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All Star Comics Archives #1
All Star Comics Archives, Vol. 1
In 1940, DC Comics had a radical idea: what if a group of super-heroes banded together to fight threats too great for any one of them to handle alone? Thus was born the Justice Society of America, featuring Green Lantern, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and many others. These colorful tales set a standard for superhero teams that's still followed today.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
1 person is currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Francis Fox
1,191 books90 followersGardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 28, 2017
The first four issues involving the Justice Society of America under the All Star Comics name, which contains the seminal first Super-hero team team-up in issue #3. These are comics from the 40s, so I didn't expect to be dazzled necessarily, but I found some enjoyment—you can see how young the medium is in these books, with these heroes, most of them super-natural, simply taking down crime rackets. It was nice being introduced to characters I only knew in passing; Dr. Fate, Spectre and Sandman were some stand outs, although old-school Flash is undeniably awesome.
Worth the trip.
Worth the trip.
January 12, 2021
Oh boy.
This was tough to read.
I can honestly see no reason for liking this other than nostalgia, and I wasn't born in the 40s so yeah..
Pretty much unreadable. I mean, Flash witnesses a murder and just runs to the police station and asks the captain to let him find the murderer, he says no you're not police, so then he asks him to let him become a police officer, captain says no, so he then goes and steals a police officer's uniform and comes back to the captain. I mean... The stupidity has no end, really.
But hey , I blame myself for reading chronologically!
This was tough to read.
I can honestly see no reason for liking this other than nostalgia, and I wasn't born in the 40s so yeah..
Pretty much unreadable. I mean, Flash witnesses a murder and just runs to the police station and asks the captain to let him find the murderer, he says no you're not police, so then he asks him to let him become a police officer, captain says no, so he then goes and steals a police officer's uniform and comes back to the captain. I mean... The stupidity has no end, really.
But hey , I blame myself for reading chronologically!
October 9, 2007
I haven't gotten hooked back on my comic book habit (yet) but I have pulled a few off the shelf to enjoy over meals. (Comics are great to read when your hands are primarily occupied with the task of stuffing your face.) This is the first volume reprinting the Justice Society of America stories from All-Star Comics, issues three through six. According to modern standards, the art and stories are pretty crude, yet I have to admit I enjoyed them. Comics of the 1940s give a glimpse of an alien world--a world filled with gangsters, hidden civilizations, mad scientists and heroes who are unambiguously good and heroic. A fine place to escape for a half hour or so.
November 28, 2016
This first volume of All-Star Archives features the first meeting of the Justice Society of America. In the first story, the members sit around talking about recent adventures they had, then in the other stories, they do meet to face a threat, then break off into solo stories to solve it.
Each chapter is written and drawn by the hero's regular creative team. Since DC never got around to archives featuring Hourman or the Atom, it's great to see what their original adventures must have been like.
More fun than I expected.
Each chapter is written and drawn by the hero's regular creative team. Since DC never got around to archives featuring Hourman or the Atom, it's great to see what their original adventures must have been like.
More fun than I expected.
May 19, 2022
I try to grade older comics on a curve with the understanding that writing styles have evolved and improved over time and the same with art. So I look at the stories for "enjoyment value". Do they have some element of clever or original storytelling in them? Overall, these stories were very hard to plow through. I am still happy to have read them because they are historical and it is instructive to see how a writer like Gardner Fox went from lazy formulaic writing (here) to some innovative storytelling two decades later (JLA and Adam Strange).
The art is what you would expect. Very two dimensional and static. But there are a few interesting panel layouts and some bursts of solid art. I think the best artists stuck to Batman and Superman but the art isn't horrid.
Historically - this marks the first time super-heroes teamed up into a group. The first story is more an anthology of their different adventures and is hardly a team-up. They just meet together to tell tales. Each character gets 6-8 pages and the stories are forgettable. The problem with ALL the stories in these pages is the writer hadn't yet clued in that super-heroes need super villains to make their stories more interesting and to challenge them. Instead we get two bit crooks who are easily overpowered by The Flash, Green Lantern, and especially Dr. Fate and the Spectre. Johnny thunder and his omnipotent genie Thunderbolt only get challenged because Johnny is played for laughs and hasn't clued in that he has to say "Say you" to unlock the genie's power. Luckily he utters that phrase every third panel.
The second story actually has all the heroes work together to bring down spies on American spoil (this is in the middle of WWII but before the US had joined). At least the heroes are all working on a common cause even if they still have separate adventures. We also get a glimpse into the propaganda at the time when the US government asks the Atom to take down those University professors trying to brainwash students with socialist ideas. Yikes. That hasn't aged well.
