So I asked “When you wrote AVENGERS #71 which was the first appearance of the WWII super hero team the INVADERS did you have plans for a series for those characters, or did that come much later as an afterthought?”

Roy Thomas’s reply “Had no idea of doing that comic then, because I "knew" Stan wouldn't like the idea... though even then I'd have loved to do it.”

According to Marvel continuity (as written by Roy Thomas and others) the Invaders were formed in 1941 by invitation of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The groups members were Captain America and Bucky, the Human Torch and Toro, and Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. Their first battle together occurred when they were brought together to battle the Aryan super man Master Man. Prime Minister Churchill suggested their rallying cry: "Okay Axis, here we come!" Through out the course of the run of INVADERS the team met and invited in other heroes, and joined in combat against the evils of fascism in all forms. Red Skull was a central figure as a major villain, but he was by no means the only one. Ultimately the membership ranks included Union Jack, The Destroyer, Spitfire and more.

AN: “INVADERS started life as an ongoing series in the mid 1970s and at the time I remember reading some unhappy letters from people in comic fandom that World War II seemed to be a cliched setting and why not write something new. I loved it, did you feel that type of resistance towards the work or was that a case of squeaky wheel gets the grease? What characters from the Marvel/ Timely era did you have an interest in using but did or could not?

RT: “People who didn't like INVADERS (just like CONAN or 3-D MAN or anything else I wrote) could read something else... just as I probably did instead of reading their favorites. Probably didn't get around to a few characters, like Blazing Skull... had to pick them up in the 1990s. Sad to see what's happened to them... or at least HEAR what's happened to them... in the new series.”

AN: “Your work clearly demonstrated a love of the books and characters from the World War II era. How did that love of era and comics translate to your career choices and work in general in comics?”

RT: ” It was comics in general, and esp. the 1940s super-heroes, that first got me interested in comics, but not WWII per se, since I saw relatively few comics from that era.”

When Thomas left MARVEL Comics he soon began to write and edit at DC Comics. Amongst his projects was the All Star Squadron which included members of the Justice Society of America but was not exclusive to that group. Included in this large umbrella organization of teams and actors were the heroes from DC comics, Quality comics and Fawcett comics as Thomas sought to make the continuities of the past work as the joint universes had been merged when DC had over the years acquired various properties of defunct publishers. Unfortunately the comic book event called the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS interrupted his vision for the series (and INFINITY INC. another of his proud creative efforts.)

AN: “All Star Squadron placed the JSA and DC heroes of the WWII era in the WWII era. That carried with it a requisite attention to continuity so as to not "corrupt" the established timeline, as well as, had with it a stigma of using the "old" characters instead of those of current vintage. How hard was it to make your work work within those two issues, and to what extent did you achieve your goals with that series? Do you blame the Crisis series for any difficulties on the series?”

RT: “I loathe the whole idea of CRISIS, always did, but felt I had to go along. I felt it wasn't necessary or even advisable. Didn't achieve nearly all my goals in only 67 issues (about 100 counting YOUNG ALL-STARS, annuals, etc.), but had some fun and did some good work, perhaps.”

Now it might sound to you that I am suggesting that this series was not a success, but it was. Both artistically speaking and longevity-wise. The large number of characters meant that many different types of stories and characters could be focused upon, and Thomas dealt with some serious issues disguising it as entertainment. People who never understood history could read the run of All Star Squadron and have gained a working understanding of the era due to Thomas’s research and ability to write. Speaking of the many many members of the Squadron, they were:

Air Wave I, Amazing-Man I , The Atom I, Black Condor I, Captain Triumph, Commander Steel, Crimson Avenger, Dan the Dyna-Mite, Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite, Doctor Mid-Nite, Doctor Occult, Doll Man, Firebrand I, Firebrand II, The Flash I, Flying Fox, Fury, Green Lantern, The Guardian, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Hourman I, Human Bomb, Iron Munro, Jester, Johnny Quick Johnny Thunder I, Judomaster I, Liberty Belle, Manhunter I, Manhunter II, Midnight, Miss America, Mister America, Mister Terrific, Neptune Perkins, Phantom Lady I, The Ray I, Red Bee, Robotman I, Sandman I, Sandy the Golden Boy, Sargon the Sorcerer, Shining Knight, Spectre I, Starman I, Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, Stuff the Chinatown Kid I, Tarantula, Tiger I, Tigress, TNT, Tsunami, Uncle Sam, Victory, Vigilante I, Whip, Wildcat I, Wing, Zatara.  (And people are amazed at the roster of heroes found in the Legion of SuperHeroes.)

Eventually the CRISIS event wiped out so much of the past continuity that it would have been nearly impossible for the cast of All Star Squadron to remain valid. So Thomas did something unique and brave, he wrote an all new series called THE YOUNG ALL STARS which took some characters previously found in the first series, and added more to make a different team, able now to create new stories without as much of an anchor of past works and continuity. That series was not as successful as the previous, but all told, it was still pretty good.

It barely pays to consider what happened next. In order to rid the DC Universe of the characters of the JSA Thomas was asked to write the final chapter of the team, and in this great story, the JSA penetrates darkest hour Berlin, to stop Hitler from unleashing sorcerous powers to avert a defeat for Nazi Germany. The team succeeds but at such a cost...

The nineties saw a number of uses of the team and cast, and none captured the lightning that Thomas had. Currently the JSA is successful title, and rightly so it is very good. But it is also clear that the work would not exist had Roy Thomas not familiarized everyone with the wonderful characters of the past.

AN: “I am not asking you to complain about Geoff Johns's or anyone else's work on recent series of JSA, but do you feel at all frustrated looking at the current series doing so well, even winning fandom awards and all, when your works were as good, and more serious about continuity and the consequences of events in other books? Do you think that the current book's success would not exist had you not done your take on the JSA?”

RT: ”Frustrating to not be doing anything with those characters when I've submitted numerous ideas for same, but that's the way the world works. I don't have any comments or opinions on the current work.”

AN: ”What single characters in both the INVADERS and JSA/All Star Squadron were your favorites to write?”

RT: ”Hawkman was always my favorite, though in ALL-STAR SQUADRON I got to especially like Johnny Quick and Tarantula, and in YOUNG ALL-STARS "Iron" Munro.”

Here at Stl Comics we thank Roy Thomas for his answers to our questions and for his body of work that still entertains us today. You can find Roy Thomas in his writing prime still in his magazine ALTER EGO from TWO MORROWS publications. Pick it up, you will be amazed how great it is.