All-Star Comics #21

(Summer 1944)

Editorial Advisory Board (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

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

The Biscuit Eater by James Street (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Letters

typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

The Man Who Relived His Life [Introduction] (Table of Contents: 3)

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 [The Atom [Al Pratt]; The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Wonder Woman [Diana Prince] (Secretary); Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Starman [Ted Knight]; Dr. Fate [Kent Nelson]; Johnny Thunder; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]]; Professor Everson; Joe Fitch (reformed villain, Everson's lab assistant)

Synopsis

The President asks the JSA to visit a man at the hospital that may change a man's life, and are greeted by Professor Everson. He tells them that the man for whom they are to do something for is Joe Fitch, a man with a shady past. The professor had created two serums, one that could save human life and one fatal. Fitch decides to become the guinea pig, but takes the wrong one and is dying. The JSA has one hour to change Fitch's criminal past, and use the professor's time ray to go into his past and correct his misdeeds.

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Keywords

Time Ray

Indexer Notes

Professor Everson was last seen in All-Star Comics #10.

[The Man Who Relived His Life, Chapter 1] (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Sheldon Moldoff (signed as Shelly)

Inks

Sheldon Moldoff (signed as Shelly)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Mrs. Spears (wife of Sapphire Slim); Joe Fitch [aka Joseph J. Fitch] (villain, bank teller); "Sapphire Slim" Spears (villain, gambler); Spear's gang (villains)

Synopsis

In 1904 Joe is a bank teller invited to a gambling den where he gambles and loses thousands of dollars. The crooked owner wants Joe to provide the safe combination in the bank, and by doing so will forgive his debt. When Joe says no, thugs beat on him until Hawk stops them. Then he and Joe lay a trap for the gambler, which works. Joe refuses the reward, deciding to give it to the gambler's wife to help her get by. In 1944 the mailman delivers a dusty letter to an old lady: Slim's wife, being told the mail was found in the old post office being torn down. Inside: the reward money on Slim!

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Keywords

Brooklyn; Sapphire Club

The Big Eight: Tops in Monthly Comic Magazines (Table of Contents: 5) (Expand) /

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6) (Expand) /

Wheaties / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[The Man Who Relived His Life, Chapter 2] (Table of Contents: 7)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Joe Gallagher

Inks

Joe Gallagher

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Joe's unnamed boss; Joe's unnamed Secretary; Lili D'Arcy (night club dancer); Joe Fitch (villain, bank employee); Big Mike McCullum (villain, death); Palmer (villain, McCullum's political enemy)

Synopsis

It's 1906 in San Francisco as Joe Fitch begins a banking job. One night, he is enthralled with a performer, Lily D'Arcy, whom he asks out, and which angers Big Mike McCullum. They have a fist fight and McCullum swears revenge. Sandman overhears the threat and tries to prevent Joe from gunning down the crook. An earthquake hits as Joe's fires the gun, and the theatre burns, and Joe thinks he's guilty. Sandman sees someone else fire the shot. Fast forward to 1944: an old lady, named Lily, reads an article in the paper that it was Palmer, not Fitch, who killed McCullum and she is much relived.

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Keywords

Daily Ananias; Golden Slipper; San Francisco; San Francisco earthquake

Indexer Notes

Art credits by Craig Delich. Pencils originally given to Jack Kirby and inks to Joe Simon.

This is the last appearance of Sandman in All-Star. Story set in 1906 and so stated, but a later caption in the story says 1907.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 8) (Expand) /

Popsicle / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[The Man Who Relived His Life, Chapter 3] (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Stan Asch

Inks

Stan Asch

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Starman [Ted Knight]; Joe Fitch (villain); Herman Smith (villain, runs a spy ring for Carranza); Pancho Villa (villain); two unnamed crooks (villains)

Synopsis

Joe Fitch flees to Mexico in 1914, and joins up with Pancho Villa, acting as an expert shot. Villa tells him to dynamite the Horseshoe Saloon, owned by a rival named Smith. Instead, Joe disables the explosives, plants them, but surprised when the saloon blows up! Starman chides himself for goofing up the assignment, then spots the two men overheard bragging about blowing up the saloon. Fast forward to 1944: on the very site where the saloon stood years before, a group of engineers uncover sticks of dynamite that hadn't exploded...because they were full of sand, not gun powder!

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Keywords

Gravity Rod; Horseshoe Saloon; Mexico; Red Gulch

Express to Berlin (Table of Contents: 10)

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

Script

?

Pencils

? (spot illustration)

Inks

? (spot illustration)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

aviation

Characters

Hop Harrigan; Tank Tinker; Chambers (villain, enemy spy); the Nazis (villains, some die)

Synopsis

Hop and Tank fly out in a B-25 toward Tunis carrying a glass cylinder containing a potent and powerful gas, when they are suddenly attacked by the enemy. One was shot down by others, who re-grouped and continued on their way. A German spy, hidden aboard, emerged from behind and demanded they fly to Berlin. Hop mentioned to the spy, Chambers, that the box at their feet contained a secret invention. Tinker opened it and dropped the glass cylinder, letting the gas overcome the German, while Hop and Tank put on oxygen masks. The spy fell over and Hop re-directed the plane back toward Tunis.

