Tag Archives: Golden Age Superheroes

December 13, 2018 · 12:00 pm

JUSTICE SOCIETY 5: WAR ORPHANS

More Christmas Season kid-friendliness from the Golden Age with the 5th installment of the very FIRST superhero team in history: DC’s Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All-Star 7ALL-STAR COMICS #7 (October 1941)

Title: THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA RAISES A MILLION DOLLARS FOR WAR ORPHANS 

Heroes: BATMAN (Original), SPECTRE, SUPERMAN (Original), HOURMAN, GREEN LANTERN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, FLASH (Original), SANDMAN, HAWKMAN (Original), JOHNNY THUNDER, ATOM (Original)

Villains: THE GENERALISSIMO, HOTFIST AND ASSORTED GANGSTERS

SandmanSynopsis: Justice Society Chairman Green Lantern mentions the plight of war orphans in Europe and recommends that the JSA members combine their crime-fighting activities with fund-raising for those orphans.

The heroes spend the next several days collecting bounties on wanted criminals, selling exclusive rights to a newspaper to cover their war on a particular gang of mobsters and trying to recover a priceless Aztec treasure before it falls into the hands of a corrupt Mexican General and his troops.

In the end the JSA raises ONE … MILLION … DOLLARS … for orphans in war-torn Europe.  

How I Would Revise It:  Continue reading →

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December 7, 2018 · 7:55 pm

JUSTICE SOCIETY 4: INITIATION

Christmas Season kid-friendliness romps along with the 4th installment of the very FIRST superhero team in history: DC’s Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All-Star 6ALL-STAR COMICS #6 (August 1941)

Title: THE JSA INITIATES JOHNNY THUNDER

Heroes: GREEN LANTERN (Original), HOURMAN, ATOM (Original), JOHNNY THUNDER, HAWKMAN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, FLASH (Original), SPECTRE, SANDMAN

Villains: Assorted Criminal Gangs

Synopsis: The Flash announces he is stepping down as the team’s Chairman. The Justice Society of America initiates Johnny Thunder, the Jar Jar Binks of the time, as a full member of the team. Naturally the JSA members all wind up having to bail out Johnny against the criminals he faces, yet they still welcome him to the team.

Hourman 2The heroes have to save Johnny from counterfeiters, bank robbers, extortionists, thieves dressed in gorilla costumes and headless zombies created by a mad scientist. (Shades of G-8 and His Battle Aces!) In the end, with all the criminals defeated, Johnny Thunder becomes a full member of the JSA. God knows why.

How I Would Revise It: Continue reading →

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December 5, 2018 · 12:23 am

JUSTICE SOCIETY 3: MISTER X

The Christmas Season rolls along with the 3rd adventure of the very FIRST superhero team in history: DC’s JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All-Star 5ALL-STAR COMICS #5 (June 1941)

Title: THE MYSTERIOUS MISTER X

Heroes: HAWKMAN (Original), HOURMAN, FLASH (Original), SPECTRE, GREEN LANTERN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, ATOM (Original), SANDMAN

Villains: MISTER X AND HIS CRIME GUILDS

Synopsis: With organized crime in America on the ropes thanks to the various members of the Justice Society a mysterious masked figure called Mister X decides to fill the leadership vacuum. Organizing nationwide crime into Guilds and Unions for each type of criminal offenders Mister X plans to get “tribute” from his gangs AND to kill the entire Justice Society of America.  Continue reading →

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November 29, 2018 · 11:12 pm

JUSTICE SOCIETY 2: THE GREYSHIRTS

Continuing with the Christmas Season here’s the 2nd adventure of the very FIRST superhero team in history: DC’s JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA. It’s some Kid-Friendly Holiday Fun here at Balladeer’s Blog. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All Star 4ALL-STAR COMICS #4 (March 1941)

Title: FOR AMERICA AND DEMOCRACY

Heroes: HOURMAN, GREEN LANTERN (Original), SPECTRE, THE ATOM (Original), DOCTOR FATE, FLASH (Original), SANDMAN, HAWKMAN (Original), JOHNNY THUNDER

Villains: THE GREY SHIRTS

Synopsis: Summoned to Washington, DC by FBI Director J Edgar Hoover, the Justice Society of America is told about a secret Axis organization operating inside the United States despite America still being neutral in the Second World War then raging. That secret organization – the Grey Shirts – are carrying out covert sabotage operations across the nation. Continue reading →