The third story has them trying to thwart Mr. X...which would be more fun if it wasn't decided Mister X would be a wispy man who pops up for one panel in every story and then at the end turns himself in. The gag is weak and just dumb.
The fourth story was actually the most fun. This time Johnny Thunder is being initiated for the All Star team because The Flash had to leave because he got his own comic book (don't ask - they had a rule if you have your own comic like Superman or Batman you couldn't be on the team).
The story seems to progress a little more as a complete story instead of being 10 independent stories. But still - Fox hadn't thought to get them to fight as one or in teams yet. That maybe came later.
So - hard to read stories but of historical value. Maybe 8 year olds would like them but even 8 year olds deserved more intelligent stories with more interesting action.
The art is what you would expect. Very two dimensional and static. But there are a few interesting panel layouts and some bursts of solid art. I think the best artists stuck to Batman and Superman but the art isn't horrid.
Historically - this marks the first time super-heroes teamed up into a group. The first story is more an anthology of their different adventures and is hardly a team-up. They just meet together to tell tales. Each character gets 6-8 pages and the stories are forgettable. The problem with ALL the stories in these pages is the writer hadn't yet clued in that super-heroes need super villains to make their stories more interesting and to challenge them. Instead we get two bit crooks who are easily overpowered by The Flash, Green Lantern, and especially Dr. Fate and the Spectre. Johnny thunder and his omnipotent genie Thunderbolt only get challenged because Johnny is played for laughs and hasn't clued in that he has to say "Say you" to unlock the genie's power. Luckily he utters that phrase every third panel.
The second story actually has all the heroes work together to bring down spies on American spoil (this is in the middle of WWII but before the US had joined). At least the heroes are all working on a common cause even if they still have separate adventures. We also get a glimpse into the propaganda at the time when the US government asks the Atom to take down those University professors trying to brainwash students with socialist ideas. Yikes. That hasn't aged well.
The third story has them trying to thwart Mr. X...which would be more fun if it wasn't decided Mister X would be a wispy man who pops up for one panel in every story and then at the end turns himself in. The gag is weak and just dumb.
The fourth story was actually the most fun. This time Johnny Thunder is being initiated for the All Star team because The Flash had to leave because he got his own comic book (don't ask - they had a rule if you have your own comic like Superman or Batman you couldn't be on the team).
The story seems to progress a little more as a complete story instead of being 10 independent stories. But still - Fox hadn't thought to get them to fight as one or in teams yet. That maybe came later.
So - hard to read stories but of historical value. Maybe 8 year olds would like them but even 8 year olds deserved more intelligent stories with more interesting action.
October 23, 2023
The Justice Society Of America was the first superhero team in the history of comics. That alone makes this book historically significant and worth a read. In Don Thompson's Foreword he claims that this is the first time that superheroes ever met one another in comic books. This is false. Over at Timely's Marvel Mystery Comics the Human Torch met (and battled) the Sub-Mariner in #8 (cover date June, 1940, on the stands months before that). Thompson was a respected member of the original organized fandom in the early 1960s, back when comic book collecting was not considered a serious hobby and long before these characters entered mainstream and I respect him, but he is wrong. Crossovers as such existed in some of the earliest newspaper strips at the turn of the 20th century, going as far back as The Katzenjammer Kids.
That aside, this is a fascinating read. For starters, the characters all meet up and then go their separate ways to uncover whatever case they are working on. The kids these days call them “comic jams”, where one creator hands it off to the next. Each character's creator and primary artist handles their respective strips, and then there is a resolution at the end where they all meet up and solve the case. This formula is repeated in all four issues collected here. What makes this interesting is that instead of the anthology format used in all comics of the day you have one 58 page long story.
I like how the JSA has a clubhouse where they meet. The simplicity of the times was evident throughout these comics. While the fashions and architecture of the time were contemporary to readers when these issues were originally published they only add to the escapist pleasure of the stories for me. I also enjoy the slang peppered in casual conversation. When modern writers try to write period piece comic like this they always come off as fake because they lack the reference points that the writers who were active during this era had.
I enjoyed The Spectre, The Sandman, and the Hawkman parts of the stories the most. Flash is more enjoyable here than he was in other books that I read. There is some great talent on this book. Sheldon Moldoff's Hawkman is stunning, even if he totally swiped tons from Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon strip. Gardner Fox manages to juggle all of the balls between the various creators of each character, and for the most part it works. #7 is the weakest issue in the book.
