(Fall 1943)

DC, 1940 Series
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Volume
2
Price
0.10 USD
Pages
60
Indicia Frequency
quarterly
On-sale Date
1943-08-17
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
All-American Comics Inc.
Brand
A Superman DC Publication
Editing
Sheldon Mayer (editor)

Issue Notes

On-sale date from copyright registration.

The King Bee next appears in All-Star Squadron (DC, 1981 series) #1 (September 1981) in a time-tossed story set on December 6-7, 1941. The Editor's page features a Junior Justice Society of America code message in the Johnny Thunder code.

Insects Turn to Crime! (Table of Contents)

The Justice Society of America / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Frank Harry
Inks
Frank Harry
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Justice Society of America [The Atom [Al Pratt]; Johnny Thunder; Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]; Starman [Ted Knight]; Dr. Fate [Kent Nelson]; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]]
Reprints

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Charles Atlas / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[Insects Turn to Crime! Introduction] (Table of Contents: 2)

The Justice Society of America / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Joe Gallagher
Inks
Joe Gallagher
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Justice Society of America [Hawkman [Carter Hall]; The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; Starman [Ted Knight]; The Atom [Al Pratt]; Dr. Fate [Kent Nelson]; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Johnny Thunder; Wonder Woman [Diana Prince] (Secretary)]
Synopsis
Chairman Hawkman displays a wax exhibition of a miniature insect world for the JSA members to look at as they arrive at the JSA meeting, and explains what a new master criminal is doing to use insect hormones to create a race of super men-insects to commit crimes! Johnny Thunder comes in late...walking on the ceiling and buzzing like a fly, which demonstrates to the members the urgency of their task to find this madman and defeat his minions.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The splash page does NOT list the story's title.

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 1] (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Sheldon Moldoff
Inks
Sheldon Moldoff
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Abner Mason; group of thugs [Slick; rest unnamed] (villains); The Termite Men (Abner's unnamed son; rest unnamed] (villains)
Synopsis
Abner Mason writes to Hawkman about his son, who has been taken by a gang of termite men to the deserted Cartwheel house. The termite men were being used to rob banks, after disabling bank guards with a gummy substance. The Feathered Fury tracks down the gang, but is overcome by the gummy substance and left suspended over a fire that had been set to kill him in the house. But the heat melts the substance and Hawkman escapes, tracking down the thugs and termite men.
Reprints
Keywords
Cartwheel House

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 2] (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Pierce Rice
Inks
Arturo Cazeneuve
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Serge Astrakoff (scientist); group of thugs (villains); Borer Men (villains)
Synopsis
Serge Astrakoff has discovered a way to make rubber from plants, and he tells Sandman that one evening, while working in his lab, he heard a strange noise and some men that looked like giant snails, bored up from underneath his lab and stole the synthetic rubber formula. The Sandman follows the trail of the "borer-men" and disables them with gas and captures the thugs and secures the formula.
Reprints

Are You Lucky! (Table of Contents: 5) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 3] (Table of Contents: 6)

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

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Bernard Baily
Inks
Bernard Baily
Colors
?
Letters
Bernard Baily

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; The Water Bug [Chick Demsey] (villain, reforms); the Water Bug's Gang (villains, all reform)
Synopsis
The Spectre battles a man known as the Water Bug, who, in reality, is Chick Dempsey, world record holder in a dozen swimming events. Unable to get work after he graduated from college, Dempsey is approached by the King Bee and goes to work for him. He's glad when the Spectre nabs him and then helps the Ghostly Guardian to round up the rest of the gang.
Reprints
Keywords
Daily Blah-Blah; Evening Star; Morning Sun

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit from Craig Delich.

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 4] (Table of Contents: 7)

Doctor Fate; The Justice Society of America / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Howard Sherman
Inks
Howard Sherman
Colors
?
Letters
Howard Sherman

Genre
superhero
Characters
Dr. Fate [Kent Nelson]; Fred (airliner pilot); Brown (airliner pilot); Hasher (villain); Hasher's gang (villains); The Hornet Men (villains)
Synopsis
An airliner is attacked by hornet men, who force the plane down, and take it away, leaving the passengers stranded. Dr. Fate just happens to pass by the area and is seen by one of the members of King Bee's gang: the Hasher! He reports back to the rest of his gang that Fate is in the area, and sends up the hornet men after him. Fate makes short work of them, then captures Hasher and his gang, then discovers paperwork from the King Bee, and heads out after him.
Reprints
Keywords
San Pablo Mountains

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 5] (Table of Contents: 8)

Dr. Mid-Nite; The Justice Society of America / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Stan Asch
Inks
Stan Asch
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; Fred Norman (bank employee); Jim (Fred's friend, flashback, death); gang of thugs (villains); The Spider Men (villains)
Synopsis
Fred Norman had a fear and hatred of spiders, due to the fact that his friend Jim, whom he had been camping with, was killed by one ten years earlier. Working late in a bank, Fred was startled to see some human spiders invading the bank to steal some loot. Later, Dr. Mid-Nite convinces Fred that he can beat his phobia and together they face these minions of the King Bee. After throwing his blackout bomb into the area to frighten the spider-men, Fred runs out, reconsiders and comes back in to sock one of the thugs whom he thought to be one of his spider enemies, thus over-coming his fear.
Reprints
Keywords
Blackout Bomb

Hop Harrigan at New Guinea (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Script
?
Pencils
Jon Blummer (illustration of Hop Harrigan)
Inks
Jon Blummer (illustration of Hop Harrigan)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

Genre
aviation
Characters
Hop Harrigan; Tank Tinker

Indexer Notes

This text story does NOT appear in the Archives.