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Keywords

B-25; English Channel (called The Ditch); London; ME-109; RAF; Tunis; Wright Cyclones

[The Man Who Relived His Life, Chapter 4] (Table of Contents: 11)

The Justice Society of America; Dr. Mid-Nite / 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]; Lieutenant Ed Jones; Joe Fitch (villain); the Germans (villains)

Synopsis

Joe heads to Texas and spends two years cow punching before being drafted into the A.E.F., sent to France. A German bomber drops bombs whose explosions drive Joe mad, remembering the Horseshoe Saloon, and thinks himself a coward. Mid-Nite can't convince him otherwise, but when the battle begins, Joe starts to desert his unit. But Mid-Nite revives Joe's spirit and he goes out and saves his unit and Lt. Jones from an enemy grenade. Fast forward to 1944: former Lt. Ed Jones, wheelchair bound since the Great War, suddenly feels that he wasn't really wounded in that attack and gets up and walks!

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Keywords

A.E.F.; Horseshoe Saloon; Rio Grande; Texas

Slapstick "Corn" (Table of Contents: 12)

Fat and Slat / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ed Wheelan

Pencils

Ed Wheelan

Inks

Ed Wheelan

Colors

?

Letters

Ed Wheelan

Genre

humor

Characters

Fat; Slat

Indexer Notes

This filler does NOT appear in the Archives.

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13) (Expand) /

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

[The Man Who Relived His Life, Chapter 5] (Table of Contents: 14)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Joe Kubert (signed)

Inks

Joe Kubert (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Doctor Fate [Kent Nelson]; Jim Nason (newspaperman, death); Joe Fitch (villain, booze runner); Killer (villain); Al Crump (villain, Joe's boss, philanthropist)

Synopsis

After the war, Joe becomes a fur-trapper in Canada, but by 1924 is transporting rye and scotch to warehouses in the city. Joe's boss wants Joe to murder a nosy newspaperman and that he knows all about Joe's criminal past. Joe is ready to shoot Nason when his gun suddenly points to the floor and goes off, Nason falling over dead! Fate has caused the gun to do what it did, but Joe learns that Crump has secretly poisoned Nason. The two put an end to Crump's activities, then Joe sits down at a typewriter and types out a complete affidavit for the Police about Crump's illegal activities.

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Indexer Notes

This is Doctor Fate's last appearance in All-Star.

Join the Junior Justice Society of America (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

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

The "Corn" Belt (Table of Contents: 16)

Fat and Slat / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ed Wheelan

Pencils

Ed Wheelan

Inks

Ed Wheelan

Colors

?

Letters

Ed Wheelan

Genre

humor

Characters

Fat; Slat

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

This filler does NOT appear in the Archives.

[The Man Who Relived His Life, Chapter 6] (Table of Contents: 17)

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]; Joe Fitch (villain); Gus Gordon (villain, politician); Gordon's thugs [Butch; rest unnamed] (villains)

Synopsis

In 1932 an older Joe applies to Gus Gordon for a job on the local election board for the up-coming election, but realizes Gordon is a shady politician, but overlooks that fact in order to gain maybe an office himself. Johnny tries to convince Joe not to back Gordon for Mayor, but Gordon's thugs promptly give Johhny the treatment. Later, Johnny visits Joe and again tries to convince him not to do that illegal act. This time Joe sees the light, and Johnny and the Thunderbolt make short work of Gordon's plans. Joe decides to beat it, however, fearing retribution.

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Keywords

Say You

[The Man Who Relived His Life, Conclusion] (Table of Contents: 18)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Joe Gallagher

Inks

Joe Gallagher

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Justice Society of America [Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Starman [Ted Knight]; The Atom [Al Pratt]; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Johnny Thunder; Dr. Fate [Kent Nelson]]; Professor Everson; Lily D'Arcy; Joe Fitch (reformed villain, death)

Synopsis

Back in his hospital room, Joe Fitch tells Professor Everson that he suddenly feels like a different man, as though he knew that he never committed any of those crimes. As the JSA members re-appear and Joe is thankful, there is a knock at the door and in walks Lily D'Arcy. She walks over to Joe's bed and tells him she she accepts his proposal of marriage, even though she knows he is dying. Later that evening, Joe passes away.

Reprints

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999 [February 2000])

Indexer Notes

Wonder Woman does not appear in the conclusion.

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

Wheaties / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

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

Charles Atlas / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Captain Tootsie and the Bumbershoot Jump! (Table of Contents: 21) (Expand) /

Captain Tootsie; Tootsie Roll / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)