All-Star Squadron #59

History

Roy Thomas wrote All-Star Squadron from issue #21 through the series' end at #67 (1983–1987), and by issue #59 he was navigating the enormous editorial pressure of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which threatened to invalidate years of carefully constructed Golden Age continuity. The Mekanique storyline across #58–60 grew, according to the fan resource Cosmic Teams, from an earlier scrapped 'Bride of Robotman' concept that Thomas had planned for a much earlier slot in the series. Issue #59 was penciled by Arvell Jones — a frequent artistic collaborator on the title during this period — and inked by Tony DeZuniga, with Barbara Randall (later Kesel) stepping in as associate editor starting with this issue, replacing Janice Race who had held the role since #32. The secondary Spectre chapter in this issue is an adaptation of All-Star Comics #13, continuing Thomas's practice of retrofitting Golden Age source material into new narrative contexts.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Cover date July 1986; written by Roy Thomas, penciled by Arvell Jones, inked by Tony DeZuniga, lettered by Gaspar Saladino; Barbara Randall credited as associate editor beginning with this issue.
• Main story title: 'Out of the Ashes… Mekanique!' — the middle chapter of a three-part arc spanning issues #58–60, directly tied into the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event.
• This issue is explicitly the last All-Star Squadron chapter set entirely within pre-Crisis Earth-Two reality; the sweeping continuity changes from Crisis on Infinite Earths do not take effect in the story's timeline until issue #60.
• The Earth-Two / Golden Age Aquaman makes his first full appearance in the All-Star Squadron series here — confirmed by Roy Thomas in the letters page of a later issue — and his presence lasts only two issues (#59–60) before he is retroactively eliminated by Crisis continuity changes.
• Mekanique — a time-traveling robot villain whose design and backstory are explicitly based on the Maschinenmensch from Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film Metropolis — is the central antagonist; Roy Thomas gave her a unique name rather than directly referencing the copyrighted source character.
• Mekanique's true first appearance is Infinity, Inc. #19 (June 1985), where Roy and Dann Thomas and artist Todd McFarlane introduced her; her full origin as a deceptive agent from a dystopian 23rd-century future is revealed across the All-Star Squadron #58–60 arc.
• The backup story is a Spectre chapter adapted from All-Star Comics #13, continuing Thomas's practice of re-presenting Golden Age source stories in new framing.
• The issue — along with the full run of All-Star Squadron #50–60 — was reprinted in the Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 1, collected alongside related Crisis tie-in issues from The Fury of Firestorm and Green Lantern.

Cast · 40 characters

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