I don't think I'll have ANY trouble defending this pick.

The All-Star Squadron.

Set during World War 2, reading this book was like getting a monthly lesson in comics history. A history I couldn't wait to learn. Sporting one of the most iconic covers in comics, All-Star Squadron #1 was a welcome mat to new DC fans everywhere and a "Thank You" note to those who stuck around. History oozed from every page of this book, introducing this then very young reader to the concept of "Earth 2," a world populated with the original Golden Age versions of Superman, Batman, Hawkman, etc.

Above all, this comic taught me legacy. Legacy is what makes Geoff Johns' JSA and Hawkman runs "sing" to many a fan. Without Roy Thomas' writing on All-Star Squadron, I seriously doubt we'd take so much delight in Johns' work today.



I swear, I learned more about WW II in the pages of All-Star Squadron than any kid, pre-History Channel, probably had a right to. I learned of The O.S.S. Hitler's mad quest for The Spear of Destiny. America, pre-Civil Rights Movement. Oh, yeah! I learned some comics history, as well, while reading All-Star Squadron. Did you know The Red Bee sucks? I learned THAT in All-Star Squadron. This book gave these once-perfect heroes a learning curve. It was so cool watching the original Hawkman and Hawkwoman flirt with each other, not knowing that someday they'd have a son Hector (Better known today as Dr. Fate) who'd fall in love with Fury, the then-daughter of The Golden Age Wonder Woman and husband, Steve Trevor. We were in on their future, watching these wonderful characters rise towards greatness and that makes for good comics reading.

Tune in tomorrow for "The Final Two" of "DC'S Comics' Influential Five!"