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
The funny thing about Phantom Lady is that usually she's in Washington DC where the All Stars were but instead of joining them there, she's in San Francisco for some reason. As I said, they wanted more women in the book but she was never meant to be a regular member. She didn't fit the book's theme: to celebrate DC's Golden Age!
They wanted the expanded cast, to get more characters with actual superpowers but they soon changed their minds then planned to get rid of them, shunting them off to Earth-X which now made no sense, especially as far as the Blackhawks were concerned.
The book is also exposition heavy with Roy Thomas bringing up the Bomb Defense Formula as if readers have been puzzled by it not stopping the war for decades! And now it makes me wonder if he was planning America Vs the Justice Society that early!
Reprint alert: four months after this issue, All Star Comics #35 was reprinted in The Best of DC digest #21 (F'82). A little late but much appreciated!
I believe that the book had so much to explain that they added a bank robbery scene to put some action in!
I liked the origin swapping scene with the stories ranging from exotic to pulp to horror then the Atom says that he worked out a lot! He always was a character in the right place at the right time, literally and figuratively!
Of course if I was Hawkman and saw Robotman, I'd be thinking about dismissing the Mighty Mite!
Seven of our heroes (the six on the cover, plus Dr. Mid-Nite) . . . reveal their secret identities!
I've never understood the purpose behind this---within the fictional conceit of the stories, I mean. I understand that the second generation of comic-book writers---it's difficult to lump Roy Thomas in with the Young Turks of the Bronze Age---think it's a cool way to show that the heroes are all buds. But it's antithesis to the protection of those heroes' closest secrets.
A grown-up writer, Gardner Fox, knew this when he insisted that the members of the Justice League kept their identities secret from each other. (As a group; certainly, certain among the members exchanged knowledge of their civilian identities for personal reasons.) In JLA # 19 (May, 1963), when circumstances forced the JLAers to reveal their civilian selves to each other, at the end of the case, they allowed Superman to wipe out that knowledge from their minds with amnesium. And in JLA # 27 (May, 1964), when the team receives three letters requesting help and one is ostensibly from Bruce Wayne (the Batman was absent from the meeting), Superman makes it a point of thinking, "Bruce Wayne? But he's Batman! Only I know the secret of his double identity . . . I'd sure like to be sent out to answer Bruce Wayne's letter---but I can't make an issue of it!" That's how tight they were about keeping their identities undisclosed.
It wasn't until the Bronze Age, when the Young Turk writers came in, that the Leaguers started calling each other "Ollie" and "Barry" and "Ray". Martin Pasko wrote a tale for JLA # 122 (Sep., 1975) that was intended to prove why it was better that the JLAers reveal their civilian ID's to each other and so they did so. (The story was so poorly structured that it failed to provide such a justification, not to mention the continuity errors which nullified the plot from the get-go.)
I've been through various kinds of hell and back with close colleagues over the course of my professional life, yet I never would've given any of them my PIN's or the combination to my house safe. There was no reason to do so. And a super-hero's secret identity is far more precious. Knowledge of that exposes him to all ends of trouble and misery. And not just from a risk of deliberate betrayal; there's always the chance of inadvertant exposure. (Note the Flash's outraged reaction to learning that Green Lantern had revealed the speedster's civilian identity to Pieface, in Green Lantern # 43 [Mar., 1966]. Sure, Pie could be trusted, but he'd entered that info in his Green Lantern Casebook---which had been stolen by the villain, Major Disaster.)
This idea of a mutual revealing of civilian ID's is especially tough to swallow in the case of All-Star Squadron # 2. These heroes had little history together, and some of them had never even met before.
Aye, I can buy into a dim-witted youngster who commands a nearly all-powerful hex genie, or the ghost of a dead man who sits around swapping war stories with a bunch of costumed mortals. But I can't make sense out of any of them willingly revealing their most precious secret to a bunch of casual acquaintences.
I always had a problem that Robin (later Nightwing) shared his secret identity with his fellow mwember of the New Teen Titans, mainly because it takes only a few dots to connect Dick Grayson to Bruce Wayne to Batman. In effect, he was also sharing Batman's secret identity. I don't recall whether or not it was ever made explicit that the other Titans knew Batman's secret identity, but look what happened when they let a traitor join their ranks (and yes, I am aware they kept their identities from here, at least at first, but that's not the point). when Robin decided to get chummy with his co-workers and share his secret identity, he was also sharing Batman's as well.
