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.
Speaking of drawing lines, I won't be re-reading Superman and Batman. They are peripheral at best to the Golden Age JSA, and would overwhelm the discussion through sheer volume. The volume issue extends to Wonder Woman as well (Sensation Comics, Wonder Woman, Comic Cavalcade), but she was a major player in the JSA, so I haven't decided yet if I'll include her solo stories. (And I have quite a bit of time to decide, since the bulk of DC"s Golden Age Archives books consist of material published before Sensation Comics #1.) Fortunately, Jeff of Earth-J is already doing a re-read of the Golden Age Superman.
I should note that I'm using cover dates instead of ship dates (not all ship dates are available) and assigning specific months to seasonal cover dates. That is to say, I consider "Spring" to mean March-April-May, "Summer" to mean June-July-August, "Fall" to mean September-October-November and "Winter" to mean December-January-February. I know the books with seasonal dates don't always align with the months I've assigned. But I'm organizing by month, so I have to assign months to seasonal cover dates. The cover date for All-Star Comics #3 was Winter 1940, for example, so I'm going to call it "December." (The actual ship date was Nov. 22, 1940, according to the Grand Comics Database, for whatever that's worth.) It's not necessary for Golden Age books to be in specific order very often, but where they need to be (like Detective Comics #38 and Batman #1), I'll order them properly.
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 some of Luke Blanchard's posts in what amounts to almost an outline for this discussion. But I'm sure I've left out tons, especially reprints that I don't have or can't find, which may be at hand in your collection. I hope folks will do re-reads of reprints 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
AWESOME! I had about a million questions rattling around in my brain that I thought I should know the answer to (like, where were all the immortal people in WWI? What about the reincarnators, like the Hawks? Resurrection Man?). And lo, it had already been discussed.
Surprisingly, the Crimson Avenger is not mentioned at all
Actually, the Crimson does appear in the scene where the Seven Soldiers' battle with the Nebula Man is described, along with the lost sidekicks from that Stargirl mini from a few years ago.
Well, yes, he appeared in a scene set in the '40s, but he wasn't mentioned as as being the first (or among the first) costumed hero. Just out of curiosity, I checked the post-Crisis History of the DC Universe by Marv wolfman and George Perez. Dr. Occult is mentioned circa 1929: "Yet into this world of science and technology, into this new age of industrialization, the arcane continued to thrive. One such practitioner, called Dr. Occult, combined the modern sciences of detection with the dark forces from times past." The Crimson Avenger is likewise both pictured (in his original garb) and mentioned: "What would become known as The Golden Age of Heroes began in 1938 with the advent of Zatara the Magician, the Crimson Avenger, and the American flyer called Hop Harrigan."
It's interesting to compare which character are included in, and left out of, bith the 1986 and the 2025 histories. For example, the Church of Blood and Zandia gets an entire page in 1986, whereas in 2025 it doesn't even rate a mention, not in the narrative and not in the endnotes (at least not during this timeframe).
They can re-write the Golden Age all they like, but in this re-read all is restored to original chronology!
Doctor Occult appeared in 1935. The Crimson and Zatara arrived in 1938. Hop Harrigan arrived in 1939.
And Superman appeared in 1938, Batman in 1939 and Wonder Woman in December 1941! Take that, retcon writers! And that! And that! And some of this, too! Blackguards and ne'er-do-wells, the lot of them! They'll take what's coming in this re-read, and like it!
But really, feel free to chat about retcons, everyone.
For example, I have grown weary of being ignorant of the events of Stargirl and the Lost Children and The New Golden Age, which appear to be important to current continuity (retroactive and otherwise), and I have ordered them. Jeff of Earth-J said I didn't need the Alan Scott, Jay Garrick and Wesley Dodds miniseries, and I take Jeff's recommendations as gospel, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't get those as well (and pair them with re-reads of Sandman Mystery Theatre and James Robinson's Starman). The more Golden Age Sandman I read the more I like the character, and the curiouser I get about his early days as Sandman, which went unaddressed in the Golden Age. And I don't know anything about "The Boom" (except that it's a terrible name). As to Alan Scott, since he's gay now that puts a different spin on his Golden Age adventures.
As to Brother Blood, New Teen Titans was boffo in 1986, pretty much top of the pyramid at DC. Everything the title did had outsize influence. In 2025, though, Titans is just just a mid-level book of no particular significance. So Brother Blood is relegated to his objective importance, which is not much. That's my opinion, anyway.
It should be noted that Marv Wolfman who wrote History of the DC Universe also created Brother Blood, Church of Blood and Zandia.
I thought that went without saying (so I didn't say it).
Philip Portelli Johnson and Jeff of Earth-J Johnson are right!
It's like how the only back-up characters that survived in Mort Weisinger's books in the '50s were, by sheer coincidence, characters Mort Weisinger created.
I wonder if "Osgood Armsby" was established in one of the Secret Origins series, or if Waid made it up just now.
From the endnotes: "Dr. Occult, born in 1899, begins his career as a supernatural detective. He briefly adapots a red suit with a cloak to face the supernatural enemy Koth, unofficially making Occult the century's first costumed superhero. [New Fun (1935) 36; More Fun Comics (1936) #14-17; Secret Origins (1986) #17]
The endnotes often provide early information on some of the characters apparently not deemed essential enough to include in the main narrative, such as Cyrus Gold before he became Solomon Grundy.
