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 Riddler - Prinze 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!
Replies
In another month, All-Flash #1 (Sum'41) would be out, giving the Flash his own title in less than two years. I wonder why AA didn't expand on that with comic strips, radio shows, cartoons and merchandise like DC did with Superman?
Carter Hall was initially described as a playboy/amateur archeologist. Is he a research scientist now? Was he ever given an occupation?
In another month, All-Flash #1 (Sum'41) would be out, giving the Flash his own title in less than two years. I wonder why AA didn't expand on that with comic strips, radio shows, cartoons and merchandise like DC did with Superman?
Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman also got books, but didn't get the full marketing treatment Superman did. I'd guess that Superman just sold that much better than everybody else. I bet Batman only got a serial because Superman blazed the path and DC knew who to talk to. (And DC probably wouldn't talk to them about AA characters.)
Carter Hall was initially described as a playboy/amateur archeologist. Is he a research scientist now? Was he ever given an occupation?
Have I already posted the issue where he goes to work in his lab? I think that issue treated him as a research scientist, and may have even called him that. If I haven't posted it yet, I will in the next week or so. I'm about to catch up with my advance work, so there aren't many I've (re-) read that I haven't posted.
The first Batman serial predated the first Superman one, although Superman had already appeared on screen in cartoons (1941-43). Batman appeared in 1943, Batman and Robin in 1949. Superman appeared in 1948, Atom Man vs. Superman in 1950.
Other comic book serials include
Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941)
Spy Smasher (1942)
Captain America (1944)
Hop Harrigan (1946 - but he was also a radio hero)
The Vigilante (1947 - DC produced a giveaway tie-in, and a tie-in item appeared in Real Fact Comics #10)
Congo Bill (1948)
King of the Congo, featuring ME's Thun'da (1952, starring Buster Crabbe; I suspect the studio licensed the property so it could do an ersatz "Tarzan" serial with less legal risk)
Blackhawk (1952 - Dick Dillin may have modelled his version of Blackhawk after Kirk Alyn)
Thanks for the correction on the timing of the Batman/Superman serials. Luke.
As to my point, I still think there's a quantum difference in the marketing between Superman and other DC/AA characters, and I used a poor example. Batman never got a radio show, for example, and didn't show up in Superman's until 1945. Superman got a comic strip in 1939, but Batman didn't follow until four years later. Superman got a TV show in 1952, but Batman didn't get one until 1966. And I should note that the Fleischer Superman cartoons preceded the Batman serial -- and Batman didn't get a cartoon until 1968. Then there were all the Super-toys, incuding the Krypto-Raygun advertised and used in the comics themselves. The Man of Steel was almost always first.
Continuing the point, there are no AA characters on your serial list, and I didn't remember any. Even after DC bought out AA, very little was done with the characters. Of course, by 1945 the superhero fad was waning, and DC was phasing out its own second-tier superheroes just as it folded in AA. Hourman in 1943, Doctor Fate in 1944, Spectre in 1945, Sandman and Starman in 1946. I can't fault DC for not doing a late-1940s Flash serial when All-Flash ended in 1947 and Flash Comics in 1949. If there was to be a Flash serial, radio show, cartoon or newspaper comic strip, it should have been arranged by M.C. Gaines in 1940-45 while the iron was hot.
While on the discussion of serials, I read somewhere that the Captain America serial started life as Fawcett's Mr. Scarlet. I don't know if that's true, but it would explain his secret ID as a DA (instead of an Army private at Camp Lehigh) and the lack of shield.
I think that there was an attempt to do a Wonder Woman newspaper strip or at least some samples.
Not only was there an attempt to do a Wonder Woman strip, there was one that lasted two years.
Because we live in The Golden Age of Comics, it is readily available to all who care to read it.
Wow! I have collections of the Superman and Batman newspaper strips but never saw this!
Happy hunting!
Congo Bill and the Vigilante=supporting characters in Action Comics, Spy Smasher=a supporting character in Whiz Comics: so counting Captain Marvel and Superman (twice), six of these serials came from just two titles. From 1942 the next-most popular feature in Detective Comics, and the third DC-proper feature with its own title, was "Boy Commandos".
Mr Scarlet's special prosecutor(1) real identity might be based on Thomas E. Dewey. Fawcett did bet on him being a success initially: from Wow Comics #2-#8 he appeared in two or three stories an issue. (Star-Spangled Kid did the same until the Newsboy Legion took over the lead slot of Star-Spangled Comics.) His debut was written by France Herron. Later in the feature's run there's a comic change: he's fired for goofing off while Mr Scarlet solves all the crimes, and afterwards the stories involve Butler and Pinky having trouble getting work.
The next comic book hero to get a live-action TV show after Superman was Sheena, in 1956. Her original feature had already ended. Wikipedia says a script proposal was prepared in 1952 (while it was running), and a unbroadcast pilot was made later with Anita Ekberg!
Archie appeared on radio from 1943. He was preceded by Henry Aldrich of The Aldrich Family.
(1) I originally wrote DA, but in the stories I've checked he was a special prosecutor.
IIRC, the Captain America serial was parodied in Captain America's book precisely because it took a few creative liberties due to its origin as a repurposed Mr. Scarlet feature.
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