All-Star Comics
Entry updated 20 April 2026. Tagged: Comics, Publication.
US Comic (1940-1951). All-American Publications/National Comics Publications (eventually becoming DC Comics). 57 issues. Artists included Stan Asch, Bernard Baily, Irwin Hasen, Sheldon Moldoff and Martin Naydel, whilst script writers included John Broome, Gardner Fox and Martin Naydel (with also a few inputs from Frank Frazetta, Gil Kane, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel, Joe Simon and Alex Toth). Initially 68 pages with 8 long strips, declining to 52 pages with 5 long strips by #57; plus a short text story, and short strips as filler, throughout its run.
After two successful anthologies for the 1939 and 1940 World's Fairs (New York World's Fair Comics #1-#2, 1939-1940) the publisher decided to continue presenting their comics' most popular characters in the same publication, resulting in All-Star Comics. Historically, this title is best remembered for introducing both the first comic book Superhero team, the Justice Society of America (first appearance #3) (see Justice League of America), and Wonder Woman (first appearance #8). All-Star Comics was frequently entertaining, its storylines commonly having genre elements aside from the Superheroes themselves.
Presumably because Superman and Batman already had their own titles, as well as strips in Action Comics and Detective Comics respectively, they were not included. Initial choices were Hawkman (first appearance Flash Comics, #1 1940), The Sandman (introduced in New York World's Fair Comics #1, 1939; subsequently in Adventure Comics, from #40, 1939), Ultraman (first appearance All-American Comics #8, 1939), The Flash (first appearance Flash Comics #1, 1940); The Spectre (first appearance More Fun Comics #52, 1940) and Hour-Man (first appearance Adventure Comics #48, 1940); also two non-genre strips, Biff Bronson and Red, White and Blue. Ultraman and Biff lasted only one issue, being replaced in #2 by The Green Lantern (first appearance All-American Comics #16, 1940) and Johnny Thunderbolt (first appearance Flash Comics #1, 1940).
Hawkman is Carter Hall, a reincarnated Ancient Egyptian priest who discovers a Gravity-defying Element that enables him to fly. "Wealthy playboy" Wesley Dodds is the Sandman, "equipped with a gas gun and helmet" plus a cape; the gun puts people to sleep. In 2240 Gary Concord is the Ultra-Man, "high moderator of the United States of North America" and responsible for preserving the nation's peace. In his only story (#1), the effect of two European countries at War is a decline in US exports, resulting in mass unemployment and civil unrest: investigating, Ultra-Man finds a third country has deliberately caused the conflict (see Politics). After inhaling "the gaseous element of hard water" Jay Garrick's "every move, reaction, thought and word is ... a thousand times faster" making him "swifter than the speed of light" – and thus the The Flash is born. Jim Corrigan is The Spectre, a policeman murdered by crooks but selected to become an agent of divine justice on Earth; his resources are broader than most superheroes, and in #1 he visits the "endless chain of departing souls" (see Eschatology) to quiz someone who recently died in a fire. Meek chemist Rex Tyler discovers "strength-giving Miraclo", to become the Hour-Man (subsequently Hourman) so named because the stimulant's effect only lasts only 60 minutes. The Green Lantern is Alan Scott, who fashions a ring from part of a green lantern he has acquired; providing the ring touches the lantern every 24 hours he has supernatural powers – such as the ability to walk through solid objects (Scott was originally to have been called Alan Ladd to evoke Aladdin, but an actor already had that name): in #2, men are drugged to paralyse their nerve cells and numb their consciousness, making them "a sort of human robot". Johnny Thunderbolt has the ability to make people, animals and things do whatever he tells them; later it turns out this is due to Thunderbolt, a djinn (see Supernatural Creatures).
#3 introduces the Justice Society of America, comprising The Flash, Hawkman, The Spectre, The Sandman, The Hourman, The Green Lantern, Doctor Fate and The Atom; Johnny Thunderbolt – now known as Johnny Thunder – initially hangs on the fringes, but joins in #6, replacing the Flash, who was "called to other duties" and like Batman and Superman becomes an Honorary Member of the Justice Society (though the latter two join in #36's adventure). In #8 The Green Lantern becomes a Honorary Member while Hourman is given a leave of absence and does not return; they are replaced by Dr Mid-Nite and Starman. Doctor Fate (first appearance More Fun Comics #55, 1940) is Kent Nelson, an archaeologist's son trained in sorcery (see Magic) by the awakened Babylonian, Nabu. The Atom (first appearance All-American Comics #19, 1940) is diminutive Al Pratt, trained to defend himself by a down-and-out he has helped. Dr Mid-Nite (first appearance All-American Comics #25, 1941) is Dr McNider, who – having been blinded – invented special glasses enabling him to see, including in the dark (in his civilian guise he pretends still to be blind). Starman (first appearance Adventure Comics #61, 1941) is Ted Knight, who adopts the pose of a playboy hypochondriac but "utilizes the mysterious forces of the stars" with his Gravity Rod Invention, "a device that turns starlight into energy" (see Power Sources): a science-based magic wand. Wonderwoman joins the Justice Society at the end of #11, becoming its secretary (discussed below).
