Welcome to our re-read of the first and greatest superhero team in comics ... and quite a bit more!
My plan is to re-read and discuss the Golden Age Justice Society of America, which ran from All-Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940) to All-Star Comics #57 (February-March 1951), and is currently being reprinted in DC's "DC Finest" line.
But, as ever, I am consumed by context. What events brought us to All-Star Comics #3? What characters did editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox have available from which to choose? What else was competing in the superhero space? To achieve that context, I plan to start the discussion at the publisher's beginning, when Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson launched National Allied Publications Inc. in 1935. That was the first step toward the Justice Society — and to DC Comics as we know it today.
So before we even get to the JSA, I'll re-read and open for discussion all the solo stories starring JSA members, mostly from DC's Archives and Famous First Edition series. Which is actually quite a lot! (Although not as much as I'd prefer. I want it ALL!) I'll be writing about non-JSA superheroes created by National, Detective Comics Inc. and All-American Comics Inc. too, like Crimson Avenger and Doctor Occult. I'll also be tipping my hat to some non-powered characters, principally those who managed to appear outside their parent title, like Slam Bradley and Hop Harrigan. That means no re-read for the likes of "Bart Regan, Spy" and "Speed Saunders." Sorry, fellas, but I had to draw the line somewhere — before I found myself doing a deep dive into the history of Ginger Snap.
But I will be re-reading reprints, or availing myself of online information where reprints don't exist, of 14 of the 17 Golden Age characters who launched or appeared in All-Star Comics #3-57. Those characters include:
- The Atom: All-American Comics #19-46, 48-61, 70-72; All-Star Comics #3-26, 28-35, 37-57; Big All-American Comic Book; Flash Comics #80, 82-85, 87 89-95, 97-100, 102-104; Comic Cavalcade #22-23, 28; Sensation Comics #86.
- Black Canary: All-Star Comics #38-57; Comic Cavalcade #25; Flash Comics #86-88, 90-104.
- Doctor Fate: All-Star Comics #3-12, 14-21; More Fun Comics #55-98.
- Doctor Mid-Nite: All-American Comics #25-102; All-Star Comics #6 (text story), 8-57.
- The Flash: All-Flash #1-32; All-Star Comics #1-7, 10, 24-57; Big All-American Comic Book; Comic Cavalcade #1-29; Flash Comics #1-104, Flash Comics miniature (Wheaties)
- Green Lantern: All-American Comics #16-102; All-Flash #14; All-Star Comics #2-8, 10, 24-57; Big All-American Comic Book; Comic Cavalcade #1-29; Green Lantern #1-38.
- Hawkman: All-Star Comics #1-57, Big All-American Comic Book, Flash Comics #1-104, Flash Comics miniature (Wheaties).
- Hourman: Adventure Comics #48-83, All-Star Comics #1-7, New York World's Fair Comics [#2].
- Johnny Thunder: All-Star Comics #2-4, 6-35, 37-39; Big All-American Comic Book; Flash Comics #1-91; New York World's Fair Comics [#2]; World's Best Comics #1; World's Fair Comics #2-3; Flash Comics miniature (Wheaties).
- Mister Terrific: All-Star Comics #24, Big All-American Comic Book, Sensation Comics #1-63.
- Sandman: Adventure Comics #40-102, All-Star Comics #1-21, Boy Commandos #1, Detective Comics #76, New York World's Fair Comics [#1-2], World's Finest Comics #3-7.
- The Spectre: All-Star Comics #1-23, More Fun Comics #52-101, a single panel in More Fun Comics #51.
- Starman: Adventure Comics #61-102, All-Star Comics #8-23.
- Wildcat: All-Star Comics #24, 27; Big All-American Comic Book; Comic Cavalcade #1-2; Sensation Comics #1-90.
The obvious exceptions here are Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. Superman and Batman, called "honorary members" in the text, appeared twice in All-Star Comics, but I don't plan to re-read all their adventures from 1938 to 1951. They are peripheral at best to the Golden Age JSA, and would overwhelm the discussion through sheer volume. This problem extends to Wonder Woman as well, who appears in four titles in the Golden Age (Sensation Comics, Wonder Woman, Comic Cavalcade, All-Star Comics). I'll re-read and report on her JSA adventures, but like Batman and Superman, I'll just note her solo stories in passing with a summary that I'll grab somewhere online. That will keep the discussion abreast of any major developments, like new supervillains, in Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman stories.
Here are their appearances that are concurrent with All-Star's run:
- Batman: All-Star Comics # 7 (cameo), 36; Batman #1-63 (February-March 1951); Batman 3-D #1; Detective Comics #1-169 (March 1951); New York World’s Fair Comics [#2]; World’s Best Comics #1, World’s Fair Comics #2-50 (February-March 1951).
