
Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.)
Page 21
I'm uncertain who the rather simple-costumed hero in the upper left of panel 4
is supposed to be.
Page 25
The Human Bomb is apparently the first hero to be outright killed by Dynaman.
At least some of the deaths of these characters must be out of continuity, such
as Dr. Mid-Nite, who has appeared recently with the Justice Society.
However, the post-war fates of heroes like Doll Man and Tarantula are unknown,
and it is possible that they died during the Golden Age, although perhaps not
like this. (It's been pointed out that we didn't really see Dr. Mid-Nite
die here, but my opinion is that he's about to, given his precarious position
and the context of the deaths of the other heroes on this page.)
The caption about the Red Bee's "dream" of dying, seven years ago, is a
reference to ALL-STAR SQUADRON #35, a pre-Crisis story in which the Red Bee was
killed by Baron Blitzkrieg. However, if this is January 1950 (the date on
Alan Scott's HUAC subpeona in Book Three), then the time frame is a year off,
since the story took place in early 1942. The Red Bee's original death was
definitely retconned away by the Crisis, since the story in which it took place
centered around travel to a parallel universe (that of Earth-X).
Page 26
The caption about Hawkman being "a king" in ancient Egypt is technically
inaccurate since he supposedly died while still a prince (at the hand of
Hath-Set), although this would be consistent with Book One's reference to him as
a reincarnated "ancient pharaoh".
Page 28
Johnny Quick is shown whispering his "secret" speed formula, for the first time
in this series. Not long ago, the formula was revealed to be merely a
mantra that helped release the super-speed energies from Johnny's inner self.
Page 29
With the death of the Sportsmaster, marriage to Paula Brooks (the Tigress) which
happened in mainstream continuity, is out of the picture.
Alan Scott mutters the phrase "in brightest day, in darkest night", although
these words were attached to the Silver Age Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and *his*
oath. Alan Scott's oath did not have these words in it; instead, it went
"And I shall shed my light over dark evil, for the dark things cannot stand the
light/The light of the Green Lantern!".
Page 30
The lengths to which Robotman has been dehumanized are extensive indeed, if he
has known all along about Thompson's identity as the Ultra-Humanite.
Robotman's motivations are a little confusing in this story, particularly given
this last revelation.
Page 35
It seems like James Robinson went out of his way to ensure that every character
had a piece of the action, including Bob Daley in the last panel here.
Page 38
Dynaman wounds Green Lantern badly by hitting him with a tree; wood is the one
substance that his ring can't protect him against.
Note that unlike the other heroes, Starman has become rather paunchy, due to his
long incapacitation (although one wonders how someone would get overweight
eating food at a mental institution).
Page 39
Contrary to Ted's remark on page 5 about making a smaller "cosmic rod", the rod
he uses here is much larger than any he's used before.
Starman seemed remarkably ill-prepared for such a simple assault from Dynaman,
but I suppose he was not really up to the fight anyway despite his new
technology.
Page 42
Johnny Chamber's words about "the memory of that whole horrible day ebbing year
after year" is indicative of superhero history as a whole, in my opinion,
particularly the aftermath of the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Another timeframe anomoly: The caption here states that the year is 1955, and
Johnny mentions that it's less than a week before Christmas. If this is December
1955, then nearly six years have passed since the final battle with Dynaman, not
five.
Page 43
The identity of Ted Knight's wife is unknown; unlike most of the married Golden
Age heroes, I don't think she was ever actually seen in comics prior to this,
although that's not surprising considering that Starman's private life was
rarely referred to. In the telling of his origin in ALL-STAR SQUADRON #41,
he's seen dating a debutante named Doris Lee, but his bride here doesn't seem to
be the same sort of character. In AMERICA VS. THE JUSTICE SOCIETY #3,
Starman mentions that he retired from superheroics as a promise to his wife, and
didn't return to action until she died, placing her death just before the JSA's
re-emergence in the '60s. I don't know of any appearance of or reference
to her other than this, though.
Paul Kirk disappeared in 1951, according to this caption. In mainstream
continiuity, his time in Africa resulted in almost getting him killed by a bull
elephant, until he was rescued by the super-secret Council and placed in
suspended animation. He would resurface in 1973. (According to DC's Who's
Who, Paul Kirk went to Africa in 1946, which, of course, had to be changed to
accomodate this story.)
Alan Scott's foray into television is consistent with the real character,
although here the artist portrays him as looking a little more realistically
aged than in mainstream stories.
Page 44
Al Pratt has a Yale pennant on his wall, when in mainstream continuity, he
attended Calvin College.
Johnny Thunder's characterization really takes a beating in this story. He's
always been portrayed as not quite as bright as the other heroes, but this story
leaves the implication that he might not be reliable in the future either, which
has not been the case. In his mainstream appearances, Johnny is spacey but
dependable.
Paula Brooks' return to crime ties in with her DC Universe career path,
although, as was said earlier, she cannot marry the Sportsmaster in this
reality.
Oddly, this story implies that Johnny Quick and Libby Lawrence are back
together, but with Libby's rediscovered independence, it's entirely possible
that another split is in their future.
Page 45
Joseph McCarthy was elected to the Senate in 1946, and first publicly accused
the government of harboring communists in 1950, so his rise to prominence clicks
with the demise of Tex Thompson fairly neatly.
