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!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Robin is IMO the only sidekick who had something more than a role of obedient follower...

I agree... as my reading of "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told" has revealed. He is often more competent than Batman. Robin set the mold for all other sidekicks who followed. Without Robin, I doubt we would have seen a Bucky or a Speedy or a Sandy.

...unless you want to consider Jimmy Olsen.

I don't. I'm up to 1948 in my "Superman from the Beginning" thread, and I have yet to read what I would call the first "real" Jimmy Olsen story. There have been characters called "Jimmy," but I am given to understand that the character as we think of him today did not come to be in comic books until 1954 or so.

[The Baron]

Interesting input, gents.

[The Baron]

"Batman without Robin" might not have become the more light-hearted character that he became in "real life".  

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Yes, as to "how Batman would've developed as a character if Robin had never been invented," the post-"Death in the Family" storyline "A Lonely Place of Dying" (which introduced Tim Drake) established that, in-story at least, Batman needs a Robin. How the character might have developed IRL I cannot say, but post-WWII, most comics (the ones that weren't crime or horror, anyway), became much lighter in tone, and I suspect Batman would have as well, Robin notwithstanding.

[The Baron]

Good grief, he might've gotten a "comedy sidekick", instead!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

[Philip Portelli]

Alfred started as a "comedy sidekick"!

[Captain Comics]

I've always read that Robin's success started the kid sidekick trend, and most of them did come after he did. I don't know if it's true, but that's how I've always heard it. There had been sidekicks before -- Tonto, Kato, Wing -- but they were adults. (Wing was very much in the vein of Kato, an adult chauffeur/valet, until Crimson Avenger started wearing tights. He's gotten younger since then, and was probably a teenager the last time he appeared, in Stargirl: The Lost Children.) Robin was pre-adolescent, and his 1938 success opened a flood of similar: Bucky, Toro, Dyna-Mite, Pinky, Dusty, Sandy, Speedy and others in the '40s, Aqualad in the '50s, Kid Flash in the '60s.

Rick Jones and Snapper Carr were older, probably high school age, which I imagine Jimmy Olsen to be as well, at least in the '50s. I seem to remember Commander Benson pointing out Jimmy's 21st birthday in the Silver Age. I think of them as a separate category, not just because they were older, but also because they didn't routinely suit up. 

Of course, there were still adult sidekicks in the '40s, usually played as comedy relief: Woozy Winks; Doiby Dickles; and Winky, Blinky and Noddy leap to mind. Some superheroes had female sidekicks, who usually had the same powers: Bulletgirl, Owl Girl, Doll Girl, Hawkgirl, Namora. And other superheroes had girlfriends who were aides-de-camp, but without powers or tights, like Inza, Taia and Dian Belmont. There were some sidekicks who were variations on the Robin blueprint, like Stripesy (superhero/sidekick ages reversed) and Cat-Man's Kitten (female).  

But when it comes to kid sidekicks, I think Robin probably kick-started that. If he wasn't the first kid sidekick (and he probably was), his enormous success certainly set the mold. 

 

[JD DeLuzio]

Unless we count "Junior," who first appeared in Dick Tracy in 1937. But Robin likely had a more direct influence on the superhero genre, definitely.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I would tend to classify juveniles in newspaper strips in a separate catagory as well: Little Orphan Annie, Junior Tracy, Skeezix Wallet, etc.