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. 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." I'm not terribly concerned about Wonder Woman stories, as tonally they could not be more distant from JSA stories. But I will list some sort of summary for each of her solo stories, as I do with Superman and Batman.
I should note that my methodology changes over time, as realities required. For instance, I initially lumped books together by cover date, but complications ensued for books without them, like quarterlies and specials. 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).
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
I grant that most people would, but there is a difference, in that Junior Tracy-- especially in his early years-- functioned very much as a sidekick to the protagonist. That is not really true of the others. The case could still be made that he's the first heroic comic kid sidekick (sidekid?), even if Robin ultimately defines the trope.
I seem to remember Commander Benson pointing out Jimmy's 21st birthday in the Silver Age.
N.b., "The Robot Jimmy Olsen", Jimmy Olsen # 35 (March, 1959).
Rick Jones and Snapper Carr were older, probably high school age . . .
With regard to Snapper, he was shown graduating from Happy Harbor High School in "The Machine That Made Miracles", from The Atom # 4 (Jan., 1963). The typical age for such a landmark is eighteen.
Thanks!
We're into September 1940 now. We're still short a charter member (Atom), but reprints for Hourman and Johnny Thunder have already petered out. We do get a bonus this month: All-Star Comics #2!
FLASH COMICS #9
Cover date: September 1940
On-sale date: July 17, 1940
Cover: Hawkman fighting a cowboy, by Sheldon Moldoff
The Flash
Untitled by Gardner Fox and E.E. Hibbard (11 pages)
Where I read it: Golden Age Flash Archives Vol. 1
Jay Garrick gets a letter from old college chum Jim Evans who says monsters and bank robbers are terrorizing the backwoods of Canada, where he is working as an engineer for a lumber company. Flash battles gila monsters grown to enormous size by a scientist kidnapped by a gang of bank robbers. Flash rescues the scientist and calls in the Canadian air force to bomb the gila monsters. The Canadians, of course, have no problem whatsoever ordering an air strike on their own territory on the say-so of a mystery man from another country.
Fun facts:
Hawkman
Untitled by Gardner Fox and Sheldon Moldoff (9 pages)
Where I read it: Golden Age Hawkman Archives Vol. 1
A bestial, underwater race known as the Kogats, who live in a gorge in New York Harbor, kidnap a random New Yorker named George to interrogate in order to further their plans to invade the surface world. By coincidence, George was on his way to meet Carter Hall with an unusual weapon for his collection. The Kogats, who can communicate telepathically, read George's mind and send a man to get Hall, for reasons. Carter goes to look for George as Hawkman, and sees the Kogat. He follows the guy to his home, confronts him, and decides to go with him to rescue George.
The Kogats use a water helmet to breathe, and give Carter a similar helmet to breathe air underwater. The Kogats kill George (sorry George), and decide to throw Hawkman into the "black hole," which is apparently a very deep hole. Instead of, you know, just taking his helmet away and letting him drown. Luckily, they give him the unusual weapon George was carrying, which was an ancient, rusted bar. In the hole, Hawkman is contacted by Poseidon (didn't see that coming), who sees the bar, which by coincidence (sigh) is what Poseidon needs to use his powers. He gives Hawkman the ability to breathe underwater and shows him how to destroy the Kogats.
The coincidences are strong with this one.
Fun facts:
Johnny Thunder
Untitled is by John Wentworth and Stan Aschmeier (6 pages).
No reprint (but skimmed online).
While performing magic tricks, Johnny accidentally wishes up a rabbit, that he wishes to become an elephant. Johnny discovers he can order the elephant, and when a nearby building catches fire, uses it to save people on the top floors. (He has to wish the elephant's trunk longer, so the stranded people can slide down.) After an hour, the elephant changes back to a rabbit. (Although, given the rules, it should disappear altogether.)
Fun facts:
Continuing: The King, The Whip, Cliff Cornwall, Rod Rian of the Sky Police.
Giant Gila monsters? Maybe this one survived and made its way south to the U.S!
I seem to remember a number of movies from my youth that had "giant reptiles" that were just gila monsters shot in close-up. I wonder how many of them were inspired by this Flash tale!
Regarding the varying nature of Flash's speed, I would tend to think of it as the Human torch's "nova" flame; the maximum can be maintained only for a short time.
"Stamps" were big in the comic strips Moldoff was swiping from.
There were Flash stamps in Flash Comics, too, but I haven't been including them since they're not in the reprint books. They're on pages separate from the stories and I don't even know if they have any connection to Flash other than the name.
ALL-AMERICAN COMICS #18
Cover date: September 1940
On-sale date: July 19, 1940
Cover: Green Lantern blasts a plane attacking the New York World's Fair, by Sheldon Moldoff
Green Lantern
Untitled by Bill Finger and Marty Nodell (8 pages)
Where I read it: Golden Age Green Lantern Archives Vol. 1
This adventure heavily involves the World's Fair, enough to make me wonder if the story was meant to go in New York World's Fair Comics [#2]. I guess I'll never know.
At the Fair, Alan Scott stops at the Condor Cafe (probably fictional) to have a bite. He sees a woman about to shoot the owner, a gangster named Murdock. He stops her and questions her, a young woman named Irene Miller, without alerting authorities. She says Murdock framed her brother, who used to work for him, and he won't spill the beans for fear Murdock would go after Irene. Scott investigates as the Green Lantern, and discovers Murdock is also blackmailing a judge by holding his daughter hostage (in the Perisphere). Murdock falls off the Perisphere while fighting the Lantern. He dies, but confesses he framed Irene's brother before he goes.
Fun facts:
Continuing: Adventures in the Unknown, Ben Webster, Hop Harrigan, Scribbly, Gary Concord the Ultra-Man, Red White and Blue.
'ACTION COMICS' #28
Cover date: September 1940
On-sale date: July 24, 1940
Cover: Superman tries to stop a guy from throwing another guy off the roof, by Paul Cassidy
Superman
Untitled is by Jerry Siegel and Jack Burnley (13 pages).
Where I read it: Superman: The Action Comics Archives Vol. 2 (1998).
GCD: "Clark and Lois are led to believe that a series of robberies are being committed by a circus strongman, but it's Superman who rounds up the real perpetrator!"
See Jeff of Earth-J's Superman from the Beginning.
Continuing: Pep Morgan, Three Aces, Clip Carson, Black Pirate, Tex Thomson, Zatara.
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