I have several more of the books in this lane aging to perfection in my backlog with no real timetable on reading them. I guess that I'll get to them when I get to them. It's not like another year or three is going to matter with comics that already over 70 years old.
That aside, this is a fascinating read. For starters, the characters all meet up and then go their separate ways to uncover whatever case they are working on. The kids these days call them “comic jams”, where one creator hands it off to the next. Each character's creator and primary artist handles their respective strips, and then there is a resolution at the end where they all meet up and solve the case. This formula is repeated in all four issues collected here. What makes this interesting is that instead of the anthology format used in all comics of the day you have one 58 page long story.
I like how the JSA has a clubhouse where they meet. The simplicity of the times was evident throughout these comics. While the fashions and architecture of the time were contemporary to readers when these issues were originally published they only add to the escapist pleasure of the stories for me. I also enjoy the slang peppered in casual conversation. When modern writers try to write period piece comic like this they always come off as fake because they lack the reference points that the writers who were active during this era had.
I enjoyed The Spectre, The Sandman, and the Hawkman parts of the stories the most. Flash is more enjoyable here than he was in other books that I read. There is some great talent on this book. Sheldon Moldoff's Hawkman is stunning, even if he totally swiped tons from Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon strip. Gardner Fox manages to juggle all of the balls between the various creators of each character, and for the most part it works. #7 is the weakest issue in the book.
I have several more of the books in this lane aging to perfection in my backlog with no real timetable on reading them. I guess that I'll get to them when I get to them. It's not like another year or three is going to matter with comics that already over 70 years old.
November 21, 2016
This volume reprints issues #3-6 of All Star Comics published back in the 1940s. These are the first four adventures of the legendary Justice Society of America. For the record the first two issues were anthology titles without any of the stories being linked to each other. The first story in this volume indicates that possibly the material for All Star's third issue was being assemble before the idea of the JSA was thought of. The story is comprised of individual segments which do not really relate to each other, framed by a dinner meeting of the JSA where partycrasher Johnny Thunder has suggested each member relate one of their most recent cases. From issue four on things would be different. After a brief opening sequence the individual members would head off to tackle their part of the larger case. At the end of the story the members would gather to tie up loose ends and/or catch the overall criminal mastermind. The original membership of the JSA was The Flash; Hawkman; Green Lantern; The Atom; The Sandman; The Hourman; Doctor Fate and The Spectre; By the end of the last story one of those members will have departed to be replaced by a new member. This was due to the bylaws of the JSA of the time which stated that
1. There could be no more than eight members
2. A member must appear in one of the following: Adventure Comics; All-American Comics; Flash Comics or More Fun Comics
3. They could not have their own book
The third one is the reason usually give why neither Batman or Superman were active members (though they were Honorary Members). but number two would have kept them out as well.
I would recommend this book without hesitation. For anyone interested in the Golden Age of Comics or comic history in general this is an essential volume. It is out of print but is worth the effort to find (and the ending of the third story is actually quite funny and makes the book worth reading).
1. There could be no more than eight members
2. A member must appear in one of the following: Adventure Comics; All-American Comics; Flash Comics or More Fun Comics
3. They could not have their own book
The third one is the reason usually give why neither Batman or Superman were active members (though they were Honorary Members). but number two would have kept them out as well.
I would recommend this book without hesitation. For anyone interested in the Golden Age of Comics or comic history in general this is an essential volume. It is out of print but is worth the effort to find (and the ending of the third story is actually quite funny and makes the book worth reading).
February 28, 2019
This book reprints the first four issues of All Star Comics featuring the first super-team: the Justice Society of America. DC Comics had so many popular features in their anthology comics that they decided it was time to put some of them together as a fighting force. I "met" them for the first time in the 1970s, and I have finally read the stories that started it all.
In these early days the original eight members (Flash, Green Lantern, Hourman, the Spectre, the Atom, the Sandman, Hawkman and Dr. Fate) only gathered together for a few pages at the beginning and end of stories. The first tale saw the members recounting special solo adventures; the next saw them carrying out missions for the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the one after that found them defeating the minions of crime boss Mister X; and in the final story they initiated a new member (Johnny Thunder).
The only story that fell flat for me was the last one; the credits say all four were written by the great Gardner Fox, but for some reason that story felt disjointed and below the standard of the others (although I found the Atom chapter a cut above on a humor level).
