All-Star Comics #19

(Winter 1943-44)

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (introduction) (Table of Contents: 1)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Joe Gallagher

Inks:

Joe Gallagher

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

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

Synopsis:

Hawkman has disappeared, and as the members make ready for a meeting that will not take place, hawks begin arriving with fragments of sheet music, each one with a single note on it. The members gather at a deserted country house to try and figure out what the notes mean. Wonder Woman sits at a piano in the house and plays one of the notes. Immediately, a small panel opens in the piano and out falls a hammer with a note attached, giving a name and address, along with a cryptic notation. Each member takes one of the notes to follow them up to see if they lead to the whereabouts of Hawkman.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Indexer Notes

There is NO roll call listed on the splash page.

The cover replicates the splash page except for the placement and style of some of the musical notes, reversal of moon emblems on Dr. Mid-Nite's vest and size of the piano.

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 1) (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Script:

Gardner Fox

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Starman [Ted Knight]; Mark Nelson (violinist); Maestro Albert Palini (Nelson's violin teacher, flashback, death); Hector Bauer (villain); two thugs (villains)

Synopsis:

Starman heads to the home of Mark Nelson, puzzling over the cryptic remark about a fiddle. Entering, he sees someone trying to smash a fiddle, saves the fiddle and kayos several thugs as well, who tell him a guy over on West Boulevard hired them to smash it before they flee. The Astral Avenger waits for Nelson to return....a young musician who can only compose on that Stradivarius violin, which once belonged to his teacher before he died. Just then, the thugs return to finish the job, but Starman finishes them for the Police. He then heads over to West Boulevard to see if Hawkman is there.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Keywords:

Gravity Rod; Stradivarius

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 2: Johnny Thunder Stops a Kidnapping!) (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

humor; superhero

Characters:

Johnny Thunder; The Thunderbolt [Archibald]; Charles Norris (beekeeper); two thugs Butch; other un-named] (villains)

Synopsis:

Johnny is heading over to the home of Charles Norris by bus, and he converses with the very thugs that are going to kidnap Norris, bragging about how he is going to protect the man! The crooks offer to help brother John and they arrive at the house, entering by window. They trick Johnny into trying a stunt while they go into another part of the house and snatch Norris. Fortunately, Johnny blurts out the magic words and the Thunderbolt shows up to save the day and save Norris, then both head out to find Hawkman.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Keywords:

Say You

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 3) (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Jon Chester Kozlak

Inks:

Jon Chester Kozlak

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Dr. Fate [Kent Nelson]; Arturo Carasa (vocalist); two thugs (villain)

Synopsis:

Doctor Fate is on his way to the home of noted singer, Arturo Carasa, before the threat to take his voice away succeeds. As they talk, gas suddenly is pumped into the room and Fate grabs the man and heads out the window to the roof where both find that they have lost their voices! Communicating by written note, Fate tells the singer that he must go on as scheduled, hoping to smoke out the rats involved. Carasa "sings" as Doctor Fate plays a record, and it does indeed smoke out the men involved, whom Dr. Fate immediately puts a wrap on. Telling Carasa that he'll get his voice back in a day or two, he drops the thugs off at the local jail and then starts out to track down the missing Hawkman.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 4: The Atom Solves a Fingerprint Mystery) (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Joe Gallagher

Inks:

Joe Gallagher

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

The Atom [Al Pratt]; Arnold Murray (death); Calire Murray (Arnold's daughter); un-named sculptor; un-named thug (villain)

Synopsis:

A young lady awaits death. Knowing her fingerprints were found at the crime scene, Atom decides to visit it for an overlooked clue, finds it and now knows that she is innocent. He next visits the sculptor who made her hand molds, and learns that they were stolen earlier. Finally, he plants a news story asking for the thief of the hands to see him privately at a certain address. When he shows, the Atom follows the thief, kayos him and finds the hand molds that prove the young lady's innocence. Turning them over to the authorities, Atom then heads over to West Boulevard to find Hawkman.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 5) (Table of Contents: 6)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox; Jack Kirby (partial re-write)

Pencils:

Jack Kirby

Inks:

Joe Simon

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Sandy [Sandy Hawkins]; Theodore Korowski (pianist); The Spirits of Song (in a dream); three thugs [Chigger; others un-named] (villains)

Synopsis:

Pianist Theodor Koronski dreams a mysterious robed individual will cut his fingers off. However, as he relaxes and begins to play his favorite tune, a sharp blade above the piano falls toward his fingers. Fortunately, Sandman and Sandy arrive in time to save him and question him as to if he has any enemies. While they are talking, several thugs outside the musician's apartment attempt to kill the crime fighters and finish the job to cripple Koronski. But the duo has set a trap that the criminals fall into and wrap them up in short order, then head out to seek Hawkman.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Indexer Notes

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

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 6) (Table of Contents: 7)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charkles McNider]; Loring Merkeroff (composer); three un-named thugs (villains)

Synopsis:

Dr. Mid-Nite's job to to save master composer, Loring Merkeroff, but is knocked out during the ensuing fight and awakens to find the composer gone. Searching the room, he sees that Merkeroff wrote a clue to his kidnappers on sheet music at the piano, so the Man of Night follows the lead. Meanwhile, the composer has been taken to an operating room where a surgeon is to deafen the composer so he can't finish the opus he is working on. But Dr. Mid-Nite takes his place, cleans up the opposition, frees Merkeroff and heads out toward West Boulevard to find Hawkman.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 7) (Table of Contents: 8)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Bernard Baily

Inks:

Bernard Baily

Colors:

?

