The Massive, Extravagant, Over-the-top Golden Age JSA Re-read

[Captain Comics]

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:

1. 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.
2. Black Canary: All-Star Comics #38-57; Comic Cavalcade #25; Flash Comics #86-88, 90-104.
3. Doctor Fate: All-Star Comics #3-12, 14-21; More Fun Comics #55-98.
4. Doctor Mid-Nite: All-American Comics #25-102; All-Star Comics #6 (text story), 8-57.
5. 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)
6. 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.
7. Hawkman: All-Star Comics #1-57, Big All-American Comic Book, Flash Comics #1-104, Flash Comics miniature (Wheaties).
8. Hourman: Adventure Comics #48-83, All-Star Comics #1-7, New York World's Fair Comics [#2].
9. 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).
10. Mister Terrific: All-Star Comics #24, Big All-American Comic Book, Sensation Comics #1-63.
11. 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.
12. The Spectre: All-Star Comics #1-23, More Fun Comics #52-101, a single panel in More Fun Comics #51.
13. Starman: Adventure Comics #61-102, All-Star Comics #8-23.
14. 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!

[Philip Portelli]

Imagine if Johnny thought his magic words were "Ruptured My Heart" or "Quart of Brine"!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Thank you, Luis. Johnny knew what his magic word was in the Silver Age, but didn't in the Golden Age stories I have read. I've long wondered when and how it came about that he learned it.

[Luis Olavo de Moura Dantas]

I hear you, Jeff.  I actually expect that something will happen soon to make Johnny forget the magic words again.

I am not entirely certain, but IIRC he did not remember them during his fight against an impostor Solomon Grundy in All-Star #33 (1947).  And I once read that he did not know those words during "most of his career".  1940 is much too soon for him to have learned them for good.

[Captain Comics]

The obvious star for this week in 1940 is Batman #1, where Catwoman and The Joker debut. Since two of the four stories feature the Clown Prince of Crime, Jeff of Earth-J has already covered half the book in his The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told thread!

It's DC/AA's eighth original-content title, after More Fun Comics, Adventure Comics, Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, All-American Comics and Flash Comics. 

'ACTION COMICS' #25
Cover date: June 1940
On-sale date: April 24, 1940
Cover: Superman seen coming down on a boat full of crooks, by Wayne Boring. Is that Lois Lane in the boat? Is Superman leaping or flying? You be the judge!

Superman
Untitled by Jerry Siegel and Paul Cassidy (13 pages)
Where I read it: Superman: The Action Comics Archives Vol. 2 (1998)

GCD: "A weird case of bank guards, messengers, etc., suffering from amnesia while on missions to transport large amounts of money spurs Superman to get involved." See Jeff of Earth-J's Superman from the Beginning.

Last appearance of Gargantua T. Potts in Tex Thomson. (Thank God.)

Continuing: Pep Morgan, Black Pirate, Three Aces, Clip Carson and Zatara. 

'BATMAN' #1
Cover date: Spring 1940
On-sale date: April 25, 1940 
Cover: Batman and Robin swinging on Bat-ropes, by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson

Batman 
"The Batman — Who He Is and How He Came To Be" is by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson (2 pages)
Where I read it: The Great Comic Book Heroes (1965)

GCD: "Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered by a cheap crook, and young Bruce vows to avenge their deaths by warring on all criminals." Reprinted from Detective Comics #33 (November 1939).

Batman and Robin
Untitled by by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson (13 pages)
Where I read it: The Great Comic Book Heroes (1965)

First appearance of The Joker. GCD: "Batman faces a new criminal who succeeds in killing famous men and stealing their prized possessions, leaving them all with a smile on their face." See Jeff of Earth-J's The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told. 

Batman
Untitled by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson (12 pages)
Where I read it: Famous First Edition #F-6 (December 1974-January 1975).

Professor Hugo Strange and his Monster Men. GCD: "The Batman faces an arch criminal who has invented a serum to create a race of giant monsters and nearly becomes one of them himself."

Fun facts:

• The Batplane has mounted machine guns.
• Originally planned for Detective Comics #38, so Robin doesn't appear. (Strange debuted in Detective Comics #36.) 

Text piece
"Meet the Artist!"
A text feature on Bob Kane (1 page)

Batman and Robin
Untitled by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson (13 pages)
Where I read it: Famous First Edition #F-6 (December 1974-January 1975)

First appearance of Catwoman (as "The Cat"). GCD: "Batman and Robin take a trip aboard an exclusive yacht in order to prevent the theft of the Travers necklace at the hands of the Cat."

Batman and Robin
"The Joker Returns" is by Finger, Kane and Robinson (13 pages)
Where I read it: Famous First Edition #F-6 (December 1974-January 1975)

GCD: "The Joker escapes from prison to continue his rampage of death and to steal the famed Cleopatra necklace and Fire Ruby." See Jeff of Earth-J's The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told. 

Fun facts:

• GCD: "The Joker was supposed to die of his stab wound at the end of the story, but the editors decided this villain was too good to kill off, so the last panels were re-drawn to show him surviving."
• The last panel introduces the “Golden Rules for Robin’s Regulars": Readiness, Obedience, Brotherhood, Industriousness, Nationalism. (Nationalism? Really? I guess they probably meant "Patriotism," but it's not Batman and Robip, so we get nationalism.)
• This story was originally planned for Detective Comics #40.

Fun facts about Batman #1:

• There is a Millennium Edition.
• There is a facsimile edition.

[Philip Portelli]

Robin doesn't appear in the Hugo Strange story.

The evolution of Catwoman is an interesting topic on its own.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

The last panel introduces the “Golden Rules for Robin’s Regulars": Readiness, Obedience, Brotherhood, Industriousness, Nationalism. (Nationalism? Really? I guess they probably meant "Patriotism," but it's not Batman and Robip, so we get nationalism.)

Niceness? Neatness? Neighborly? Nonpareil? Numinous? Noetic? Nuanced?...

[Captain Comics]

Robin doesn't appear in the Hugo Strange story.

Fixed!

Niceness? Neatness? Neighborly? Nonpareil? Numinous? Noetic? Nuanced?...

I would prefer any of those. But I guess with the war and all, they'd rather wave the flag than be nice. Or neat. Or neighborly. Or non-judgmental. Or Neptunian. Or ...

[Philip Portelli]

As we know, the debut of Robin changed the tone of the Batman stories, even his costume changed colors, becoming lighter shades of gray and blue.

So it is odd that they introduce a "film noir" murderer in the Joker and a "femme fatale" in Catwoman. And they weren't flukes as both would be featured in Batman #2 so the creators knew what they had. And because of them, more costumed villains would appear to bedevil the Caped Crusaders.

I guess that "Robin's Regulars" didn't become a thing like "The Supermen of America" or "The Junior Justice Society.

It goes without saying that a lot more propaganda and nationalism will be part of most of the stories going forward! 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Niceness?

"Good is stronger than evil because it's nicer." -- Mammy Yokum

[The Baron]

Rules for Robin's Irregulars: Eat more fiber, get more exercise and make sure to hydrate properly.