It was worse in the 70s Teen Titans when the Harlequin knew Robin's secret identity and she was Duela Dent, daughter of Two-Face, one of Batman's greatest enemies! At least she was at that time!
To be fair, Dick didn't trust Duela with his secret, she figured it out on her own. I've never understood the logic behind the way he figured out her real identity, since he just went through the school records looking for students with the same last name as Batman's foes. Aside from the fact that, odds are, if she had such a notorious parent, she'd most likely use her mother's maiden name, rather than register as, say, Edith Nygma. Likewise if she was the child of one of the female foes, she'd most likely be using her father's last name, which Robin would be unlikely to recognize. And of course, if she actually were the Joker's Daughter, his real name is up for grabs, so a student name Jacqueline Napier ,for example, probably wouldn't set off any interest. Ah, well...
It was implied in All-Star #3 that the JSAers all knew each other's secret identities right out of the gate, rather than them revealing them over dinner, with the disturbing Implication that they knew because they read each other's comics. That's not just breaking the fourth wall, that's violently beating us with it. That would also explain how Hawkman knew Shiera's new roommate, Diana Prince, was really Wonder Woman. Of course, Kent Nelson hadn't appeared by the JSA'S first meeting, so they hadn't read about him yet.
It's not implied at all! It's directly stated! The stories from All Star Comics #3 are narrated by each hero and they state their true identities, girlfriends, situations and favorite ice cream flavors for all I know in their narration!
The Flash even prefaces that his "regular identity is Jay Garrick" with "as you know".
Hawkman, Hourman, Sandman, the Atom and Green Lantern all do the same. And no reacts like this is new information, not even Johnny Thunder!
The Spectre does not mention Jim Corrigan but drops that he is a police officer and has another identity!
Doctor Fate has no other name at this point but does bring up Inza.
One thing for sure is that they don't know Superman and Batman's real names!
Which does make one wonder why none of them were reading Superman or Batman's comics. Heck, they even knew Red Tornado's real name and gender!
Which does make one wonder why none of them were reading Superman or Batman's comics.
Around about All-Star Squadron #21, Superman talks about his secret identity with some other (mostly JSA) All-Stars as if it's an open secret on the team that he's Clark Kent.
Count me in as someone who thinks the members should be a bit more cagey with their private lilves. The cat's out of the bag, so my opinion doesn't matter. But I think for characters like Batman, the fewer who know the better, because his ID getting out would mean the end of his superhero career. (Whereas Superman could, theoretically, just start over with a differet ID, as he did a few times in Silver Age.) So Batman, and a few others, should remain a mystery to their fellow members. And in a national or global emergency, he's not the first guy you call, anyway.
Liberty Belle's ID getting out could get her fired, or could get her promoted, but either way it would be life-changing. It's not the sort of thing you want to leave to chance, by blabbing it to people you just met like you're at a slumber party.
Also, in Silver Age Justice League of America, Superman and Batman knew each other's IDs, and Hal Jordan and Barry Allen knew each other's IDS. And that's because they were friends. The World's Finest Team had known each other's IDs and been teaming up since the 1950s. The Silver Age Green Lantern and Flash were such good pals that they double-dated in their civilian IDs. That being mentioned in JLA gave Li'l Me the warm fuzzies.
The Commander can tell me whether or not the other memebers were in the know, but if they were, it wasn't emphasized to the point that I remember it, like I do Clark/Bruce and Hal/Barry. I'm probably all wet, but in my head canon, the only people who knew each other's IDs in early Justice League were those who were friends outside of it. I think somewhere down the line they made a show of telling each other because their IDs had been used against them. But again, fuzzy memories.
Since I just thought of it, I will mention that Batman told his secret ID to Jimmy Olsen in an issue of Silver Age World's Finest, rather casually, which seemed to me at the time to be a terrible idea. It was in the Batplane, if I remember a-right. But Olsen was the kinda guy you couldn't trust with an alien soft drink, so I wouldn't rush to tell him any secrets. I guess the "World's Greatest Detective" had thought it through, but geez.
The Atom and Hawkman knew each other's identities as did Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter.
Apparently no one got too close to Wonder Woman.
-
167
-
168
-
169
-
170
-
171
of 187 Next