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November 4, 2018 · 1:40 am

BLACK SATAN: ANOTHER CHESLER SUPERHERO

Balladeer’s Blog’s recent look at the superhero pantheon of Harry A Chesler Publishing was pretty popular. To meet demand here is another Chesler superhero. I went ahead and added him to the main list, too. For many more Chesler heroes click HERE 

BBlack SatanLACK SATAN

Secret Identity: Howard Flynn, District Attorney

Origin: Like many in law enforcement Howard Flynn wearied of seeing powerful gangsters going unpunished. 

He adopted the costumed identity of Black Satan and went after those criminals that the law couldn’t touch.

First Appearance: Yankee Comics #1 (September 1941).

Powers: Continue reading →

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October 30, 2018 · 2:00 pm

SUPERHERO PANTHEON OF HARRY A CHESLER PUBLISHING

Superhero cosplay for Halloween has begun threatening to overtake horror themes in recent years. In recognition of that, Balladeer’s Blog has been including a look at a different superhero pantheon during each October’s Halloween celebration. This year it’s the superheroes from Harry A Chesler ‘s publishing company. 

Alias the Dragon 1THE DRAGON

Secret Identity: Bill Norton, Police Scientist

Origin: Tired of being relegated to the scientific end of crime solving, Police Scientist Bill Norton decides to seek out some action. He devises a flame-thrower pistol for himself plus a costume and starts fighting crime as the Dragon in his series titled Alias the Dragon.

First Appearance: Skyrocket Comics #1 (March 1944).

Powers: The Dragon had the strength and agility of a very athletic man. He wielded a pistol which could shoot fire like a flame-thrower and the dragon-scale cape of his costume was bullet-proof. In addition this hero was a first-rate scientist in criminology.

Comment: The Dragon was one of those Golden Age superheroes who didn’t care if he killed the criminals he fought. As Bill Norton our hero serves under Captain Donovan, no first name given. This character’s willingness to kill and his flame-thrower gimmick can’t help but remind a Bad Movie Fan like me of Robert Ginty’s two-movie character the Exterminater.

Yankee GirlYANKEE GIRL

Secret Identity: Lauren Mason, wealthy socialite 

Origin: Lauren Mason’s family line included practioners of the mystic arts, but the only spell-casting Lauren herself ever employed was a magic conjuration employing the words “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” (I guess her delivery made all the difference.) Chanting those three words transformed her, Shazam-style, into the super-powered Yankee Girl. 

First Appearance: Either Red Seal Comics #17 (July 1946) or Dynamic Comics #23 (November 1947). There is still some dispute. 

Powers: Continue reading →

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August 17, 2018 · 8:53 am

KALTHAR: NEGLECTED SUPERHERO

Superhero movies continue to dominate at the box office, so Balladeer’s Blog figured it was time to look at another neglected comic book star: in this case Kalthar, from MLJ Publishing. FOR MY BIG LIST OF NEGLECTED MLJ SUPERHEROES CLICK HERE

KaltharKALTHAR THE GIANT MAN

Secret Identity: None. Kalthar is his real name. 

Origin: The father of the infant who would become known as Kalthar the Giant Man gave his life saving the Urgana African tribe from Muslim slave traders. To thank the dead hero for his role in keeping them free the Urgana people raised his infant son as one of their own and named the child Kalthar.

As he reached adulthood Kalthar formed a Tarzan-like bond with all the jungle animals around the Urganas’ Congo River locale. Kalthar so impressed Ta-Lo, the High Priest of the tribe, that the medicine man chose the adopted young man to receive the gift of the secret grains which Urgana medicine men discovered in the jungle. Those grains enabled Kalthar to grow to giant size and helped him battle evil-doers throughout Africa.     

First Appearance: Zip Comics number 1 (February 1940). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1941.

