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
Oh, absolutely. I exchanged a glance with the owner of the shop, but otherwise let it go. (It wasn't even my conversation.)
'ALAN SCOTT: THE GREEN LANTERN' #1
December 2023
On-sale date: Oct. 24, 2023
By Tim Sheridan and Cian Tomey (20 pages)
GCD Summary: J. Edgar Hoover blackmails Green Lantern with information on a secret Army mission in his past and a secret romance. Later, Green Lantern recalls more about the mission, which may have something to do with strange happenings in the present.
Takeaways
The story begins in 1941, with flashbacks to 1936. That's three time periods, if you count the framing sequence.
In the hotel room before they go on board ship in 1936, Alan is already wearing the ring that Johnny doesn't give him until they go on board ship. Sigh. If a writer is going to mess with decades-long continuity, he should at least get his own continuty right.
Lt. Scott has lost his sergeant stripes, which is a relief. However, no one is sporting any rank indicator, including Cpl. Ladd and Gen. Mouglas DacArthur.
Johnny is knocked off the ship by the Crimson Flame, and Alan catches him by the hand.
"I've got you," he says. "But who's got you?" Johnny responds. When in doubt, steal from the best.
Johnny is dragged overboard by the Crimson Flame to his presumed death by both burning and drowning. The Crimson Flame is sentient and it says, "Firssst we brinng deathhh ..." This mirrors what the Green Flame says from its meteor in All-American Comics #16 (1940). In that story, the Green Flame says, "Three times shall I flame green! First — to bring death! Second — to bring life! Third — to bring power!" This is in ancient China, and it erupts to kill a bunch of thugs who where threatening the smith who created a lamp from the meteor. We'll get the "life" and "power" bits later in both stories.
In Hoover's office in 1941, Green Lantern is reading a newspaper recounting Green Lantern's latest victory over Solomon Grundy. This is 1941, so Solomon Grundy — who first appeared in All-American Comics #61 (October 1944) — is about three years too early.
The newspaper is The Bulletin, and the reporter is Scoop Scanlon. Scoop had a series as the ace reporter of the New York Bulletin in early Action Comics, so I appreciate this nod to Golden Age history.
Alan Scott lives in New York City in this series, and I approve. He lived in Capitol City at this point in the Golden Age, and I approve of that. Most modern flashbacks and retcons put him in Gotham City, but I prefer him to be almost anywhere else. It's too implausible that a Gotham superhero wouldn't see Batman and Robin more, and we have zero Golden Age stories of that happening. And besides, with the ring he could live anywhere and commute to wherever a story needs him to be. Ixnay on Othamgay, sez I!
J. Edgar Hoover is blackmailing Green Lantern into being more active in the JSA. That makes sense, since he called them together for their first assignment in All-Star Comics #4, where he was unnamed, a story reworked for All-Star Squadron #67, where he was. He'd have a stake in the team's success.
Hoover's leverage is that he knows Green Lantern is Alan Scott, and has pictures of Scott and Johnny Ladd canoodling in shorts and combat boots (seen in DC Pride: Through the Years #1). Green Lantern reveals in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6 that he knows about Hoover's secret life as well, but he doesn't use that leverage yet, because he thinks of himself as a criminal (homosexual activities were a felony in 1941). One of the themes of the series is Alan overcoming his gay guilt.
At a bank robbery, Green Lantern runs into Flash, who says "It's good to see you. I thought you'd quit the team." The implication from Hoover and from Flash and going forward is that Green Lantern didn't participate in early JSA adventures, which is the opposite of existing canon. GL was a core member from All-Star Comics #3-7 (Winter 1940 to October-November 1941), and in all origin stories, retcons and continuity implants. He did become an honorary — and non-participating — member in All-Star Comics #8-24, roughly 1942-45. But that begins eight months away from this story, and The Flash was also absent during GL's hiatus. So that's not this.
Instead, we have to look at the "May 1941" dateline on The Bulletin. That puts this part of the story between All-Star Comics #5 (April 1941 ship date) and All-Star Comics #6 (June 1941 ship date). That's where DCU Guide puts it, probably using that very dateline. This conversation can only work if you imagine the JSA having unrecorded adventures between April and June of 1941, adventures in which Green Lantern took no part. And it would have to be sufficient GL-absent adventures to justify Flash wondering if GL had quit. So get to work, y'all, imagining all those non-existent adventures!