- Superman: Action Comics #1-154 (March 1951); All-Star Comics #7 (cameo), 36; New York World’s Fair [#1-2]; Superman #1-69 (March-April 1951); Superman 3-D #1; Superman at the Gilbert Hall of Science; Superman Miniature; World’s Best Comics #1; World’s Fair Comics #2-50 (February-March 1951).
- Wonder Woman: All-Star Comics #8, 11-22, 24-57; Big All-American Comic Book; Comic Cavalcade #1-29; Sensation Comics #1-102; Wonder Woman #1-46 (March-April 1951).
Fortunately, Jeff of Earth-J is already doing a re-read of the Golden Age Superman. Jeff isn't doing a re-read of all Batman books, but he is compiling "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told," by which he means "all of them." Recently he's begun re-reading other major Bat-villains, which he discusses in Batman vs. Penguin, Riddler — Prince of Puzzles, The Crimes of Two-Face and Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale.
I should note that my methodology changed over time, as realities required. For instance, I initially lumped books together by monthly cover date, but complications ensued for books without them, like quarterlies and one-shots. As the number of quarterlies and their importance increased, I ended up going by on-sale dates as the primary organizational tool. (Which aren't available for all books, but that's a lesser devil than chronologically misplacing Batman or All-Star Comics). Initially I only included mention of others strips in anthology books if they were of some importance, like Slam Bradley, but eventually I started including all of them. Here and there I would try to improve the format. And so forth. In some imaginary "someday" I'll go back through and make them all consistent.
I've tried to be comprehensive, relying on a variety of sources, from online to reprints to "companion" books. A tip of the cowl to a Luke Blanchard post in what amounts to an outline for this discussion. But I'm sure I've left out tons, especially stories I don't have or can't find, which may be at hand in your collection. I hope folks will do re-reads of stories I've left out, as well as comment on what I've written. So let's hear what I've missed Legionnaires — and what you think!
Replies
That's true (such as LexCorp and WLEX), but some radio stations are known by sort of "nicknames" as well. There is "The Wolf" in Dallas and "The River" in St. Louis, and I have no idea what their actual call signs even are.
I have been saving the "Wonder War" issues to read in what Jeff calls "a satisfying chunk." This "interlude" issue suggests the first phase is over, so it might be time to dive in!
It might.
Wonder Woman #35 provides an interlude to the Wonder War, but you shouldn't expect it to be entirely "spoiler free" if you haven't been reading it. You may find some of this issue's revelations germane to this discussion as well. For example, the "Wonder Woman" who "worked beside the Justice Society when our purposes alligned" was Hippolyta, not John Byrne's time-displaced Hippolyta, but rather a more "Christopher Priest/Black Panther" version of Hippolyta. Steve Trevor descibes her as more of a "mysterious woman" than a "wonder woman," and Hippolyta herself says, "I left before any history book could record my name. I did not go as a banner or a symbol. I went as a shadow. Themyscira's eyes in the dark." Steve Trevor is part of Diana's story, not Hippolyta's, but he knows it. He explains (to Lizzie), "Your grandmother wasn't Wonder Woman. Not in the way the world knows your mother. Your grandmother operated in the shadows, so she never had a reason to give herself a name or for one to be given to her."
I'm okay with that.
This interlude, written by Stephanie Williams, is titled "The Current Beneath, Part 1" and it is "To be continued...," but I don't know if the conclusion will be in #36 or told at some later date.
Well, that's more than I expected, and less messy than what Byrne did.
APRIL 14, 1942
June 1942, Detective Comics Inc., 68 pages
Cover by Fred Ray
SUPERMAN
"The Puzzler!!"
By Jerry Siegel, John Sikela and Ed Drobotka (13 pages)
"Parlor games, tricks, and puzzles can be harmless fun. But when a twisted intellect uses their principles to commit clever crimes, they can be dangerous indeed." Not if this story is any indication. I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat when Superman played Puzzler at checkers, and both cheated.
My guess is everybody at Golden Age DC (or at least Jerry Siegel) was trying to create the next Joker, so we ended up with Puzzler, Prankster, Toyman, etc.
Where I read it: Superman: The Action Comics Archives Vol. 3 (2001)
See Jeff of Earth-J's Superman from the Beginning for the whole story.
Continuing: Vigilante, Three Aces, Mr. America, Congo Bill and Zatara.
I always thought that the Puzzler was more of a Riddler knock-off, but of course, I haven't seen many of his stories.
You may find some of this issue's revelations germane to this discussion as well. For example, the "Wonder Woman" who "worked beside the Justice Society when our purposes alligned" was Hippolyta, not John Byrne's time-displaced Hippolyta, but rather a more "Christopher Priest/Black Panther" version of Hippolyta. Steve Trevor descibes her as more of a "mysterious woman" than a "wonder woman," and Hippolyta herself says, "I left before any history book could record my name. I did not go as a banner or a symbol. I went as a shadow. Themyscira's eyes in the dark." Steve Trevor is part of Diana's story, not Hippolyta's, but he knows it. He explains (to Lizzie), "Your grandmother wasn't Wonder Woman. Not in the way the world knows your mother. Your grandmother operated in the shadows, so she never had a reason to give herself a name or for one to be given to her."
