Letters to All-Stars #8

[Lissilambe]

Let us know what you thought of this issue's stories!

Take care
Don

[a2uton]

Interesting as always Don. The reaction of Atom and Johnny was probably the way most people would react to the interment of Japanese residents. They were heroes but they were also human and this was definitely a time of war. Its going to be interesting to see where this story is going and how your version of Tsunami fits in Ultimate continuity.

The backup story with Liberty Belle is suddenly becoming very intriguing. It appears as if this version of All-Star Squadron or whatever this second team ends up being called came about quite a bity later than in mainstream continuity. One question I have been pondering lately is just who exists in this reality. The blurb says "classic" heroes reimagined. While that does leave the door open for anybody I've noticed that except for some of the retcons and a character or two in the first couple of issues almost everybody who appeared so far is from the National/All American stable of characters. Just coincidence?

When does your Miss X serries start?

[Lissilambe]

Glad you were intrigued by the directions of both stories in this issue. Addressing hot button topics is always tricky to do in stories of this nature without coming across and too preachy and lessons hammered home. Johnny and Atom are both young, Johnny is naive and simple, Atom gung-ho and patriotic, so their views of these events are tempered by that. Sandman is older, and has traveled "The Orient" extensively in his younger days, hence why he has a different view of this situation. As for where the story goes from here and how Tsunami fits into it and into continuity, answers to come next issue of course. Hope you enjoy where it heads from here.

As for the question of who exists in this Ultimate WWII continuity, it's not fully coincidence that pretty much all the characters come from the two companies that would come to be DC Comics. For now, I'm staying in the realm of the JSA (and by extension, the All-Star Squadron, hence the title used for this series). Others will come along over time though. For example, we have a surprising member of the JSA coming up in #13 to fill in for an active member who will be unable to perform his duties on the roster due to the big year-end storyline. This member is absolutely NOT an All-American or National character, nor is he Fawcett (I will relieve a lot of people by pointing out that he's not Street & Smith either LOL). For people who have read Ultimate Green Lantern Corps, sharp-eyed readers will know who's being talked about here.

All-Star Squadron is coming together more slowly in Ultimate continuity because of how I want to position Liberty Belle in the war years, combined with wanting to leave as much fertile soil for other prospective writers.

Finally, Miss X...well, it's actually a "Delta Green" back-up series with her and some other war story heroes that I want to get to, but my plans fell through for lack of time sadly. I do hope to get back to it very soon though.

Thanks for your time and comments, I appreciate them, and hope you enjoy what's to come.

Take care
Don

[mockingbird]

Oh boy, new character There's something about the internment camps that I always sort of like to see delt with in period pieces, I'm not completely sure why. Certainly you're taking it as a setting for somethign that's going to be great all on its own, and I'm very much looking forward to what happens to Miya and her family.

Also, I love Johnny XD especially in this issue. He's just so young and cute. a nice little laugh at the end of a pretty heavy scene there.

As for the backup, even more new things to look forward to. These characters have all been interacting so well together, it'll be fun to see a new face come into the mix. Everything's great to read as always, the whole story flows easily from one point to another, and as always, i know i'll have a great time reading the next issue

[eric the pilot]

Once again a great effort, Don - love the character-centric issues just as much as the full-on action oriented ones and this gives us a great deal of insight into the way these characters are: you've got the blue-collar type guy in Atom, the naive, optimistic youth in Johnny Thunder and the more distant but seemingly experienced Sandman.

The dream sequence was nothing short of astounding, the way you're able to combine all sorts of very vague but very iconic imagery in a really meaningful way - even without knowing what's coming, the glipses we've been given: the rising red sun, the sense of justice knocked out of balance and the promise of a coming "champion" - certainly doesn't look good for our heroes at all.

Like everyone else, I like the way you're addressing the issues of the war years in a fairly evenhanded manner (or at least as evenhanded as one can treat an issue like this). It's a great touch and doesn't ever come off as preaching or like one of the "very special" episodes of late 80s sitcoms.

This one is definitely building to be something special, can't wait to see where you're headed.

The back-up features a little less Liberty Belle than we've come to expect, which is a bit of a disappointment, but Doctor Mid-Nite more than makes up for it, setting the stage for another great storyline.

The Tarantula makes a great impact here as well, curious to see where he's headed and how he meshes with Mid-Nite and Liberty Belle.

I've always had a soft spot for gangster tales, and this should be a lot of fun, I'm very curious to see what's coming next.

Great job as always!