The art was done by the men associated with the solo stories of the members at the time. My favorites were Sheldon Moldoff on Hawkman (intricate and beautiful work that evokes Hal Foster), Bernard Baily on Hourman and the Spectre (interesting perspective and mood), but I enjoyed many of the other artists too.
Having read the first issues of Marvel's All-Winners Comics not long ago, I have to admit (much as I admire Stan Lee), that I am getting the impression that early DC had a better grip on quality and consistency over early Marvel. I may revise that as I have many more Archives and Masterworks to peruse.
In these early days the original eight members (Flash, Green Lantern, Hourman, the Spectre, the Atom, the Sandman, Hawkman and Dr. Fate) only gathered together for a few pages at the beginning and end of stories. The first tale saw the members recounting special solo adventures; the next saw them carrying out missions for the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the one after that found them defeating the minions of crime boss Mister X; and in the final story they initiated a new member (Johnny Thunder).
The only story that fell flat for me was the last one; the credits say all four were written by the great Gardner Fox, but for some reason that story felt disjointed and below the standard of the others (although I found the Atom chapter a cut above on a humor level).
The art was done by the men associated with the solo stories of the members at the time. My favorites were Sheldon Moldoff on Hawkman (intricate and beautiful work that evokes Hal Foster), Bernard Baily on Hourman and the Spectre (interesting perspective and mood), but I enjoyed many of the other artists too.
Having read the first issues of Marvel's All-Winners Comics not long ago, I have to admit (much as I admire Stan Lee), that I am getting the impression that early DC had a better grip on quality and consistency over early Marvel. I may revise that as I have many more Archives and Masterworks to peruse.
July 10, 2017
This collection reprints issues 3 through 6 of All-Star Comics, which was the original home of the Justice Society. Starting as a quarterly publication, it quickly increased to bi-monthly, and these issues were originally published in 1940 and early 1941. So these issues were all published before Pearl Harbor, but the war had started and Nazi sabotage was a popular theme in stories of the time.
Something not known by many, is that the original members of the Justice Society were not all characters from National Periodicals (DC Comics). It was published by National but also featured characters from All-American Publications.
The Justice Society has its first meeting in this volume, becoming the first superhero team. Comics were quite different back in those days, these volumes being 64 pages each, and all written by Gardner Fox. However, even though they are a superhero team, the Justice Society don't really act together - each issue consists of shorter stories where one or two of the heroes will have adventures and then they will head back to the clubhouse. Also, there are no supervillains - all the antagonists in these stories are either Nazi saboteurs or mobsters.
Overall, an interesting look at the early days of superhero comics.
Something not known by many, is that the original members of the Justice Society were not all characters from National Periodicals (DC Comics). It was published by National but also featured characters from All-American Publications.
The Justice Society has its first meeting in this volume, becoming the first superhero team. Comics were quite different back in those days, these volumes being 64 pages each, and all written by Gardner Fox. However, even though they are a superhero team, the Justice Society don't really act together - each issue consists of shorter stories where one or two of the heroes will have adventures and then they will head back to the clubhouse. Also, there are no supervillains - all the antagonists in these stories are either Nazi saboteurs or mobsters.
Overall, an interesting look at the early days of superhero comics.
January 25, 2019
The Sandman is the hero we need- he literally convinced Nazis on a college campus to come to their senses, remove their Nazis uniforms, and sing God Bless America shirtless. You can't make this up folks.
December 31, 2024
The original superhero team in their first 4 issues, bring rare heroes together, hindered only by the 40s plot lines and horrible 2nd grade humor. A fun read and the start of the JLA, Avengers, X-ment, etc. A must read for comic fans.
August 11, 2025
Books 3-6
3: very knights of the round table esc but also just friends hanging around sharing stories
4: Sandman, Doctor Fate, and Specter stand on mf business. Alan was called queer at least four times
3: very knights of the round table esc but also just friends hanging around sharing stories
4: Sandman, Doctor Fate, and Specter stand on mf business. Alan was called queer at least four times
October 19, 2018
Old school at the beginning gr8 original storie
November 18, 2022
That was way more fun than it should have been being so old. Also, only a little cringe!
October 5, 2016
I love this book because its when secondary heroes become the main characters and they are welcomed into the Justice Society. I recommend this to anyone who likes DC superheroes and likes. It reminds me of a meeting that my dad and mom goes to a lot of times. I don't like it when it has transitions because its old and it has newspaper articles that some person inspired hem to write or something.