The Big Eight! (Table of Contents: 10) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

Are You Pre-Flight Material? (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

Wheaties / advertisement / 2 pages (report information)

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 6] (Table of Contents: 12)

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

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Pierce Rice
Inks
Arturo Cazeneuve
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Starman [Ted Knight]; gang of thugs (villains); The Ant Men (villains)
Synopsis
The city faces the threat of ant-men, who have the power to crush a car in their bare hands. They are being used by the King Bee's thugs to rob local banks, and when the Astral Avenger arrives, he tries to figure out a way to handle them safely without killing them. When Starman discovers that the ant-men are controlled by a microphone through antennas on their heads, Starman pounds the thugs and brings the ant-men under control with that microphone.
Reprints
Keywords
Gravity Rod

Now You Too Can Have a Junior Justice Society Emblem! (Table of Contents: 13) (Expand) /

The Junior Justice Society of America / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 7] (Table of Contents: 14)

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

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Joe Gallagher
Inks
Joe Gallagher
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Atom [Al Pratt]; Percival Norman; unnamed head of Entomology; group of thugs (villains); The Grasshopper Men (villains)
Synopsis
An emerald necklace called the Green Glacier tells the story of how it was stolen by Grasshopper Men from Carteret's House of Jewels. Arriving on the scene, the Atom directs the grasshopper thieves into a field of grain while he overcomes the human criminals and takes the Glacier into his safe-keeping.
Reprints
Keywords
Carteret's House of Jewels; Green Glacier; The Great Forest (mention only)

Indexer Notes

The necklace narrates this story.

Oddity: The Atom is pictured without his cape on page 5, panel 5.

[Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 8] (Table of Contents: 15)

The Justice Society of America; Johnny Thunder / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Stan Asch
Inks
Stan Asch
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
humor; superhero
Characters
Johnny Thunder; The Thunderbolt [Archibald]; group of thugs (villains); The Fly Men (villains)
Synopsis
Already under the influence of the fly hormone, Johnny goes to the diner where he ate the funny tasting bologna laced with that hormone. He is immediately forced to eat soup also containing the ingredient, and is given a set of wings so he can fly with the rest to commit yet more crimes. Johnny has enough presence of mind to suggest ways to capture the group and the Thunderbolt handles the details, then they head for the King Bee's residence.
Reprints
Keywords
Butch's Cafe

Indexer Notes

Johnny never once says "Cei-U," but the Thunderbolt acts as if he had.

Editorial Advisory Board (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page (report information)

Whitey's First Round-Up (Table of Contents: 17)

Good Books Worth Reading / text article / 0.67 page (report information)

Script
Josette Frank
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

[Insects Turn to Crime! Conclusion] (Table of Contents: 18)

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

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Joe Gallagher
Inks
Joe Gallagher
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Justice Society of America [Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Johnny Thunder; Dr. Fate [Kent Nelson]; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Starman [Ted Knight]; Atom [Al Pratt]]; The Thunderbolt [Archibald]; The King Bee [Elmer Pane] (villain, bug exterminator)
Synopsis
Elmer Pane, a lowly bug exterminator, has been made fun of all his life due to his interest in bugs and his career. One day he is able to isolate insect hormones, crystallize them, and find a way of ingesting them in humans to do his bidding. Having overcome Pane's weird creations, the JSA shows up at the King Bee's residence and overpower him, finding the antidote for the hormones which they will use on the King Bee's innocent victims to restore them to their real selves.
Reprints
Keywords
Say You; The Great Forest

Indexer Notes

Wonder Woman does not appear in the conclusion.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 19) (Expand) /

Lightning Ju-Jitsu / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 20) (Expand) /

Knickerbocker Pub. Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 21) (Expand) /

Arco Publishing Company / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. Insects Turn to Crime!
    The Justice Society of America
  2. 1. [no title indexed]
    Charles Atlas
  3. 2. [Insects Turn to Crime! Introduction]
    The Justice Society of America
  4. 3. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 1]
    Hawkman; The Justice Society of America
  5. 4. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 2]
    The Justice Society of America; The Sandman
  6. 5. Are You Lucky!
  7. 6. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 3]
    The Spectre; The Justice Society of America
  8. 7. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 4]
    Doctor Fate; The Justice Society of America
  9. 8. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 5]
    Dr. Mid-Nite; The Justice Society of America
  10. 9. Hop Harrigan at New Guinea
    Hop Harrigan
  11. 10. The Big Eight!
  12. 11. Are You Pre-Flight Material?
    Wheaties
  13. 12. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 6]
    Starman; The Justice Society of America
  14. 13. Now You Too Can Have a Junior Justice Society Emblem!
    The Junior Justice Society of America
  15. 14. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 7]
    The Atom; The Justice Society of America
  16. 15. [Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 8]
    The Justice Society of America; Johnny Thunder
  17. 16. Editorial Advisory Board
  18. 17. Whitey's First Round-Up
    Good Books Worth Reading
  19. 18. [Insects Turn to Crime! Conclusion]
    The Justice Society of America
  20. 19. [no title indexed]
    Lightning Ju-Jitsu
  21. 20. [no title indexed]
    Knickerbocker Pub. Co.
  22. 21. [no title indexed]
    Arco Publishing Company
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Craig Delich
  • Juan Gonzalez
  • Matthew Head
  • Per Sandell
  • Ramon Schenk
  • Jim Van Dore