I'm okay with that.
Tom King is a smart enough writer that I'm sure he's thought through the implications of his retcon. I'm not sure it aligns with what Jeff Lemire did over in JSA's "Year One," though. I think they called her Wonder Woman, but I'd have to check. And is she wearing the star-spangled swimsuit in "Interlude"? She most definitely wore it in "Year One," and I think the GA Wonder Woman (whatever her provenance) should wear it, if only to explain why Diana wears it. (Diana didn't arrive in America during super-patriotic World War II, so she needs another reason to adopt the suit. A hand-me-down from Mom is a slam-dunk reason.)
Hippolyta returned to Theymyscira after the Ultra-Humanite adventure in "Year One," which would jibe with King's take. The implication in that parting was that she would return to the JSA at some point, and maybe even join the team (Hawkgirl said she'd join if and when Hippolyta did). But Lemire has yet to revisit the question. I'm curious to see if King addresses it, or if he (wisely) just charges ahead with his own story without addressing the continuity headache. For long-time fans like us, it's good to know that there was a WW in WWII, and that it was Hippolyta. We need that for our head canon, and can extrapolate the rest. King probably mentioned it only because it was important to set the table for HIS story. And that's probably the way it has to be in a post-Crisis, post-Flashpoint, post-Rebirth world.
In general, I'm glad they're making sense of Wonder Woman's past, because throughout my lifetime Wonder Woman's premise and continuity has been fluid to the point of absurdity. She's one of DC's "Big Three" and her past should be as easily summarized as that of Superman and Batman.
In specific, I'm very pleased that King and Lemire are acknowledging that there was SOME sort of Wonder Woman in World War II. Sure, we can ignore all the Golden Age Superman and Batman stories, as they restricted themselves to their own books, for the most part. And whatever important elements were introduced there have been faithfully re-introduced in the modern age. We can say the same about Wonder Woman's Sensation, Comic Cavalcade and Wonder Woman stories -- the important bits (Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, etc.) have been transferred to Diana, and the original Marston/Peter fairy tales don't really mesh well with the modern DCU anyway. (Although it's fun to try!)
The sticky part is All-Star Comics. Superman and Batman's appearances with the JSA were so few and mostly minor that they can be easily edited out. Wonder Woman, however, worked shoulder to shoulder with Al Pratt, Charles McNider, Carter Hall and the rest for 47 issues! Editing her out is a fundamental change to those stories, and those stories are fundamental to the DCU. The easy thing to do is say, "it was Hippolyta." But King and Lemire are seemingly limiting her involvement, so I guess we must restrict use of that excuse to those stories where Wonder Woman plays such an important role she can't be edited out.
Maybe we can sort that out together as we proceed.
Or you can just be like me and live in your own personal "continuity" where Diana's been around since the Forties and she's a goddamn Amazon and who knows how the Hell long they live, anyhow, and she helped found the League after most of her JSA buddies had retired, nice and simple, without any time travel or "we didn't call her 'Wonder Woman' nonsense.
Love it, Baron.
My head-canon follows the same line of thinking.
And is she wearing the star-spangled swimsuit in "Interlude"?
She is... even as she tells Diana (in flashback), "I did not go as a banner or a symbol." (The scene depicted is the hearing from which the JSA disappeared.) Frankly, methinks the lady doth perhaps protest too much.
A hand-me-down from Mom is a slam-dunk reason.
It is exactly that. Hippolyta even keeps it in a "hope chest," and shows it to Diana even as she tries to dissuade her from entering the contest (by telling her the reasons she decided to return to Themyscira). Hippolyta argues that to rule Themyscira, not to be the Amazonian envoy to "man's world", is Diana's birthright.
I'm curious to see if King addresses it, or if he (wisely) just charges ahead with his own story without addressing the continuity headache.
Do you want it verbatim? Okay, here goes: "And in the quiet between missions, I watched mortals turn on their heroes over nothing. I saw what fear does to them. How quickly they forget the hands that saved them. How they build weapons from the ashes of the ones that came before. I came home because man's world takes everything you offer and asks for more. It will worship you one morning and burn your image by the time night falls. I came home because Themyscira needed a queen who understood that some distances exist for a reason... I came home because I chose my people."
And it's important to note that this issue was written by Stephanie Williams, not Tom King. Whether this direction comes from King or Wiliams (or senior editor Brittany Holzherr for that matter), I don't know.
Maybe we can sort that out together as we proceed.
Looking forward to it!
-
163
-
164
-
165
-
166
-
167
of 187 Next