August 26, 2023
The first tales of the JSA. We begin Issue #3 with Johnny Thunder wishing he was going to the meeting of the JSA and the Thunderbolt whisking him there almost immediately. Next is a quick introduction to everyone and are then off to the races.
Technically they are all individual tales narrated by the members, but what a collection! We have the Flash beating pirates to a sunken treasure, Hawkman defeating a mad scientist in the heart of a volcano, the Spectre defeating the evil spirit of Oom and exorcising it from a bronze statue and that's just the first three stories!
The fourth tales is the Hourman defeating a group of criminal doppelgangers intent on pulling off insurance fraud. Once he finishes up, we get the Red Tornado. Unfortunately, Ma Hunkel ripped her costume pants right off as she climbed in through the window. I still get a chuckle out of that. It's the kind of chuckle that no one seems to be write, because everyone wants to be oh so serious or seems to have an overwhelming desire to put their distinctive fingerprints on a character or group of characters.
Next up is the Sandman taking on another mad scientist who creates giants, but only for a short time until their bones return to normal. It is a seriously creepy tale typical of the early Sandman when he wore his oat and fedora.
We get a short interruption that sends the Flash off to meet with the head of the FBI.
Doctor Fate then continues the shivering and shaking with a story about a human magician that finds a book of power which allow him to raise the dead. Doc nearly loses his life and has to resort to physical violence to end the threat.
Poor Johnny is next, but he only gets a written tale about trying to bodyguard an heiress. It is funny though.
After Johnny comes the Atom, the only JSA member shorter than him. The masked mini marvel takes on a gang of armored car robbers and shows off for his girl Mary, but makes his secret identity of Al Pratt even more repellent to his crush Mary. Typical of the time, but pretty good.
Our last tale is the Green Lantern helping a reporter stay alive after he uncovers the truth behind a crime wave. GL puts his ring and his fists to good use, eventually crushing the will of the head crook and forcing him to confess on a live radio program.
The issue wraps up with the Flash returning to the meeting and informing the team that they need to meet with the chief of the FBI. They all promise to be there, and the Flash promises the readers they won't be disappointed in the next issue.
The writing is overall pretty good, with the artwork being a bit of a mix. A few of the tales really stand out with the Hawkman being far ahead of the rest. It is incredibly beautiful artwork that would not be out of place in a gallery.
The next three issue (4-6) are more of the same with the stories shifting to more war stories and dealing with stateside saboteurs.
Highly recommended for fans of the JSA or Golden Age comics in general.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
Technically they are all individual tales narrated by the members, but what a collection! We have the Flash beating pirates to a sunken treasure, Hawkman defeating a mad scientist in the heart of a volcano, the Spectre defeating the evil spirit of Oom and exorcising it from a bronze statue and that's just the first three stories!
The fourth tales is the Hourman defeating a group of criminal doppelgangers intent on pulling off insurance fraud. Once he finishes up, we get the Red Tornado. Unfortunately, Ma Hunkel ripped her costume pants right off as she climbed in through the window. I still get a chuckle out of that. It's the kind of chuckle that no one seems to be write, because everyone wants to be oh so serious or seems to have an overwhelming desire to put their distinctive fingerprints on a character or group of characters.
Next up is the Sandman taking on another mad scientist who creates giants, but only for a short time until their bones return to normal. It is a seriously creepy tale typical of the early Sandman when he wore his oat and fedora.
We get a short interruption that sends the Flash off to meet with the head of the FBI.
Doctor Fate then continues the shivering and shaking with a story about a human magician that finds a book of power which allow him to raise the dead. Doc nearly loses his life and has to resort to physical violence to end the threat.
Poor Johnny is next, but he only gets a written tale about trying to bodyguard an heiress. It is funny though.
After Johnny comes the Atom, the only JSA member shorter than him. The masked mini marvel takes on a gang of armored car robbers and shows off for his girl Mary, but makes his secret identity of Al Pratt even more repellent to his crush Mary. Typical of the time, but pretty good.
Our last tale is the Green Lantern helping a reporter stay alive after he uncovers the truth behind a crime wave. GL puts his ring and his fists to good use, eventually crushing the will of the head crook and forcing him to confess on a live radio program.
The issue wraps up with the Flash returning to the meeting and informing the team that they need to meet with the chief of the FBI. They all promise to be there, and the Flash promises the readers they won't be disappointed in the next issue.
The writing is overall pretty good, with the artwork being a bit of a mix. A few of the tales really stand out with the Hawkman being far ahead of the rest. It is incredibly beautiful artwork that would not be out of place in a gallery.
