Writer: Gardner Fox, (with contributions from Charles Reisenstein and “Unknown")
Aritsts: Various (Sheldon Moldoff, Bernard Baily, Everett Hibbart, Ben Flinton, et al)
Publisher: DC Comics
Reprinting material from: All-Star Comics #3-6
I’m surprised these stories hold up so well.
Collected here are the earliest adventures of the Justice Society of America, comics’ first superteam. Just about every costumed adventurer appearing in comics from National Publications and All-American Comics, (a semi-independent company operating within the National offices), came together in what was originally an informal club.
Looking back at these stories, in light of the superteams that followed, it’s amazing how simple and light-hearted they were. There’s no trace of the angst of the X-Men; romance of the Legion of Super-Heroes; bickering of the Avengers; or the cosmic-level threats of the Justice League. The JSA first come together for... dinner. That’s right; The greatest assemblage of superheroes to date happened over Thanksgiving dinner! And what do they do? Swap stories! These guys aren’t joining forces to fight a common foe. They’re not uniting under the banner of a common cause. They’re chilling out and talking shop!
Okay, that’s just their first issue. The second issue sees them summoned by the chief of the FBI to fight spies and saboteurs working for “dictator nations,” (a.k.a. Nazi Germany). The villains frequently speak out against the “weakness” of democracy, and demand support for an all-powerful dictator. The heroes often say these men hate freedom. Which was mostly true about Nazis; they did support the charismatic Adolf Hitler over the ineffectual democratic government forced upon them by the Allies powers after WWI. Some people like to say terrorists hate freedom. Well, they are fanatical believers of a narrow interpretation of their religion that advocates anti-semitism, racism, and the reduction of women to property. They also mercilessly prosecute any opposition to their ideology no matter what form or size it takes. Terrorists use violence and fear to achieve their unrealistic goal of making everyone think and act exactly like them. It sounds like hyperbole, but Nazis and terrorists have a lot in common.
So the next time someone accuses liberals, critics of the Bush cabal, and defenders of the Muslim faith as people who hate freedom, think about the Nazis and the terrorists and ask yourself: Who fits the profile?
But I digress:
These stories have two things in common: An overall sense of fun and a general lack of actual teamwork. The heroes don’t work together as much as attack the same problem separately. Nearly every hero’s story is drawn by their regular artist from their usual comic. The quality of the art varies dramatically from Sheldon Moldoff’s richly illustrated (and downright virile) Hawkman to Bernard Baily’s thin renditions of The Spectre and Hourman to the thick-lined cartooning of Everett Hibbart’s Flash and Ben Flinton’s The Atom. Comparing the artists to each other inevitably leaves some of them short. Others still look as great. Moldoff was clearly inspired by Hal Foster’s “Prince Valiant” and “Tarzan” comic strips of the 1930’s and 40’s. He combines fantasy illustrations with a strong sense of realism. Hibbart and Flinton are clearly going for laughs with their goofy expressions, slapstick humor, and comical exaggerations. These guys looked like they were having fun drawing the comic.
And that’s the overall theme of these stories: fun. Criminals are killed, lives are in danger, but it never seems serious. The good guys always triumph. We know it, the creators know it, and they’re not trying to hide it. Some of the most memorable moments in the book are pure comedy. The Atom spouts lame one-liners and puns as he fights thugs. Not unusual in a comic. But these thugs deliver comebacks and topers! It’s like they’re part of a vaudeville act. When the Flash finds counterfeiters, he doesn’t round them up right away. He plays with them! He helps them make phony money at super-speed until it’s literally pouring out the windows! In issue #5, gang leaders across the nation gather under the leadership the mysterious “Mr. X.” So much respect they have for “Mr. X,” they take off their hats and observe 30 seconds of silence whenever they say or hear his name, even when falling out of a window! Some of this stuff is downright crazy. Other parts are bizarre. And it’s all in good fun.
But the comics raise one question that has never been answered in all 60+ years of the team’s history: As powerful as The Spectre and Dr. Fate are, why are they hanging around the mortals in the JSA? Seriously, they catch crooks by snapping their fingers. Either one could whip Superman. Why do they waste their time with this team? Maybe for the same reason we do... for the laughs.
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