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!
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Well, when you find your brother's sheer pink blouse in his closet...
It's very telling that Roy Thomas has his favorites, Hawkman, Atom and Doctor Mid-Nite (the only three of the eight who make it to 1951) continue the story, Doctor Fate and the Spectre have their moment while Sandman, Starman and Johnny Thunder exit stage right!
Speaking about the Comics Code, originally Danette Reilly was sleeping in the nude and they drew lines to suggest underwear on her!
I mention this because there were six men waiting in the room next to her and they were shown looking in on her!
Apparently her swimsuits are fireproof!
And they bring her to Mexico despite having no assurances that she can control her newly acquired flame powers! On a plane, no less!
Poor Rod Reilly! His sister gets superpowers, takes his name and the Justice Society barely know who he is! Guess they never saw Police Comics #1!
And they bring her to Mexico despite having no assurances that she can control her newly acquired flame powers!
Staq Mavlen: "Harrumph!"
Hey, that's why the Legion rejected him!
That was my point, such as it was.
It's very telling that Roy Thomas has his favorites, Hawkman, Atom and Doctor Mid-Nite (the only three of the eight who make it to 1951) continue the story, Doctor Fate and the Spectre have their moment while Sandman, Starman and Johnny Thunder exit stage right!
I was thinking along similar lines as I wrote today's post. Roy Thomas has said that the first comic book he ever laid eyes on was Green Lantern #16, which shipped in June 1945. Which means his off-the-newsstand JSA experience was all post-war -- All-Star Comics #31 at the earliest, and then through issue #57. Every single one of those issues included Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Wonder Woman. Johnny Thunder (no longer using the Thunderbolt) was in issues #31-39, with Black Canary appearing in #38-39, and replacing Johnny Thunder entirely in issues #40-57.
Which may explain his preferences. Like all of us, he likely has "his" team, the membership he thinks of when you say "Justice Society." Which would probably be those he experienced first. And if he had that team in mind while creating All-Star Squadron, and removed Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman because they have Earth-One counterparts with their own titles, Black Canary because she didn't exist yet, and Johnny Thunder because he was a no-powers mascot in 1946-1948, what he would have left is:
Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite and Hawkman.
Maybe he does or doesn't like Ted Knight. But young Roy Thomas wouldn't have experienced Starman as a member of the JSA except in back issues. Ditto Doctor Fate, Hourman, Sandman and Spectre. Doctor Fate and Spectre are too important and powerful to ignore in modern comics, but in early All-Star Squadron Thomas does seem to ignore Hourman, Sandman and Starman -- whom he wouldn't even have known were members as a boy. He would have learned about their membership when he got old enough to buy back issues, or from older fans, wherever he might have met them. In both cases, probably in the 1950s, when Thomas was ages 9 to 19.
This is all speculation on my part, of course, But it has a lot of truthiness!
Heck, those were the JSA in the first stories I read of them reprinted in Justice League of America #110, 113 and 115 (1973-74)! They all had Black Canary included. I didn't see a Johnny Thunder JSA story until Super Team Family #4 and the only pre 1945 JSA story available was the Famous First Edition until the Archives!
But Roy ignored Starman, Sandman and Johnny Thunder all throughout All Star Squadron and Young All Stars. Check out his "origins" for Sandman and Starman to see how they were diminished!
I'd argue that Starman was misused for the entire Bronze Age!
Roy's probably written more articles and forewords about the Justice Society than anyone else alive. If those three were his favorite characters (and I'm not saying they aren't), he'd likely have told us.We can probably find answers in Alter Ego, or his All-Star Companion books. I think he's said that about Hawkman, in fact (though I might be confusing that with his desire to have him appear in every issue of All-Star Squadron since he was the only member in every issue of All-Star Comics). I haven't heard the same about the Atom or Doctor Mid-Nite, though -- and it's possible he just liked the dramatic possibilites of having a guy with an insecurity complex and a blind doctor on the team. And also wanted to give the team a decent street-level contingent just to keep the threats manageable, knowing he'd need to give them Axis soldiers and fifth columnists to fight every now and then (just to reinforce the setting, if nothing else), and it's tough to make that exciting if Green Lantern or the Spectre is always around.
I don't think that it was a secret that Roy preferred Hawkman and the Atom. He gave Hawkman two heirs in Infinity Inc and the Atom one as well as Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.
Besides the Flash who had too many Silver/Bronze Age appearances to suddenly be given any offspring (though he could have had a protege) and Doctor Fate who was going to continue in one form or another, who didn't get represented?
Sandman despite having an heir, Sandy, that Roy didn't want to use!
Starman though he claimed that the Star Spangled Kid was but I say no! And...
Johnny Thunder whose name Roy took for another unrelated character that didn't get over!
NOVEMBER 3, 1981
ALL-STAR SQUADRON #6
February 1982, DC Comics Inc., 36 pages
Cover by Rich Buckler
“Mayhem in the Mile-High City”
By Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway (27 pages)
Title Watch: I thought "Mile-High City" was a reference to Denver, Colorado. Is Mexico City also called the "Mile-High City"? If so, I don't know what this one refers to, if anything.
Calendar Watch: Dec. 10, 1941.
JSA Roll Call: Hawkman, The Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite.
All-Star Squadron Roll Call: Firebrand II, Hawkgirl, Shining Knight, Liberty Belle, Johnny Quick, Robotman
Fun Fact: When Quetzalcoatl gets around to monologing his origin, he mentions “my own contemporary, Prof. Indiana Jones.” He also mentioned the “still-missing” Ark of the Covenant in the previous issue. Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in 1981, so these are a pretty contemporary references. However. it was Marvel, not DC, that adapted the movie into the three-issue Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981. Two years later, Marvel would begin publishing The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones. Does that constitute a crossover? (Just kidding. It's "fair use.")
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