JUSTICE SOCIETY: 1946 STORIES

For this weekend’s light-hearted, escapist blog post about superheroes, Balladeer’s Blog goes back to the Justice Society of America, this country’s very first superteam. Years ago, I covered the early years of the JSA, from their first appearance in December 1940 up to their December 1945 issue, which wrapped up their World War Two tales with a look at disabled veterans. On to 1946.

ALL-STAR COMICS Vol 1 #28 (April 1946)

Title: The Paintings That Walked the Earth

JSA Roster: Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Green Lantern, the Atom, Flash, Dr. Mid-Nite and Johnny Thunder 

Villain: Nels Farrow

Synopsis: Archeologist Nels Farrow discovered six ancient containers of enchanted paint dating back to Atlantis before it sank beneath the waves. Anything, real or imagined, that was drawn using those paints would come to life and run amok through the world.

The embittered Farrow painted six works of art that would unleash destruction and suffering. The Justice Society went into action, defeating all of the evil let loose on the world from those paintings.

First, at an undisclosed location where pre-submergence Atlantis had been found, our heroes fought indestructible gangsters that Nels Farrow had painted and sent to steal the additional treasure trove of Atlantean artifacts that his colleagues had just discovered.

Next came the African veldt, where Farrow had unleashed indestructible hunters from various eras, using guns, arrows, spears, etc. Third, an Alaskan gold mine was targeted by an army of sword-wielding knights in armor pouring forth from their painting.

On an ocean liner, a painting of subaquatic cowboy outlaws riding huge sea-horses came to life and began preying on international shipping. From a painting in the palatial home of a Texas oil baron came an army of Moors which began ravaging the oil fields.

Finally, and most dangerously, one of the paintings in the American Midwest produced countless cavemen, woolly mammoths and saber tooth tigers. Naturally, the JSA prevailed over all of the menaces.

I would substitute: Hawkgirl for Hawkman (all the time) and Batman for Johnny Thunder.

ALL-STAR COMICS Vol 1 #29 (June 1946)

Title: The Man Who Knows Too Much

Villain: Landor

Synopsis: Landor, a time-traveler from the year 2446 A.D. becomes stranded in 1946 when his time machine breaks down. Angry at his plight, he uses his superior knowledge of science to construct and use assorted high-tech weapons. This draws the Justice Society into conflict with him.

After Landor successfully makes the Sapphire State Building vanish, our heroes clash with him and his hirelings at the U.S. Mint and stop him from using his force fields and futuristic guns to rob the place. Next, the villain and his remaining gang members use his ultra-powerful suction device and a souped-up flame thrower to absorb entire city blocks unless millions in extortion money is paid to him.

Landor and his men lose a third time to the JSA in America’s desert southwest, where he uses a high-tech device to disable engines within a 1,000-mile radius and also wields a disintegrator ray. At a big-city zoo, the man from the 25th Century operates on the brains of gorillas and elephants and sends them on a rampage.

Foiled once again, Landor and his two remaining men use a gun that he upgraded to a molecular transformer to go on a spree of jewel robberies. That venture costs him his final pair of gang members and when he tries to wipe out the entire JSA at once with his disintegrator weaponry they defeat him once and for all.

Realizing that Landor is too dangerous to be kept in 1946, the Green Lantern uses his Power Ring to send the villain back to 2446. 

I would substitute: Superman for Johnny Thunder.

ALL-STAR COMICS Vol 1 #30 (August 1946)

Title: Dreams of Madness

Villain: Brain-Wave

NOTE: Despite her presence on the cover, Wonder Woman does not appear in this issue.

Synopsis: The Justice Society clashes with their archenemy Brain-Wave once again. This time he uses his psionic powers in conjunction with a new invention that lets him project dreams into the minds of sleeping subjects. The villain plans to use the device to eliminate the JSA so that they can no longer interfere with his plans for world conquest.

Hawkman becomes trapped in a dream in which he is caught in the middle of a war between ice-beings and fire-beings. Dr. Mid-Nite dreams he is one of the human guinea pigs getting experimented on by large sentient germs in humanoid form. 

Green Lantern’s potent, trippy dream convinces him that he is interacting with living stars and planets and that he himself becomes a sun with several plants orbiting him. In Flash’s dream he becomes one of the enslaved human captives of sentient wild animals who have taken over the world.

The Atom believes he is in a world of mechanical people who have clocks for heads and an umbrella for one of their arms. There are also human gangsters and rain which causes his size to vary wildly.

Johnny Thunder dreams that he and his Thunderbolt successfully defeat the supervillain Mordred the Magic Man and become the heroes of a world in which people’s bodies are fused with other objects. Since Johnny is normally a comic relief screw-up, I guess that’s why his dream actually has him being effective.

Johnny and his Thunderbolt then free his fellow JSA members from their dream-traps and they all go on to defeat Brain-Wave and his army. Now that he’s back in the waking world, Johnny becomes his usual dorky self again.

I would substitute: Mr. Terrific for Johnny Thunder.

ALL-STAR COMICS Vol 1 #31 (October 1946)

Title: The Workshop of Wonder

Villain: Zor the Duna

Synopsis: Three members of the Duna race – sentient orbs of red energy who live on a planet billions of miles away – contact the Justice Society. Zor, a criminal member of their race, has arrived on Earth and taken possession of Willy Wonder, a toy craftsman.

Zor in Willy’s body has used his alien technology to create devices that help his army of criminals launch a reign of terror. The JSA agrees to stop Zor and turn him over to the Duna.

Our heroes clash with Zor’s troops and their alien tech. One detachment uses antigravity devices to walk on air and make safes and entire buildings float so they can steal them. They also rob airliners. Another detachment uses invisible uniforms and sacks to make off with all the valuables they can carry.   

Elsewhere, Zor gives three of his men a drink which grants them super-strength. As Samson, Achilles and Thor their crime spree is interrupted by the JSA. Another detachment wear adhesive boots that let them walk straight up skyscrapers to rob the highest floors.

A futuristic submarine is crewed by more of Zor’s thugs for piracy on the high seas. Elsewhere, his men drive a subterranean vehicle to bore into banks and rob the vaults. Finally, the JSA storm Willy Wonder’s workshop where Zor and the last of his army are overcome.

Zor is forced out of Willy’s body and turned over to the other Duna. Willy thanks our heroes by making a set of hand-crafted figurines in their likenesses. 

I would substitute: Sandman for Johnny Thunder.  

ALL-STAR COMICS Vol 1 #32 (December 1946)

Title: The Return of the Psycho-Pirate

Villain: Psycho-Pirate

NOTE: This is technically the Justice Society’s third clash with the Psycho-Pirate. I covered the “lost” story of his second encounter with the team from which some of the artwork and writing survived from the 1940s HERE.

Synopsis: With the aid of his cellmate, the Psycho-Pirate escapes prison and launches a crime network using his power over human emotions.

The JSA shut down the villain’s blackmail scheme, his plan to steal a fortune in platinum, his jewel theft ring, his raid on a university’s priceless artifacts, his theft of radio-controlled car technology and his network for fixing boxing matches.

Cornered in their hideout, the Psycho-Pirate and his fellow escapee are taken into custody by the Justice Society members. 

I would substitute: Wildcat for Johnny Thunder.

FOR MY REVIEW OF THE 1960s TEAM-UP STORIES OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY AND THE JUSTICE LEAGUE CLICK HERE.

FOR MY EXAMINATION OF CANADA’S GOLDEN AGE SUPERHEROES CLICK HERE.