All Winners Squad
Membership:Golden AgeBucky(Barnes), CaptainAmerica, Human Torch,MissAmerica, Sub-Mariner,Toro,Whizzer
Silver AgeAngel, BlondePhantom,Bucky (Fred Davis), CaptainAmerica (Spirit of '76), Captain America(Patriot)
Purpose:To fight crime and protect the U.S. of A.
Affiliations:(Silver age on) President Harry Truman, She-Hulk
Enemies:(Golden Age) Isbisa, Future Man, Madame Death
(Silver age on)Dutch Rosenblatt, Adam II
Base of Operations:Times Tower, NY, USA
First Appearance:All-Winners Comics #19(Timely Comics, Fall 1946)
History:(What If? I #4)During the Second World War, a numberof heroes banded together to form the Invaders, a name given to them by WinstonChurchill. After the conclusion of the war, several members of the Invaderswere asked to reform by President Harry Truman, and continue under a newname, the All Winners Squad.
(All Winners Comics #19 (ga)) In 1946 the Sqaud battled nuclear terroristand former Axis agent, Isbisa.
(Saga of Sub-Mariner #5) No synopsis available
(Giant-Size Avengers #1) No synopsis available
(What If I #4)) The android Adam II kills Captain America (not SteveRogers, who went missing prior to the War's end, but William Nasland, formerlyknown as The Spirit of '76). The hero Jeff Mace, a.k.a. thePatriot, assumes the mantle, so that the publicwill not find out about Captain America's death.
(All Winners Comics #21 (ga)) The All Winners Squad battled MadameDeath and the Future Man, a time-travelling villain.
(She-Hulk II #22) After gangster Dutch Rosenblatt steals an atomicbomb, the All Winners Squad (now including the Blonde Phantom) pursue thethief. They encounter the She-Hulk and Wanda Mason, two time-travellers fromdecades in the future.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion I #1) The All Winners Squad meet withRoger Aubrey, formerly the WWII hero known as the Destroyer. He convincesmany of them to join his fledgling V-Battalion.
(bts) At some unspecified point, the All Winners Squad officiallydisband.
Comments:Created by Bill Finger and Stan Lee.
The All Winners Squad was Timely Comics first true superhero team, put togetherfrom a number of it's individual heroes who had all held their own strips.They seemed to be gathered as a response to DC Comics Justice Society ofAmerica. Introduced as a team in All Winners Squadron #19 (the previous 18issues had contained solo adventures of Timely's top heroes), there was noexplanation at the time for why these heroes had suddenly decided to worktogether. That would come years later, when Roy Thomas ret-conned virtuallythe same heroes as being a group formed during the war, under the name "TheInvaders", gathered by the Allies to battle the Axis forces. In this newbackstory, it became clear that the team had tried to stay together afterthe war, under a suitable new name (no post-WWII Invading). Other heroeswho had appeared in All Winners Comics, but not as part of the Squad, wereretroactively given membership, and since Silver Age continuity had bothCaptain America and Bucky MIA before the end of the War (and hence the formationof the Squad), it was established that all of their post-War adventures couldbe attributed to other men wearing their costumes.
The team only appeared twice during the Golden Age, debuting in All WinnersComics #19, and then bowing out in All Winners Comics #21 (Winter 1946) -it seems there was no #20 of the title. The cause of this was down to a commonpractice of the era, that of retitling an existing comic rather than cancellingone and launching a replacement (registering a brand new comic cost money,retitling didn't). Thus All Winners Comics became All Teen Comics as of #20,and the title effectively ended...only to be briefly revived when Young AlliesComics finished on #20, and became All Winners Comics for #21. In the historyabove, the two Golden Age original appearances are marked with (ga), to makethem stand out from the later additions to the canon.
In the modern version of Marvel history, the All Winners Squadron holds theimportant place as being the first post-War gathering of such heroes. Theywere stated as operating between 1946 and 1949, by which time many of themembers had retired or gone missing. Other wartime allies of the group wouldgo on to form the covert agency known as the V-Battalion. Other heroes wouldspring up to fill the void left when the Squad disbanded - the G-Men (a.k.a.as the 1950's Avengers), the Monster Hunters, and the First Line, who wouldbridge the gap between the break-up of the Squad and the formation of moderngroups such as the Avengers and Fantastic Four.
Thanks to Jess Nevins for allowing me to use information from his excellentGolden Age HeroesDirectory and hisGuideto Golden Age Marvel Characters. Thanks also to Richard Boucher &Darrin Wiltshire @ PR-Publications for permission to use information fromtheir equally brilliant collection of Golden Age Sites,PR Publications. Their knowledgeof Golden Age characters far outstrips my own.
CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with
The All Star Squadron, a DC hero team with adventures set in the same era.
Any Additions/Corrections? Pleaselet me know.
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