[JSA Book Club] Week 1: Origins [2/17-3/1]

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COMMENTS ON #5

It is speculated that the cover of this issue was originally the cover for #3 and was switched when they came up with the JSA idea.

Inside the front cover is an inspirational note from none other than First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Mysterious Mr. X sets the crime syndicates after the JSA!

In this issue Shiera helps out Hawkman by donning his spare costume. Unfortunately, she gets shot in her role as a decoy. It will about six months later when she officially gets the name Hawkgirl and debuts in Flash Comics.

Inza also gets shot diving in front of Kent. The JSA bill for flowers this month must have been really high.

The Atom story is pretty funny. The criminals force Al Pratt to pay $100 for a “training course” and he does over a thousand dollars in damage to the equipment.

The mayor of Capitol City looks a lot like Fiorello La Guardia of New York City.

What a scheme! Mr. X winds up getting exactly what he wants even after the JSA breaks up all of his rackets. OK it’s a gimmicky story where the JSA faces off against regular crooks, but this wasn’t too bad for the time.

COMMENTS FOR ISSUE #6

Flash gets his own quarterly magazine and now he’s too cool to hang out with the JSA anymore and joins Superman and Batman as Honorary Members. He will stick around for this issue though.

Johnny Thunder thinks he should get Flash’s spot. The JSA sends him out after a “dangerous character” to see if he’s worthy. Oh yes, it’s time for heroes to play a prank on the new guy!

Turn out real criminals are trying to take advantage of this “dangerous character” so the JSA has to spend the entire issue trying to save Johnny from their clutches. Ooops. Some of them get tired of waiting for Johnny to come back and go off to have an unrelated adventure.

Dr. Mid-Nite makes his first appearance in the title in a text piece.

Johnny finally does apprehend the “dangerous character” after the usual amount of blundering and is voted in as a JSA member.

Mostly, because he’s lucky.

And he has a magic thunderbolt.

Not a high point in the series, but the next two offer some hope.

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“So what is it like being the wife to a superhero?”

Inza/Hawkgirl: Very Dangerous.

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Dian Belmont got kidnapped and when Sandman arrived he asked her, “should we escape or do you want me to settle accounts?”

She opted for “settle accounts.”

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COMMENTS on #7

We definitely need to see more stories of super teams raising money for charity. JLA had a telethon back in the day and the JSA takes up the cause for war orphans here,

Green Lantern is the new chairman, but he’s running late to the meeting. It turns out he was in Europe and Asia and he wants to do something for the homeless orphans overseas. I guess the Spear of Destiny was out being cleaned that day.

Seven of the member resolve to raise $100,000 for their charities. Johnny Thunder wants to earn his keep as a new member and pledges to raise $300,000 so the team can make it a cool million.

Alan gets it all at once after he and Doiby save the brother of a rich man after he was kidnapped.

Spectre raises $20,000 from a few means including winning a boxing match. He then doubles it by “playing a hunch” in the stock market." The he makes $50,000 more at the track “playing another hunch.” He makes another $1000 by playing a ghost for a fortune teller. Then he finds the rest by locating a buried treasure.

Atom breaks up a gambling ring centered around his local college. He fails to break up the NCAA. Two grateful donors to the university donate $100,000 to Atom’s charity.

Dr. Fate saves a bank from being robbed. They offer a $50,000 reward, but bump it to $100,000 after he tells them where the reward money will be going. While Hawkman saves a publisher’s newspaper from foreign agents for his $100,000. Sandman collects three bounties on criminals for his $100,000. Hourman goes to Mexico and helps to find more hidden treasure, he gets a cut of $100,000.

So far so good, then Johnny Thunder happens! He tries to get a loan, but is mistaken for a bank robber. The Thunderbolt suggests he sells peanuts. (?!?) He tries to sell a few other things too, but he gets busted for not having a business license and winds up broke.

Everyone else has their $100,000 but Johnny shows up with nothing. Teh rest of them are upset and he wishes that the three Honorary members would show up. Suddenly Superman, Batman and The Flash appear, each with $100,000. I assume Flash collected door to door really fast, Superman squeezed enough coal to make diamonds and Batman took it out of petty cash. The JSA makes its goal of $1,000,000.

Since Green Lantern is now getting his own solo title, he’s now an honorary member. Chairman to out the door in one issue! Hourman also takes a leave of absence and is never seen in Al-Star Comics for the rest of the Golden Age. Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite are announced as joining the team next issue.

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I just read a JSA Comic where they do that in the 2007 series. I think it was issue 9, and it was with the fire truck. The main attraction was the Wildcat vs Wildcat box.

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COMMENTS ON #8

When I bought Volume 2 of the All-Star Archives in the mid 1990s I was happy to finally read about Wonder Woman’s first appearance. I had visions of Diana showing up in the last few pages to help save the day and then join the team for the rest of the Golden Age.

Sadly, it’s just the regular tale and she has a nine page preview of Sensation #1 at the end.

I had to wait until the next volume to see her sign up (somewhat) in #11.

The new guy Dr. Mid-Nite starts us off on a tale where criminals are going mad. The fun part in this tale is that Charles McNider tells his assistant that there is no such thing as Dr. Mid-Nite. He also had time to come up with a shot to restore them to sanity,

This is the first issue of All-Star where Dr. Fate has the half helmet. He just flies, has the strength of a few men and is immune to bullets now. He mostly engages in fisticuffs with the thugs.

Starman’s tale isn’t as important to the story as Dr. Mid-Nite’s, but he brought Jack Burnley with him. So this chapter has the best art of any All-Star story to date.

Shiera shows up, this time as Hawkgirl, and nearly gets killed again.

Johnny blunders into the main villain, but his Thunderbolt snatches the rest of the JSA there in time to save him. The criminal makes himself mad by accident and leaps out the window.

At least in #9 they head off to new locations and #10 is a major step up as they head off to the future. You’ve got to crawl before you can walk, so it is interesting to see how the team started and evolved. Even if their adventures lack a bit in the entertainment column at this point.

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