The next three issue (4-6) are more of the same with the stories shifting to more war stories and dealing with stateside saboteurs.
Highly recommended for fans of the JSA or Golden Age comics in general.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
May 31, 2014
This book collects All Star Comics #3-6 the first appearances of the Justice Society of America in 1941.
Issue 3 is the official first appearance of the Justice Society but all the group actually does is meet and tell stories of their adventures making it an anthology story. Still, I appreciated how special it must have been for kids in 1941 to see the heroes all on the same place, and the interactions are fun.
Issue 4 sees the Justice Society getting to work on special assignment from the FBI rooting out fifth columnist activity. Some of this activity is sophistic, some isn't-such as when the Golden Age Atom who asks people, "You don't lime America do you? Wouldn't you like a dictatorship better?" This issue follows the formula of almost all future issues as the JSA meet at the beginning, split up and individual take on the bad guys and then come back together at the end. In this case, they're led back towards that city of Nazi power-Toledo, Ohio.
Issue 5 is almost the reverse of a typical JSA story as a master criminal plans to take out the JSA and teams up crooks to go after them. The way this story plays out is a lot of fun with a great running gag.
After getting his own comic book, All-Flash Quarterly, the Flash was chosen as an honorary member and Johnny Thunder is to replace him on the active list. The JSA gives him an initiation of tracking down a criminal and they show him a series of headlines detailing the criminal's heinous crimes. After Johnny leaves, the JSA reveals the criminal is actually nut who prints these newspapers himself. However, despite this, Johnny Thunder manages to get into so much trouble that every single member of the Justice Society has to come to rescue him once. While I'm not a huge fan of Johnny Thunder in the JSA, this book on his initiation was just hilarious.
Overall, these are some of the most fun golden age comics I've read. The JSA is executed in a way that's fun and lighthearted, but with some decent adventures and with great variety. The solo adventures in the book which are part of every story include true Superpowered heroes (Flash, Green Lantern, and Hour Man), nonpowered Heroes (The Atom and the Sandman), and also supernatural heroes (The Spectre and Doctor Fate.)
Overall, this book is a highly recommended read for any superhero fan.
Issue 3 is the official first appearance of the Justice Society but all the group actually does is meet and tell stories of their adventures making it an anthology story. Still, I appreciated how special it must have been for kids in 1941 to see the heroes all on the same place, and the interactions are fun.
Issue 4 sees the Justice Society getting to work on special assignment from the FBI rooting out fifth columnist activity. Some of this activity is sophistic, some isn't-such as when the Golden Age Atom who asks people, "You don't lime America do you? Wouldn't you like a dictatorship better?" This issue follows the formula of almost all future issues as the JSA meet at the beginning, split up and individual take on the bad guys and then come back together at the end. In this case, they're led back towards that city of Nazi power-Toledo, Ohio.
Issue 5 is almost the reverse of a typical JSA story as a master criminal plans to take out the JSA and teams up crooks to go after them. The way this story plays out is a lot of fun with a great running gag.
After getting his own comic book, All-Flash Quarterly, the Flash was chosen as an honorary member and Johnny Thunder is to replace him on the active list. The JSA gives him an initiation of tracking down a criminal and they show him a series of headlines detailing the criminal's heinous crimes. After Johnny leaves, the JSA reveals the criminal is actually nut who prints these newspapers himself. However, despite this, Johnny Thunder manages to get into so much trouble that every single member of the Justice Society has to come to rescue him once. While I'm not a huge fan of Johnny Thunder in the JSA, this book on his initiation was just hilarious.
Overall, these are some of the most fun golden age comics I've read. The JSA is executed in a way that's fun and lighthearted, but with some decent adventures and with great variety. The solo adventures in the book which are part of every story include true Superpowered heroes (Flash, Green Lantern, and Hour Man), nonpowered Heroes (The Atom and the Sandman), and also supernatural heroes (The Spectre and Doctor Fate.)
Overall, this book is a highly recommended read for any superhero fan.
January 6, 2016
All Star Comics #3-6. Each issue contains loosely linked stories featuring The Flash, Hawkman, The Spectre, Johnny Thunder, The Sandman, Dr. Fate, The Atom, and Green Lantern. None are terribly exciting -- rather unbelievable plots and lots of fisticuffs.
December 6, 2015
All-Star Comics #3-6
1940-41
In color, HB, OOP
JSA Golden Age
1940-41
In color, HB, OOP
JSA Golden Age
March 17, 2015
I love the original super-hero team of the Justice Society of America!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews