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 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!
Replies
As much as I hate coming to the defense of Johnny Thunder, it should be remembered that JT was kidnapped as a small child because of his special birthday, which made him eligible to control the Thunderbolt. Along with the rites they preformed to link him to the T-bolt, it stands to reason that they used some sort of drugs and/or conditioning to make Johnny more tractible, so they could control him in order to ultimately control the Thunderbolt. As a result, Johnny was rendered, at best, a bit simple minded. One does wonder why, if originally the Thunderbolt could only be commanded by someone born with a remarkable number of sevens back in Flash #1 , how come none of the subsequent T-bolt "masters" have had to meet any of the criteria?
NOVEMBER 22, 1941
January 1942
Cover by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson
Batman and Robin
"The King of the Jungle!"
By Joseph Greene, Kane, Robinson and George Roussos (13 pages).
I have to interrupt this summary to note that I am unsure that would actually kill you. Also, as trained gymnasts, it should be no trouble for Batman and Robin to free themselves (and it isn't). Also, it would be too ironical (as they said back then) for the Bat to die from sleeping upside down.
Penguin's next scam is "Bignose," who is wanted in Memphis, Tennessee. The yokels in this Southern backwater town — I should know — fall handily for Penguin's trick, and he vamooses across the river to Arkansas, where "Big Mike" is wanted. Batman and Robin figure out Penguin's scam, and his pattern, and jump the gang at a penitentiary in Arkansas. The fight climaxes on a riverboat in the Mississippi River (of course), where Penguin jumps overboard and appears to drown.
Not likely. Penguins don't fly, but they do swim.
Where I read it: Batman Archives Vol. 2 (1991)
See Jeff of Earth-J's Batman vs. The Penguin.
Continuing: Spy, Larry Steele, Cliff Crosby, Crimson Avenger, Steve Malone, Slam Bradley.
So they took the chance with Green Lantern by starting it with #1
They may have started the series with #1, but the "#1" sure as hell didn't appear on the cover of the first issue.
Here's Irwin Donenfeld (as quoted on p.88 of Man of Two Worlds by Julius Schwartz and Brian Thomsen): "If you go to a newsstand, you see hundreds of titles on display. If you are looking at two of them side-by-side and one said number one, and one said number one hundred and four, which is a kid going to spend his hard-earned dime on? If the kid is smart, it will obviously be number one hundred and four and not an unknown number one because any comic that has gone that long must be worth reading."
I has taken my a while, but I have finally come around to that way of thinking. That's one of the things that turns me off about the constant string of "new number ones." Of course, these days a higher number doesn't mean anything either, because, like as not, the publisher just pulled the number out of his arse.
Thanks for the Julius Schwartz quote. I've got the book, but would never have taken the time to find that quote.
I has taken my a while, but I have finally come around to that way of thinking. That's one of the things that turns me off about the constant string of "new number ones."
Me, too. The constant stream of first issues is probably why I've come to appreciate the longer runs, and consequently bigger numbers. If nothing else, when you say "Amazing Spider-Man #400" I know exactly what you're talking about -- the era, probably the story, maybe where it fits in with other books of the time, what state I was living in, what job I had, and so forth. I might even remember the cover. But if you say "Amazing Spider-Man #1" it can mean any of a dozen issues with that specific name or something similar. And I'm sure not going to remember a specific cover, because at least half of 'em had many, many variant covers.
I try to keep in mind that I am no longer the target market, and my generation is shuffling off the stage. So it really doesn't matter what I think. But it's annoying.
Of course, these days a higher number doesn't mean anything either, because, like as not, the publisher just pulled the number out of his arse.
A clever friend of mine calls it "Marvel Math." I think you might know him.
I think that the "Man of Two Worlds" quote is more significant even today than Marvel and DC care to admit.
The constant renumbering signals what are supposed to be good jumping-in points, but in practice they seem to work at least as well as jumping-out points. All the more so when the new volumes often expect "new" readers to be acquaintanced with decades of previous stories. It has become a very noticeable barrier in the X-books, which IMO are bordering all-out hostility towards the uninitiated.
As things currently stand, we barely even have ongoings anymore, and even mainstays such as the Avengers and Spider-Man have been releasing new volumes and new #1s every time a new regular writer is announced, and sometimes midway through their runs as well. The core of the run is now the creator's proposal, not the character itself.
That may well be an advancement, for all I know. But I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic of the days when I bought issues such as Flash #303, Thor #326, Avengers #229. It felt like adhering to a long standing tradition.
The core of the run is now the creator's proposal, not the character itself.
I first came to that conclusion in 2001. Soon after Peter David's lengthy Hulk run, Marvel gave the series a "new #1" in 1999 and turned it over to, initially, John Byrne and Ron Garney. After that came Paul Jenkins, who came up with the "neat idea" that afflicting Bruce Banner with ALS might generate some stories. It did, but at the end of his run, Jenkins had Banner break the fourth wall and address the audience directly: "This is fiction. In fact, there is no cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Anything you hear to the contrary is just a dream. At least, for the moment." And from that moment on, Bruce banner no longer had ALS.
It was at that moment I first realized that Marvel's Hulk was now "John Byrne's Hulk, and Paul Jenkins' Hulk, and Bruce Jones' Hulk, and so on. That series lasted 112 issues (before becoming The Incredible Hercules), but it was followed by...
...and I lost track of how many series after that. Now, as Luis so eloquently put it, " The core of the run is now the creator's proposal, not the character itself." None of these series concern the same character I grew up reading, and AFAIAC, every reboot and "new #1" creates a new universe.
My universes, both DC and Marvel, ended with Crisis. I realised long ago that modern comics were not written for me. There are still thousands of pre-Crisis comics that I haven't read yet.
I'm with you. When I make the occasional trip to the local comic book shop it is to buy back issues or collections or facsimile editions of pre-Crisis comics.
I'm kind of in the middle. While I do feel as though the "real" DC Universe ended with CoIE, there are some modern characters that I enjoy. I just sort of figure where I woud shoehorn them into pre-Crisis continuity, like Michael Holt and Pieter Cross would be the Earth-One Mister Terrific and Doctor Mid-Nite, that sort of thing.
I understand completely. The bulk of my purchases are older comics as well. And, needless to say, I am spending a lot of time reading Golden Age comics currently! I still have a general sense of where current comics are, as I read a handful and assemble the comics guide every week. But my focus is on older comics, Speaking of which:
NOVEMBER 25, 1941
January 1942
Cover by Jack Burnley
Starman
"Adventure of the Ring of Hijackers"
By Gardner Fox and Jack Burnley (13 pages)
Where I Read It: Golden Age Starman Archives Vol. 1 (2000)
Best Line: "The only law I ever break is the law of gravity!" — Starman
Second Best Line: "I want this Starman stopped! He is in my hair, as you say!" — Baron X, who is bald.
Fun Facts
Hour Man
By unknown and Bernard Baily (8 pages)
Where I Read It: Online.
Fun Facts
Sandman
"The Adventure of the Murderous Bookshop!"
By Mort Weisinger, Paul Norris and Chad Grothkopf (8 pages)
Bookworm returns for the manuscript, which turns out to be an unpublished novel by Edgar Allan Poe — who famously didn't write any novels. Sandman determines that Connors was killed by a booby-trap he left to protect the manuscript. (He evidently forgot about it.) Bookworm destroys the manuscript and, in the same act, kills himself.
Fun Facts
Continuing: Manhunter, Steve Conrad, Shining Knight. Federal Men, which debuted in Fun Comics #2, makes its final appearance.
OFF TOPIC
THE COMPETITION
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