Or, just call this the unnecessary rewrite it is.
Doiby hates being called Derby! This was established in All-American Comics #30, when some rando calls him Derby (left). "De name is Doiby! Doiby Dickles! Doiby — like in Joisey! S'Matta witcha — can't ya speak Inglish!" And then he says, "De noive o' dat guy! I got a mind to give 'im one right on de glimmer!"
Everyone in the Golden Age called him Doiby, even Irene Miller. Calling Doiby "Derby" is just wrong, wrong, wrong.
Doiby knows Alan is gay, but doesn't care (and doesn't want the details, which I take as the writer establishing that the Alan-Doiby relationship isn't gay).
I note for the record that, at this point in All-American Comics, Doiby doesn't yet know that Alan Scott and Green Lantern are the same. But it's a re-write, so EYKIW.
Doiby refers to Doctor Fate, Spectre and Flash as "Doctor Helmet, Ghost Guy and Zippy the Fastball," which made me laugh. Then he drags the joke out, asking about "da one wit' da fancy coat and gas mask" whom he calls "Sandra." What, no love for Clock Boy, Beakie and Shortie the Tuff Guy?
Alan still wears the "wedding ring" that Johnny gave him in 1936 (on two different occasions, it seems). When he needs to be Green Lantern, he switches that gold ring for his Green Lantern ring. I realize it's a story point (demonstrating how important Johnny's memory is to Alan) but to me, it seems foolish to EVER leave the Lantern ring at home. I'd have it on my person at all times.
It seems I was premature in posting my thoughts about ASTGL #1. Sorry 'bout that. We're thinking along the same lines, in any case.
No worries, and I noticed also that we were basically on the same beam. I'm not going to dwell on each issue as long as I have so far -- I've only got two more ASTGL posts to go. Then it's time for All-Star Comics #6!
'ALAN SCOTT: THE GREEN LANTERN' #2
January 2024
On-sale date: Nov. 28, 2023
"Conversion"
By Tim Sheridan and Cian Tomey (20 pages)
GCD Summary: Alan recalls voluntarily committing himself into Arkham Asylum for his homosexual tendencies, and how he gradually came to realize that there was nothing wrong with him. However, expressing those ideas led to forced electroshock therapy, which in turn led him to lead others in escaping the institution. Later, he went into the railroad business became a construction engineer in the railroad business, but a disgruntled competitor's sabotage destroyed the train he was riding, killing everyone aboard. Alan was then restored to life by an unknown green energy.
This story is Green Lantern's new origin as told to Doiby in the "present" (1941), but takes place in what I guess is 1937 to 1940.
It's explained that Alan's commanding officer figured out his relationship to Johnny, but because of his heroism in saving the ship, he is allowed to self-commit instead of undergoing a court-martial. That's a commanding officer with a pretty modern attitude, who would be putting his own career in jeopardy.
As mentioned earlier, Alan checks in as "Alan Ladd-Scott." It's not much of a pseudonym, so it is evidently an indication that Alan believes himself to be married to Johnny. Of course, hyphenated names in the U.S. is a modern convention. In 1936, they would have thought he was English.
Alan's roommate is a Mr. Billings, called "Billie," an older, cross-dressing gay man. You may recognize him. This is the same man that is cured of insanity in All-American Comics #16, which is the "life" the Green Flame promised when it was gabbing away in ancient China. Billings had changed the old Chinese lamp into the modern train lantern in the unnamed institution's workshop. Amusingly, when he is cured he says, "What's happening? I feel so queer." Not yet, pal, but just wait 85 years!
In this story, though, I don't think he's the recipient of the "life" in question. Especially since, after a long conversation with Alan, he's lobotomized! Wikipedia tells me that procedure was popular from the 1930s to the 1950s. ("It's all very modern," a nurse says.) But killing part of a man's brain doesn't seem like any kind of "life" to me.
The conversation between Alan and Billie (prior to the lobotomy) is about whether homosexuality is normal and acceptable or not. Billie thinks it's normal, Alan does not. Even though Alan still wears his "wedding" ring and refers to himself with a married name. Since this conversation spoon-feeds us the story's main theme (via Billie), I'm guessing this is in support of that, indicating Alan's subconscious beliefs. Or it's a mistake.