Really looking forward to reading this. Thanks for keeping me in the loop until I can catch up!
SEPTEMBER 1937
'MORE FUN COMICS' v2 #12 [#24]
Doctor Occult: Untitled by Siegel and Shuster (4 pages). Men who had judged an art exhibition are dying impossibly, with the letters HD on their foreheads. After the last judge dies — his throat torn out by a wolf nobody could see, in front of witnesses — Occult has the word spread that he was a judge also, hoping to be bait. Sure enough, someone breaks into his house ... and steals a photo of him. He checks the list of artists who submitted to the exhibition, and wonders if "Henri Duval" could be the "HD." (I told you that name would come up again!) He goes to Duval's house, who captures him. Duval brags that he killed the judges by painting pictures of them dying, and starts doing the same to Occult by painting him in a fire. Fortunately the police were tailing Occult and break in. Duval qiuckly paints a knife in the throat of a self-portrait and dies.
Once again, Occult is no magician. Or superhero. Or escape artist. He can't even escape ropes! But I think it's a nice touch that the murderer is caught because he was as an egotistical artist. He couldn't help signing his work!
'NEW ADVENTURE COMICS' v2 #7 [#19]
Nadir: Untitled by Bill Ely (4 pages).
'DETECTIVE COMICS' #7
Slam Bradley: Untitled by Siegel and Shuster (13 pages). Slam and Shorty go to Atlantic City where, shockingly, there is dirty work afoot.
THE COMPETITION
Ultem enters the field (and Comics Magazine Co. exits) with Funny Pages #1 and Funny Picture Stories #1.
OCTOBER 1937
'MORE FUN COMICS' v3 #1 [#25]
Doctor Occult: Untitled by Siegel and Shuster (4 pages). A vengeful scientist turns a man who stole his work into a tiny, bronze figurine. He's about to do the same to Occult and a cop named Detective-Captain Ellsworth when the former whips out a "mystic force-resisting symbol" so that the scientist is reduced instead. I don't recognize the "symbol," and this four-pager isn't exactly a barn-burner. I guess it's supposed to be a horror story, but it's not particularly horrifying.
'NEW ADVENTURE COMICS' v2 #8 [#20]
Nadir: Untitled by Bill Ely (4 pages)
'DETECTIVE COMICS' #8
Slam Bradley: Untitled story by Siegel and Shuster (13 pages). Slam and Shorty go to Kentucky where there's a Hatfield and McCoys-style feud going on. Yee-ha.
Wow, even for the '30s this cover is pretty racist. Art by Creig Flessel.
THE COMPETITION
Quality Comics enters the field with Feature Funnies #1 (October 1937).
-- Mostly newspaper comic strip reprints. Some Eisner/Iger Studio material.
-- Becomes Feature Comics with issue #21.
NOVEMBER 1937
'MORE FUN COMICS' v3 #2 [#26]
Doctor Occult: Untitled by Siegel and Shuster (4 pages). Dr. Occult is tricked into projecting his astral form into the "ether-world" and is trapped. He only returns through a series of lucky breaks, villain incompetence and coincidence. Bleah. At least he used some real magic powers for a change (astral projection). I should note that this is the third story in a row that is four pages long, which appears to have become the norm.
'NEW ADVENTURE COMICS' v2 #9 [#21]
Nadir: Untitled by Bill Ely (4 pages)
'DETECTIVE COMICS' #9
Slam Bradley: Untitled story by Siegel and Shuster (13 pages). Slam and Shorty deal with a "human fly" robber.
THE COMPETITION
The Hawk, Quality's first masked hero, appears in Feature Funnies #2 for one issue only.
DECEMBER 1937
'MORE FUN COMICS' v3 #3 [#27]
Doctor Occult: Untitled by Siegel and Shuster (4 pages). Ellsworth, now a sergeant for some reason, calls Occult in to the "police-hospital" due to a man who seems to be experiencing non-physical pain. (Is a "police hospital" a thing? Was it ever?) Occult hears him mutter about a snake-worshiping cult, and upon returning to his home, "wills" himself and the sergeant to the snake cult. The sergeant wades in firing madly to stop a sacrifice to a giant snake, and Occult turns himself into a giant to battle the snake. These are very handy tricks you'd think he'd have used before!
I wonder if Siegel planed to make Vin Ellsworth a permanent sidekick for Doctor Occult — and if he's named for Vin Sullivan and Whitney Ellsworth, two early DC editors. (Magic 8-Ball says, "Probably.")
'NEW ADVENTURE COMICS' v2 #10 [#22]
Nadir: Untitled by Bill Ely (4 pages)
'DETECTIVE COMICS' #10
Slam Bradley: Untitled story by Siegel and Shuster (13 pages). A boxer dies in the ring, which Slam and Shorty investigate. Hey, fellas, it's boxing, not patty-cake. If you don't want to die in the ring, don't box for a living.
THE COMPETITION
The Clock makes his Quality Comics debut in Feature Funnies #3.
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