Letters:

Howard Ferguson

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Kang-Hi (villain, Chinese Emperor, flashback); T'ai Wu (a Princess, flashback); Ching Tso (a bell caster, flashback, death); Armand Baulaire (carillon player); Chinese "ghosts" (villains)

Synopsis:

In ancient Peking, China, a bell has been cast by a lowly bell-caster, who is loved by royalty. Because of this, he is literally cast into a giant bell, leaving a curse before he dies. Years later, the bell broke and was re-cast into a set of Carillon Bells, now owned by Armand Baulaire. Armand learns of the curse and is hesitant to keep them. He heads home and is confronted by a pair of Chinese "ghosts" he thinks are associated with the curse. Spectre reads also of the curse and arrives at the home in time to deal with the intruders, then informs Armand that the curse is phony.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Keywords:

Manchu Dynasty; Peking; Ta-Chung Sz (Tower of the Great Bell)

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit from Craig Delich.

Hop Harrigan Over Torres Strait (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Script:

?

Pencils:

Jon L. Blummer (illustration of Hop Harrigan)

Inks:

Jon L. Blummer (illustration of Hop Harrigan)

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Genre:

aviation

Characters:

Hop Harrigan; Tank Tinker; Colonel Bryson; Powers (tail gunner); Hastings (navaigator); the Japanese (villains, some die)

Synopsis:

Hop is given orders to discover what happened to a hospital ship that left Cape York, Australia, a few days back on its way to Port Moresby to pick up wounded soldiers.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Keywords:

Australia; B-25 Mitchell; Cape York; Port Moresby; Torres Straight; Zero

On Silver Wings (Table of Contents: 10)

text story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script:

?

Pencils:

? (spot illustration)

Inks:

? (spot illustration)

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Characters:

Sergeant George Philip Corl (death); Curly; Big Butch; SSGT Ed Bullian; the Nazis (villains, some die)

Synopsis:

It was December 7, 1941, and the mine workers were getting their pay when they heard that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor and the U.S. was at war. George Corl enlisted and became an aerial gunner on a B-26 headed for North Africa. Flak came up as they got close to Trapani and a bullet from an ME-109 hit Corl and he slumped into a coma, passing away July 11, 1943.

Keywords:

B-26 Martin Marauder; North Africa; Pearl Harbor; Rock Springs (Wyoming); Sicily

Indexer Notes

The true story of Sergeant George Philip Corl, USAAF, whose parents received the second $1000 "Hop Harrigan Award for Flying Heroism."

Feature added by Craig Delich.

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (conclusion) (Table of Contents: 11)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Joe Gallagher

Inks:

Joe Gallagher

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Justice Society of America [The Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; The Atom [Al Pratt]; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Starman [Ted Knight]]; Charlie Norris; Lorie Merkeroff; Art Carasa; Armold Murray; Ted Korowski; Mark Nelson; "Boly" Beaulaire; Hector Bauer (villain)

Synopsis:

Of eight budding musicians of 40 years ago, only one, Hector Bauer, had not made a success of himself, and was bitter about it. He visits his old friends who did made it. All agree to give him a chance to perform his symphony, but on his way to the concert hall, Hector is hit on the head, losing his memory. Only a newspaper article about the concert brings back his memory. Unfortunately, the symphony was a failure, and, as years pass, Hector broods and plans revenge on those who did succeed. The JSA breaks into Bauer's home on West Boulevard and releases Hawkman, who decides to tell his story.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Keywords:

Morning Standard

Indexer Notes

Wonder Woman does not appear in the conclusion.

The Crimes Set to Music!!! (Chapter 8) (Table of Contents: 12)

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

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Sheldon Moldoff

Inks:

Sheldon Moldoff

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Hawkgirl [Shiera Sanders]; Charles Norris (singer); Hector Bauer (villain)

Synopsis:

Hawk relates how he and Shiera attended the opening of the Music Academy when they note a queer man intently staring with hatred at the soloist, Charles Norris. Shiera sees a gun so Hawk stops the attempted murder, then follows the man to his home where he is sprayed with a special liquid that tightens Hawk's skin to marble-like rigidity. Hawk muses how he can warn the JSA so he calls the hawks to bring large leaves to him and he uses a forefinger dipped in ink to write notes to the JSA members. Once done, Bauer returns and sprays the Hawkman with a solution that will free him in five hours.

Reprints:

• in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #5 (1999)

Keywords:

Music Academy

Indexer Notes

This is the only time in All-Star that Hawkman's chapter is found at the end of an issue.