Just prior to #24 the line-up fluctuates (mainly because of a split in the publishers, meaning Spectre and the Starman no longer appear), but in that issue settles as Johnny Thunder, The Atom, Dr Mid-Nite, Hawkman and Wonder Woman (who rarely participates in adventures), plus Green Lantern and the Flash, returned as active or "fighting members". #41 has Johnny Thunder replaced by Black Canary (first appearance of her own strip in Flash Comics #98, 1948, though initially a secondary character in that magazine's Johnny Thunder strip, from #86, 1947): she is police detective's daughter Dinah Drake, who was rejected by the police academy and fights crime as the Black Canary.
The format of a Justice Society of America story typically involves the Justice Society coming together to deal with a problem, then following individual leads or tasks in their own strips before reassembling at the end (though sometimes two team up). However, #3 has them simply relating their adventures (see Club Story): for example, Hawkman faced a Mad Scientist planning to destroy the surface world with volcanoes; the Spectre fought Oom from the dark side of the Moon who visits Earth for the pleasure of killing; and the Sandman dealt with another mad scientist who loaded "pituitary glands with a secret formula" that turned people and animals into giants (see Great and Small). Most of the early tales involved combatting the Axis Powers or their agents – such as fifth columnists sowing discord among American blue-collar workers. In #9 the heroes each go to a different South American country to foil German infiltration, with The Spectre growing to an immense size to swat German planes attempting to attack Buenos Aires and swallowing their bombs; whilst in Bolivia Starman deals with a "boring tank" (that is, the Underground digging vehicle often referred to as a "mole"). #13 finds the Germans asphyxiating the Justice Society and putting them into separate Rockets that each fly to a different planet of the Solar System: all hold civilizations (see Aliens) and adventures are had (see Planetary Romance). Starman is told by Jupiter's Robot inhabitants that its red spot is "an absorbing microbism that feeds on our planet" (see Parasitism and Symbiosis), whilst the Spectre learns that Pluto (see Outer Planets) once orbited Andromeda's solar system (its inhabitants now live in a City five miles underground).
In #35 Wonder Woman realizes there's a day they have all forgotten (see Amnesia); her civilization's "Magic Sphere of History" (which, despite its name, has the look of science) reveals what happened. One day modern Technology reverted to earlier versions of itself before vanishing, reminiscent of an effect in Philip K Dick's Ubik (1969). This resulted from a scientist inventing a Time Machine and his assistant Degaton using it to change a past event (having Alexander the Great lose the Battle of Arbela), with the consequences seen; the Green Lantern visits the past to correct this, fails and eventually ends up ten years in the future, with Degaton in charge and the Justice Society now fugitives. However, they (including Wonder Woman) return to the past to beat up King Darius III's army and the armed men Degaton brought in: history returns to its original track, and hence their forgetfulness of the changed timeline's events (see Time Paradoxes). #49 begins with the Justice Society defeated by the inhabitants of a yellow Comet and humanity awaiting the end of the world, whilst a scientist drills a message on a rock face as a warning to the future. This echoing the beginning of the present crisis with the discovery of a warning about the comet people made by a vanquished human civilization from a million years ago; eventually the Justice Society members recuperate and see off the aliens. In #55, discovering traces of frozen ammonia, they deduce the creatures who kidnapped a scientist friend have been on Jupiter, so go there to rescue him after building a Spaceship powered by the scientist's newly invented Gravity motor; helpfully, he also discovered how to make oxygen pills. They find the rest of the solar system has been conquered by aliens from "the Green Star" and – as humanity are deemed too stubborn – are planning to split Earth in two with a Weapon being set up on Mars. It also turns out the scientist has been Hypnotized into helping them.
Other tales include a criminal identifying an insect hormone that turns people into half-human, half-insect humanoids, possessing the traits of whichever insect is used (it also works with snails and spiders) (#18); an Invasion of Earth by Robots from Jupiter, who are made of "living metal" – each strip involves confronting robots made of a different one (silver, iron, magnesium etc.) (#26); a bored Time Traveller from the future using his advanced scientific knowledge to engage in crime in the present (#29); an invention that can shape dreams (see Dream Hacking) (#30); a diamond people from beneath the Earth invading the surface (#51); a "super race" that once lived in Africa died out, but its four kings survived in Suspended Animation – they are freed, possess superpowers and are evil (#52); an emissary from the thirty-first century travels to the present to request the Justice Society's help in defeating invading Shapeshifters (#56);
The most significant event in All-Star Comics' run was the final strip of #8 – independent of the linked Justice Society ones – which announced "at last, in a world torn by the hatreds and wars of men, appears a woman to whom the problems and feats of men are mere child's play ... as lovely as Aphrodite – as wise as Athena – with the speed of Mercury and the strength of Hercules – she is known only as Wonderwoman" (see Wonder Woman; see also Feminism, Miss Fury, Women in SF). After participating in #11's storyline she joins the Justice Society. Nevertheless, though appearing on the covers, her involvement is usually low-key – mainly as secretary and providing coordination – and only rarely participating in adventures. By then, however, she had her own strip in Sensation Comics (from #1, 1942) and her own comic (Wonderwoman, from #1, 1942).
Most issues from #42 have a strip called "Johnny Peril's Surprise Story", which was unconnected to the Justice Society. All-Star Comics was briefly revived in 1976 (17 issues) and very briefly in 1999 (2 issues). [SP]
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