ALL-STAR COMICS 19
In the fi rst issue, the heroes simply have an informal get-together. No major threat
presents itself. Instead, the members each tell a story of one of their exploits. Issue #4
establishes the regular format: at the beginning, the team learns of a villainous plot; each
member gets a chapter of his own in which he tackles part of the threat; fi nally, they all
reconvene at the end to defeat the villain together. Th is format stuck until issue #38,
when the number of chapters was reduced to three or four. Starting with #39, the mem-
bers split up into smaller teams of two or three, although a solo chapter would still show
up occasionally.
Th e series was edited by Sheldon Mayer for most of its run. Gardner Fox was the
writer of the book until issue #34. At that point, John Broome took over until the end,
with Robert Kanigher writing #37 and #38. All three men contributed to issue #36.
Generally, each segment was drawn by the artist of the hero’s regular strip. Stanley
Aschmeier, Bernard Baily, Jack Burnley, Joe Gallagher, Joe Kubert, Sheldon Moldoff ,
Joe Simon , and Alex Toth were among the prominent contributing artists.
Inexplicably aware that they were comic book characters, the Justice Society initially
had a rule that any character with his own book had to leave. For this reason, Superman
and Batman were referred to as “honorary members.” Flash was the fi rst member to
leave, and Johnny Th under replaced him as a full member in issue #6. He made a quick
appearance along with the other honorary members in the next issue. Green Lantern
and Hourman (who did not get his own book) left in #8, replaced by Dr. Mid-Nite and
Starman.
Initially, the team was quite active in the war eff ort. One prominent example is #11,
in which most of the roster joins up in their civilian identities. At the same time, Hawk-
man’s girlfriend Shiera runs into Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman ). In the end, the
commander of U.S. Pacifi c forces reforms the Justice Society and appoints them “Th e
Justice Battalion” and Wonder Woman joins the team as, of all things, the secretary
(though she also had her own solo comic book at the time).
Several other early issues feature the JSA helping out with the war. In #10, they
travel through time to collect high-tech weapons to assist the Allies. Issue #12 sees
them bust a Japanese spy ring, while in #14 they bring food to starving Europeans. Two
issues later, the team spends time urging Americans to present a united front, because
the Nazis will try to divide and conquer. Th at theme is picked up again in #24, which
featured the team taking a trip through time with the Conscience of Man, who shows
them the German menace throughout history. Even stories not explicitly about the war
had ties, such as the science-fi ction -fl avored #13, in which the members are all blasted
into space by Nazis.
Soon, though, the team started building a stable of villains unconnected to the war,
beginning in #15, with the introduction of illusionist Brainwave. Psycho-Pirate, who
uses emotional themes in his crimes, fi rst appears in #23. Swamp-monster Solomon
Grundy makes his All-Star debut in #33, followed by hypnotist Th e Wizard in #34,
and time-traveler Per Degaton in #35. Finally, #37 sees the inevitable team-up, with the
formation of Th e Injustice Society of the World, featuring Brainwave, Per Degaton, and