Alan refers to Billie with female pronouns, and calling him an "old queen" when angry. Those conventions seem pretty modern to me, but maybe they were contemporaneous. Wiki tells me "queen" came into usage in this context in the early part of the 20th century, although as a pejorative term. I don't know about the pronouns.
So what is the "life" the lantern brings, if it's not Billie? In this telling, I think it's Alan overcoming his self-loathing for being gay, and acheiving acceptance and love for himself. IOW, "we bring life" is changed from curing a crazy man to affirming homosexuality. Hey, it's that theme again!
But it's definitely Alan that is saved. Billie said he built the lantern because it spoke to him, which I'm going to take metaphorically, since we didn't see it. We do see the lantern speak the "we bring life" line to Alan.
I must note that Billie also yammers on about "dark things," which will eventually be included in Green Lantern's oath. It doesn't make much sense to me in context, so it's obviously planted here to explain the later oath. It's a bit contrived, but I'm feeling that a lot in this series, so let's move on.
When Alan escapes Arkham, he and Robert the Intern become an item. When we jump ahead to construction-engineer Alan on a doomed train, his lover is Jimmy Henton. Jimmy was the name of Alan's friend who was killed in All-American Comics #16, so that tracks. The man who blows up the trestle in 1940 is the same one here, a competitor named Dekker. (Alan's lover had an entirely different name in The New 52, but we're all pretending 2011 to 2016 didn't happen, including DC. Except for the gay part.)
That brings us to the "we bring power" bit from All-American Comics #16. It takes place in the same place and the same time, right after the train crash. The one change is that Alan Scott actually dies in the train crash, and the lantern brings him back to life. The same thing happens to Red Lantern later, so it's a new element in the origin. It's possible that THIS is the "we bring life" part, and I was overthinking the earlier part, taking the order of events too literally. As mentioned earlier, there's a bit of timey-wimey coming which allows us to whiz by temporal contradictions.
It feels to me that this issue's story could have been covered in about half the space, if the writer didn't feel the need to hammer us over the head with his themes. There's a difference between a story (which can be interesting) and a soapbox (which never is), and this issue crossed the line for me. YMMV.
Not a fan of revisionist history. Let the classics stand.
Agreed! And howdy, Constantine!
GCD Summary...
I am so glad I stopped reading this series after #1.
Of course, hyphenated names in the U.S. is a modern convention.
Another anachronism.
Later, he went into the railroad business...
When we jump ahead to train-engineer Alan...
I would like to nip this misapprehension, if not in the bud (it's too late for that), then at least going forward. I first encountered this "railroad engineer" thing from Maggie Thompson, who wrote distainfully of Alan Scot going from a railroad engineer to a constuction engineer to a radio engineer, as if all types of "engineers" were interchangable. Setting aside for a moment the "construction engineer" to "radio engineer" dichotomy, I chalked that up to Maggie's misinterpretation of something she read as a little girl (and hadn't re-read since) and never gave it another thought. But it's been popping up more and more frequently lately, even now in continuity.
From the opening narration of the "Green Lantern" story in All American Comics #16: "Out in the Great West, a train makes a test crossing over a newly constructed bridge. In the cab is Alan Scott, young engineer in charge of construction." Alan Scott was never a "railroad engineer"; he was in the train, not driving it. To drive that point home, the very first thing he says is, "Just because my company's bid to build this bridge was chosen by the govenment instead of Dekker's is not reason for revenge!" He was on the train as a construction engineer, not as a conductor.
It's like the first time I encountered the trope that some fans believed that Superman could not see lead, rather than not see through it: I didn't believe it.
I guess it's a thing, though, and nothing I say here is going to change it.
That was sloppy on my part, and I've fixed it. Yes, he was a construction engineer in AAC #16, and remained so (depicted working at construction firms) until he got the idea, on panel, of becoming a radio engineer. (I'm not going to look it up, but it's been covered in this thread.) Next thing you know, he's a radio engineer. There's not a lot of overlap in those fields either, but Golden Age writers weren't sticklers for that sort of thing. And, it could be argued, Alan's radio station had its own experimental-development lab and cab service, so who knows what sort of things they were doing that might require a construction engineer? Although Alan was depicted more or less being a radio engineer (and sound man). Still, he never drove a train (that we know of).
Next thing you know, he's a radio engineer.
First thing you know, old Jed's a millionaire.
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