All-Star Comics #20

(Spring 1944)

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [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 [Johnny Thunder; Dr. Mid-Nite; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Wonder Woman; Starman [Ted Knight]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Dr. Fate; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]]; The Monster

Synopsis:

Jason L. Rogers attends the meeting of the JSA to tell them about a Monster who has been robbing his banks, dynamited his factories....even broken into his home. Rogers says that this fiend has been giving him problems ever since a picnic years back, shot on film, and when that film was shown, his wife passed out from the shock. Later, Rogers was left plans for more schemes by the Monster and has now brought them to the meeting for the members to deal with. After they leave, the Monster suddenly appears and taunts the JSA, threatening to drive Roger's mind from his body.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

Indexer Notes

Sandman and Doctor Fate do not have individual chapters in the book, no doubt due to the actions of the War Production Board cutting back on paper use (as noted in issue #16). Gardner Fox, however, does report writing chapters for both characters that were not used. The reason is found on page "D" of the introduction where panel 5's word balloon has clearly been re-lettered to send Sandman and Fate to Roger's home.

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [chapter 1] (Table of Contents)

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

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Sheldon Moldoff

Inks:

Sheldon Moldoff

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Hawkman [Carter Hall]; The Monster

Synopsis:

As Hawkman speeds towards his destination, he notices that a man is being attacked below near a bog. He alights and dispatches the thugs, then takes off for the home of Harlan Walsh, steel baron, not realizing the man he saved has news about the Monster. Meanwhile, the Monster threatens Walsh to rebuff the Feathered Fury when he arrives...or else! Hawkman leaves and is approached by the man he saved....the twin of the man inside, who is really Marvin Walsh, the black sheep of the family, and in the employ of the Monster. Hawkman re-enters the home, who captures Marvin, and who tells Hawkman where the Monster's gang hides out.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [chapter 2] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 5 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]; The Monster

Synopsis:

The Ghostly Guardian comes upon the Monster getting ready to blow up a building, so quickly he rescues all the people in that building, then tosses the crumbling structure into space. The man he saves, named Walter Noonan, is a friend of Jason Rogers, perhaps his only friend, and he tells Spectre about how the Monster came to him one evening and told him to become Roger's enemy or that his business would be ruined. Either pay $50,000 up front or risk getting a dam blown up that his company had just built. Spectre tells Noonan to agree to the Monster's terms so that he can trap him....but the Monster smells a rat and sets a trap of his own. When the Monster arrives for the payoff, it goes off without a hitch. To the Monster, that is good because he would have blown away Noonan at the first sign of the Spectre. On the way back to the hideout, the Spectre appears to capture them all, but the Monster somehow gets away.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

Indexer Notes

Letters credit from Craig Delich.

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [chapter 3] (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]; The Monster

Synopsis:

The Monster intends to rob a payroll in an office building, so the Mighty Mite arrives on the scene in time to see a strange aircraft hovering over the building and lowering a magnet. The magnet attracts the safe from the office and the Atom hops aboard the magnet being drawn back up to the strange ship to confront the crew. As the sky-craft lands on a roof, a net is thrown over the Atom, trapping him. The Monster shows up and suddenly the Atom cowers in fear and faints! Upon awakening, the Monster puts him up against the wall to shoot him, when Atom throws a brick, hitting a lever and starting up the magnet, attracting all of the thugs guns. Atom mops them up, but the Monster escapes in the aircraft.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

[For the March of Dimes] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / public service announcement / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Joe Gallagher

Inks:

Joe Gallagher

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

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

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

Indexer Notes

Makes a plea for the March of Dimes. Art credits from Craig Delich; formerly given to Frank Harry.

Ghost Plane (Table of Contents)

Hop Harrigan / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Jon L. Blummer (illustration)

Inks:

Jon L. Blummer (illustration)

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

aviation

Characters:

Hop Harrigan; Tank Tinker

Synopsis:

Time after time bombs hit Allied airfields, destroying planes, but no plane is ever seen or heard. Hop and Tank set out to solve the mystery, only to discover that a hot-air balloon is the culprit.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [chapter 4] (Table of Contents)

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

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Dr. Mid-Nite; The Monster

Synopsis:

Dr. Mid-Nite awakens strapped to an operating table as the surgeon, Horatio Hill, relates how the Monster had drugged the doctor at a party. He was then called in to operate on an important Sensator, who died on the table. Hill then lost his medical license and all hope until the Monster approached him to operate on rich people to give them disfigured faces, who would then be blackmailed in order to get their true faces back. The Man of Night is told that he was overcome by some of the Monster's thugs and that Hill must now operate on Mid-Nite's brain to make him hopelessly insane. But Hill cuts our hero loose just as the Monster shoots Hill as a traitor. Before he dies, Dr. Hill tells Dr. Mid-Nite how to restore the people's faces.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

Doiby Dickles Goes on a Case: Paper Salvage! (Table of Contents)

Green Lantern / public service announcement / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Paul Reinman

Inks:

Paul Reinman

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Doiby Dickles

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

Fuller Phun and Archibald Club (Table of Contents)

Fat and Slat / filler / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

Ed Wheelan

Pencils:

Ed Wheelan

Inks:

Ed Wheelan

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

gags

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [chapter 5] (Table of Contents)

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

Credits

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Starman [Ted Knight]; The Monster

Synopsis:

Starman arrives a millionaire Ira Young's estate knowing the Monster is due to strike there somehow. Jason Rogers happens to be there as a guest and is being shown the new planetarium when gas strikes down Rogers and friends, and thugs begin to pick the people's pockets. Starman dives right into action, and while he is busy bopping the bad guys, the Monster loots the unconscious victims and flees. Giving chase, the Astral Avenger is saved from being fried by artifical lightning by his gravity rod, saves the stolen money, but misses out on capturing the Monster.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [chapter 6] (Table of Contents)

Justice Society of America / comic story / 5 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; The Monster

Synopsis:

As Johnny walks the streets, he noticed two Policemen laughing their heads off, and tell Johnny that the jewelry house is being robbed. Going inside, Johnny is overcome by the gas used on the Police and is taken to the Monster's hideout, where upon the Monster tells Johnny he is going to chop his head off. The Thunderbolt prevents that from happening and helps brother John to round up the gang. Thunderbolt takes on the Monster himself with little success and the Monster flees away into the night.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

The Movie That Changed a Man's Life [conclusion] (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 [Johnny Thunder; Dr. Mid-Nite; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Starman [Ted Knight]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Dr. Fate; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]]; The Monster (villain)

Synopsis:

The JSA, after having foiled the Monster's plans, returns to Rogers home and wants to see the film that caused the ruckus in the first place. But the film is blank, having faded over the years. Yet Rogers insists he can restore the film and goes into the dark room to do so. Much time passes and the members decide to enter the dark room to see why it is taking so long, and they find Rogers missing and the restored film on the floor, but just then the Monster intervenes and attacks the JSA members as he tells them that Jason Rogers is his twin brother, whom he hates. After a struggle, the Monster is hit by a lethal ray and is fatally wounded. The members then show the movie, which distinctly shows Rogers transforming into the Monster. Dr. Mid-Nite concludes that while the two were twins, the Monster had never developed a body....just a mind, which would often inhabit Roger's body without his knowing it, and Roger's 4th dimensional body as the Monster was caught somehow on film. Meanwhile the Monster has reverted to his Roger's appearance and, now knowing the truth, dies at peace.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5

Indexer Notes

Wonder Woman does not appear in the conclusion.