Powers: Continue reading →

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August 7, 2018 · 9:33 pm

THE FLAG: NEGLECTED ACE PERIODICALS SUPERHERO

Flag 2Superheroes continue to practically own pop culture right now. Balladeer’s Blog’s readers wanted more, so I recently posted a look at the Superhero Pantheon of Ace Periodicals. Here is another of their characters that I just added. FOR THE ORIGINAL ITEM FEATURING NEARLY TWENTY MORE FORGOTTEN HEROES AND HEROINES CLICK HERE 

FlagTHE FLAG

Secret Identity: Jim Courtney, flag-maker 

Origin: An unnamed baby was left on the doorstep of crippled World War One veteran John Courtney in 1920. Courtney, a flag-maker, was intrigued by the American Flag birthmark on the infant’s chest. He named the boy Jim and raised him as his son, teaching him his flag-making trade.

On Jim’s 21st birthday he was visited by the ghosts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln who told him he was a super-powered being and that his powers were ready to be used now that he was an adult. Jim donned a costume and fought the forces of evil as the Flag.

First Appearance: Our Flag Comics #2 (October 1941). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1942.

Powers: Continue reading →

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August 2, 2018 · 9:10 pm

SUPERHERO PANTHEON OF ACE PERIODICALS

Readers cannot get enough items on superheroes! Whenever I go too long without a blog post on this topic the reminders to do another one start rolling in. Here is a look at the neglected Golden Age superhero pantheon from Ace Periodicals.

Captain Victory bigCAPTAIN VICTORY

Secret Identity: Jack Wilson, Diplomatic Attache

Origin: Jack Wilson was serving as a Diplomatic Attache at the American Embassy in the fictional Central American nation of Centralvo. While there he gained superpowers but Ace Periodicals’ writers never got around to explaining how during this character’s brief run.

First Appearance: Our Flag Comics #1 (August 1941). His final Golden Age appearance came that same year.

Captain Victory smallPowers: Captain Victory (No relation to the Jack Kirby character of that name) could fly and had massive super strength. The upper limits of his flying abilities and his strength were never established before the character disappeared. 

Comment: Since America had not yet entered World War Two, Captain Victory’s adventures had to walk a fine line. The hero thwarted an Axis Powers attempt to trick Centralvo into entering the war on their side, stopped a Nazi sub from secretly sabotaging the Panama Canal and – in a prescient bit – defeated a Japanese sneak attack on the American Navy. 

Lightning GirlLIGHTNING GIRL

Secret Identity: Isabel Blake

Origin: When Isabel’s Naval Officer father John was brainwashed by Lash Lightning’s supervillain foe the Teacher and forced to help the Japanese forces against the U.S. When Lash Lightning was in one of the Teacher’s death traps he transferred some of his power to Isabel so she could help him.

Her father was freed from his brainwashing and died a hero. Isabel vowed to continue fighting the Axis nations to avenge her father and became Lightning Girl, Lash Lightning’s partner.

First Appearance: Lightning Comics Volume 3 #1 (June 1942). Her final Golden Age appearance came in 1946.

Powers: Lightning Girl could fly at lightning speed, shoot lightning bolts from her hands, generate lightning-heat and track Lash Lightning through their shared electrical impulses.

This superheroine could recharge herself with any electrical outlet. Continue reading →

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December 7, 2017 · 5:01 am

THE ZEBRA: ODDBALL SUPERHERO

With superheroes dominating popular culture right now Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at another odd Golden Age figure: the Zebra.

The ZebraTHE ZEBRA

Secret Identity: John Doyle, Attorney

Origin: John Doyle was framed for murder by corrupt politicians who wanted him out of the way. Just two days before his scheduled execution Doyle escaped from prison, lost the pursuing authorities and set out to clear himself.

Using his striped prison outfit as the basis for a costume, John added a mask, gloves, boots, a cape and a “Z” belt buckle to complete his ensemble. After proving his innocence, John Doyle resolved to continue fighting crime under the nom de guerre Zebra.  

First Appearance: Pocket Comics #1 (April 1941). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1946.  

Powers: The Zebra was in peak human condition, excelled at unarmed combat and was more agile than an Olympic athlete. As an interesting twist for Golden Age superheroes the Zebra’s specialty was French Kick-Boxing aka Savate. 

Those “Zebra Kicks” helped justify this unusual hero’s handle. It was sometimes implied that the Zebra’s legs were in such incredible shape from Kickboxing that he could run faster than most ordinary men, too.    

Comment: Created by artist Pierce Rice and an unknown writer working under the alias “Ellery King,” the Zebra was one of the Golden Age superheroes published by Harvey Comics.

STORIES: Continue reading →

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