Johnny's remarks in panel 3 about the JSA's disbanding ("vanished into a puff of
smoke on another grey day in Washington") is a direct reference to the events
depicted in ADVENTURE COMICS #466, published in 1979 but documenting their last
case in 1951. The story explained their absence from comics from 1951 to
1963 by having them disband. Their "grey day" in Washington was a hearing
before the "Joint Congressional Un-American Activities Committee", a fictitious
committee modeled after HUAC. The committee demanded that the JSA reveal
their identities, and rather than do that, they disappeared and disbanded.
The "puff of smoke" was provided by Green Lantern's power ring.
Here, it's revealed that the young unknown hero who delivered the final punch on
Dynaman was Captain Comet. This is significant, as Captain Comet is
sometimes considered to be the first costumed hero of the Silver Age, given that
his first appearance was in June 1951 (STRANGE ADVENTURES #9). The
superhero who "officially" began the Silver Age was the second Flash, in
SHOWCASE #4, but Captain Comet preceded him by over five years. (Some
sources, such as Overstreet, don't consider the Silver Age to have officially
begun until SHOWCASE #4, and refer to 1950-1956 as the "pre-Silver Age".)
Captain Comet (real name: Adam Blake) was an "accidental mutant" who possessed
powers and abilities that would theoretically be common on Earth 100,000 years
in the future. He spent several years on Earth fighting crime and other menaces
until, succumbing to loneliness, he left for the stars. He would return
home in the 1970s to become a regular foe of the Secret Society of
Super-Villains, and, most recently, has worked with the interstellar group
called L.E.G.I.O.N.
I kind of like the fact that Tubby Watts, much maligned as a "fat" stereotypical
sidekick, was the one who snapped this undoubtedly acclaimed cover photo for
LIFE magazine.
Page 46
Since the transition between Ages is so significant to the story, here is a list
of the heroes who appear in this Silver Age group shot, with their first
appearances.
Background, barely seen:
Animal Man
STRANGE ADVENTURES #180 (Sep '65)
The Hawk and the Dove SHOWCASE #75 (June '68)
The Creeper
SHOWCASE #73 (Mar/Apr '68)
Face obscured partially:
Metamorpho
THE BRAVE & THE BOLD #57 (Dec/Jan '64-65)
Characters with faces fully seen:
Elongated Man
THE FLASH #112 (Apr-May '60)
The Doom Patrol (Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl, The Chief)
MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #80 (June '63)
Adam Strange
SHOWCASE #19 (Nov-Dec '58)
Green Arrow
ADVENTURE COMICS #250 (Aug '58)
The Martian Manhunter DETECTIVE COMICS #225
(NOv '55)
Challengers of the Unknown (Red, Rocky, Prof, Ace)
SHOWCASE #6 (July/Aug '56)
King Faraday
DANGER TRAIL #1 (July '50)
Captain Comet
STRANGE ADVENTURES #9 (June '51)
The Flash
SHOWCASE #4 (Sep/Oct '56)
Green Lantern
SHOWCASE #22 (Sep/Oct '59)
The Atom
SHOWCASE #54 (Sep/Oct '61)
Aquaman
ADVENTURE COMICS #260 (May '59)
At the time they made their Silver Age appearances, Aquaman and Green Arrow were
intended to be the same characters who had been appearing since the 1940s.
Later, they were separated by the parallel earth continuity into Earth-1 and
Earth-2 versions, and after the Crisis, the Earth-2 characters were eliminated
from continuity.
The only one of these characters whose identity I'm at all uncertain about is
King Faraday, who is not a superhero in the traditional sense, and appeared very
early in the 1950s, even preceding Captain Comet. (Some would claim that
Faraday's appearance belonged more to the Golden Age, although he was clearly a
Silver Age character, teaming up with Batman as he did years later.) It's
also possible that this character is meant to be John Jones, the private
investigator secret identity of J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter (who appears
right behind him).
In chronological order, then: King Faraday, Captain Comet, the Martian
Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, the Flash, Adam Strange, Green Arrow,
Green Lantern, Aquaman, Elongated Man, the Atom, the Doom Patrol, Metamorpho,
Animal Man, the Creeper, the Hawk and the Dove.
(Note that this list doesn't include heroes who weren't shown in this picture,
like the Metal Men and the Silver Age Hawkman.)
The depiction here of a clean-shaven Green Arrow is consistent with the
character's early Silver Age appearances, but contradicts a recent retcon in
GREEN ARROW: THE WONDER YEAR, which has Green Arrow beginning his costumed
career with a beard.
Well, that's it. Input of all kinds, especially correction, is welcome.
Follow up on rec.arts.comics.misc or leave email to me at either
scott.hollifield@the-matrix.com or scotth@cyberspace.net. Neither site is
extremely reliable, so it might be necessary to leave mail to both.
Thanks to the following people for corrections, criticisms and insights:
Elmo (morrow@fnal.fnal.gov)
Abhijit Kale (abhijit_kkale@transarc.com)
Doug (douga@earlham.edu)
David J. Oakes (oake0010@gold.tc.umn.edu)
Aaron Michael Severson (severson@aludra.usc.edu)
Brian K. Morris (bkmorris@prairienet.org)
Lady Johnna Constantine (address lost!)
Rick Jones (albert@bcm.tmc.edu)
Sean Donnelly (john.p.donnely.1@nd.edu)
Hal Mangold (hmangold@muselab.ac.runet.edu)
Mark Coale (mcoale@dad.bgsu.edu)
..and anyone else I may have left out. See you next time!
--- Scott Hollifield
April 16, 1994