All-Star Comics #17

(June-July 1943)

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [introduction] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Joe Gallagher

Inks:

Joe Gallagher

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Justice Society of America [Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Johnny Thunder; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Dr. Fate; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Wonder Woman; Dr. Mid-Nite; Atom [Al Pratt]; Starman [Ted Knight]]; Brain Wave (villain)

Synopsis:

As the JSA members gather for their monthly meeting, Wonder Woman informs them that all the minutes of past meetings have been stolen. The scene then shifts back to the moment the Brain Wave jumped from his tower, supposedly to his death. But he survived and invented a way using electricity and a special substance that will shrink the JSA members to 8" tall! At the meeting rooms of the JSA, Wonder Woman heads home to look for the minutes and after she leaves, the members find themselves shrunk to 8" in height, and Brain Wave enters, imprisoning each member in a cage. When Brain Wave leaves the room, Hawkman calls his hawks, who come and take the members away as Brain Wave watches.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 1] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Sheldon Moldoff

Inks:

Sheldon Moldoff

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)

Synopsis:

While flying along, Hawkman is captured by a JJSA member in a net. He informs the young boy that his father is to be robbed by Brain Wave's men, so they head for the house, to discover living tiny soldiers, mixed in with the boy's regular toys. Unfortunately, they regain their regular size and the Feathered Fury must come up with a different way of defeating the foe. As the Police arrive to arrest the thugs, Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt shows up and takes Hawkman away.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

Indexer Notes

The Hawkman chapter was cut 2-3 pages from its original length and doesn't have a splash. Sheldon Moldoff said he purposely drew it that way, indicating he combined pages of Fox's script in order to shorten the chapter.

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 2] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox; Jack Kirby (partial re-write)

Pencils:

Jack Kirby

Inks:

Joe Simon

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)

Synopsis:

Sandman is dumped out of his cage by the hawk who rescued him near a tree that grew money! Each $1 bill has a message on it to thugs connected with the Brain Wave, so he hides and awaits them. When they show, they read the bills, which tells them to take jewels from Riffanys. He follows them from the store and is able to whip them before a Policeman shows up to take them into custody AND the Thunderbolt arrives to whisk him away.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Craig Delich; re-writes confirmed by Jack Kirby.

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 3] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Bernard Baily

Inks:

Bernard Baily

Colors:

?

Letters:

Howard Ferguson

Content Information

Genre:

superhero; occult

Characters:

Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)

Synopsis:

Brain Wave's thugs use a special gun that shoots indestructible spider webs at some guards protecting a safe in a person's home, which incapacitates them while they begin looting the safe. The Spectre arrives and takes on the crooks, but has a difficult time because of his size, so he rockets into outer space, finds a meteor and aims it toward the house where the crooks are looting the safe. It crashes and knocks the men out. As Spectre is setting off an alarm for the Police, the Thunderbolt arrives and takes him away to Johnny Thunder.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

Indexer Notes

Letters credit from Craig Delich.

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 4] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Howard Sherman

Inks:

Howard Sherman

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

occult; superhero

Characters:

Dr. Fate; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)

Synopsis:

The Brain Wave's minions, headed by Lucky Luke, are posing as plumbers in order to get into a bank to loot it. Doctor Fate shows up in time to trail the thugs back to Lucky's apartment, and he uses a typewriter to type out some bad news to Lucky. Noting that he has one more job to do, and it's Friday the 13th, Lucky decides to go through with the job, and Fate puts a stop to the plot just as the Thunderbolt shows up.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 5] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier [as Stan Josephs] (signed)

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier [as Stan Josephs] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Dr. Mid-Nite; Brain Wave (cameo)

Synopsis:

A special newspaper is delivered to wealthy Augustus Flack....a paper that tells of "The Ace of Spades," and that those who refuse to pay up die. As he leafs through the paper, an ace of spades card falls out with a note on it, telling him where to take his blackmail money. Others also receive these threats. Dr. Mid-Nite arrives and discovers the address to which the men are asked to bring their money, so he heads over to see what he can do. The Wonder of the Witching Hours takes on the thugs, under cover of his blackout bomb, and convinces the men that they have gotten lead poisoning from handling the papers Brain Wave had printed. They head over to a doctor that Charles McNider has recommended, and the doctor gases them and calls the Police.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

Indexer Notes

This chapter was probably shortened by a page, as the panel showing the Thunderbolt coming to get Dr. Mid-Nite is missing.

Water, Water Everywhere (Table of Contents)

Hop Harrigan / text story / 1.5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

aviation

Characters:

Hop Harrigan; Tank Tinker

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 6] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 5.67 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Paul Reinman

Pencils:

Paul Reinman

Inks:

Sam Burlockoff

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Starman [Ted Knight]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)

Synopsis:

Townspeople head over to Keller's Circus, which is putting on a free show for the people, a clever ruse by the Brain Wave, because it leaves the town deserted and wide open to be robbed blind while the people back at the circus have been gassed. Starman shows up and follows the crooks into town from the circus and takes them on until the Police arrive...and the Thunderbolt shows up to whisk him away.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

Indexer Notes

Art credits from Craig Delich; inks credit confirmed by Sam Burlockoff; pencils credit originally given to Ed Dobrotka.

This chapter was shortened by a 1/3 of a page.

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 7] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Joe Gallagher

Inks:

Joe Gallagher

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Atom [Al Pratt]; Brain Wave (cameo); Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)

Synopsis:

The Atom witnessess many strange accidents and the victims just happened to be crooks of every description. He discovers that the Brain Wave has taught the men how to fake accidents in order to commit theft. The men, in spite of the Atom's attempts, escape from the hospital with a supply of radium and head for their hideout, followed by the Mighty Mite. He attacks the best he can until the Police arrive to arrest the thugs...and the Thunderbolt appears to take him away.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

Indexer Notes

This chapter was probably shortened by one page.

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 8] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero; humor

Characters:

Johnny Thunder; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt

Synopsis:

Johnny arrives at the Keystone Hotel, ready to take on the Brain Wave's thugs, but lands head first and is knocked out. Inside the hotel, a phony Senator Sebastin Graves overpowers the real Senator and talkes his place. Johnny attempts to intervene, but his small size presents a real challenge to him until he thinks to have the Thunderbolt make his full size again! Still, Johnny is captured...so he asks the Thunderbolt to get the rest of the JSA pronto!

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [conclusion] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Joe Gallagher

Inks:

Joe Gallagher

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Justice society of America [Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Dr. Fate; Dr. Mid-Nite; Johnny Thunder; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt; Starman [Ted Knight]]; Brain Wave (villain)

Synopsis:

The JSA saves Johnny and the Senator, then head over to the Brain Wave's tower at Sharktooth Bay. Brain Wave has wired explosives outside the tower to blow up the JSA as they arrive, but the Thunderbolt moves the explosives inside the tower and the Brain Wave accidently blows himself up!

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4 (1998)

Indexer Notes

Wonder Woman does not appear in the conclusion.