All-Star Comics #23

(Winter 1944)

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

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2)

Christmas Gift Books / text article / 0.67 page (report information)

Script

Josette Frank

Letters

typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate [Introduction] (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Joe Gallagher

Inks

Joe Gallagher

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Justice Society of America [Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; The Atom [Al Pratt]; Starman [Ted Knight]; Johnny Thunder]]; Rex Morgan (Editor of the Courier); Miss Ketch (Courier's Secretary); The Psycho-Pirate [Charley Halstead] (villain, linotyper for the Courier, introduction)

Synopsis

The Courier issues a challenge to the JSA re an individual called the Psycho-Pirate, who has been committing crimes based on emotions, whom the paper has spoken out against. The JSA visits Editor Morgan to inform him that they will help. Morgan shows a letter of challenge to them from the Psycho-Pirate just as Morgan's Secretary brings in telegrams addressed to the JSA members individually, challenging them to stop his crimes of emotions. Morgan is relived as the only person before that to give encouragement and support in the fight was one of his his linotypers, Charley Halstead.

Reprints

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

Keywords

Daily Courier; Dispatch; Planet

Indexer Notes

The Honorary Members of the JSA -- Batman, Superman, The Flash and Green Lantern -- are listed in the roll call on the splash.

[The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate, Chapter 1] (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Sheldon Moldoff

Inks

Sheldon Moldoff

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Shiera Sanders; Heywood Carlson (industrial magnate); Betty Carlson (Heywood's daughter); Sam Maxon (villain, Betty's date); unnamed waiter (villain); Joey (villain)

Synopsis

Psycho-Pirate is using "love" as a weapon, Hawkman hurries over to see Heywood Carlson, who has been falsely notified that his daughter is being held for ransom. His love for his daughter is going to be his downfall until Hawk bursts in and over-powers the thugs. But one tells Hawkman to lay off or something will happen to Shiera. Hawk and Shiera finally escape a room with the walls closing in on them, and Hawkman rounds up the thugs involved. He returns to Carlson's home to find out that the kidnapping of Betty was a ruse, so he decides to return to the Courier.

Reprints

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5) (Expand) /

Wheaties / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate, Chapter 2] (Table of Contents: 6)

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]; Hank Cannon; Augustus Hemsley (industrial magnate); The Hate Clinic [George] (fencing instructor); rest unnamed] (villains)

Synopsis

Hate figures in to the relationship between Augustus Hemsley and Hank Cannon, and both decide to enroll in "The Hate Clinic" to learn championship fencing, then duel it out. Starman enters the picture and convinces the men that only the Hate Clinic will come out this richer, to say the least. The Astral Avenger then cleans house at the clinic, suddenly feeling hate towards his opponents. That leads to Starman falling into a trap, but he escapes and then settles the argument between Carlson and Cannon.

Reprints

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

Keywords

Gravity Rod; Salle D-Armes

Indexer Notes

This is the last appearance of Starman in All-Star.

Here They Come! (Table of Contents: 7) (Expand) /

Lionel / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate, Chapter 3] (Table of Contents: 8)

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]; Psycho-Pirate's thugs (villains)

Synopsis

The emotion of fear sends Dr. Mid-Nite to Carse City, a wealthy suburb where he runs into a few residents who are crying with fear, and they tell him that the entire city has been kidnapped! Visiting local officials, Mid-Nite is told that the Psycho-Pirate's men are going to drop living disease germs on the city. The Man of Night heads out to the address from where the ransom note was issued, dispatches a sharpshooter, and is ready to enter the premises when a sudden fear comes over him. But he overcomes that and wraps up the thugs inside, learning that the germ threat was only a hoax.

Reprints

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

Keywords

Blackout Bomb; Carse City

Sport Short (Table of Contents: 9) (Expand) /

Thom McAn / advertisement / 2 pages (report information)

[The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate, Chapter 4] (Table of Contents: 10)

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]; Ben Martin (safe designer); Joe Martin (Ben's brother, safe designer); gang of thieves (villains)

Synopsis

Johnny's problem, conceit, is rather unusual since Johnny is rather conceited himself. The Martin brothers manufacture safes that are burglar-proof, and they get a call from a lighting company that they can't open one of their safes and want them to open it for them. Once done, the thieves enter and rob the safe, and even flatter Johnny not to resist. John and the officials are locked in the safe, but are saved by the T-Bolt. Johnny then rounds up the gang...with a little help from Thunderbolt.

Reprints

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

Keywords

Say You

Meet... J. Pachyderm Eliphunt, Jr. (Table of Contents: 11)

Who's Who in Zooville / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ron Santi

Pencils

Ron Santi

Inks

Ron Santi

Colors

?

Letters

Ron Santi

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

J. Pachyderm Eliphant, Jr.

Indexer Notes

Writer confirmed and letterer credit by Craig Delich.

This filler does NOT appear in the Archives.

Perviam Problem (Table of Contents: 12)

text story / 1.75 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Miller (credited as Jay Marr)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure

Indexer Notes

Who's Who of American Comics 1928-1999 gives "J. Marr" as a penname of Jack Miller.

This text story is NOT reprinted in the Archives.

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

Picture Stories from the Bible / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.25 page (report information)

[The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate, Chapter 5] (Table of Contents: 14)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Cliff Young

Inks

Steve Brodie

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Ivar Mason (collector); Ephraim Smith (collector); unnamed stranger (villain); gang of thugs (villains)

Synopsis

Greed plays a role in this saga of two wealthy collectors who each possess one of two known Grinning Guardians. Both are visited by a mysterious person who asks each if they'd like to own both. The Spectre arrives and tells Mason what that guy is trying to do, so a trap is set. But the mysterious visitor tells Mason that, unless he forks over his Guardian, then he'll tell the Police that Mason bribed him to steal Smith's statue. Mason gives him the statue, but Spectre follows, falls into a trap and is gassed, but escapes and recovers the Guardian and returns it to Mason.

Reprints

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

Keywords

Grinning Guardians

Indexer Notes

This is the last appearance of the Spectre in All-Star.

Flying Models of Famous Fighter Planes (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

Wheaties / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Meet... J. Groaner Crooner (Table of Contents: 16)

Who's Who in Zooville / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ron Santi

Pencils

Ron Santi

Inks

Ron Santi

Colors

?

Letters

Ron Santi

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

J. Groaner Crooner

Indexer Notes

Writer confirmed and letterer credit by Craig Delich.

This filler does NOT appear in the Archives.

[The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate, Chapter 6] (Table of Contents: 17)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Joe Gallagher

Inks

Joe Gallagher

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Atom [Al Pratt]; Rex Morgan; Mrs. Morgan (mention only); Miss Ketch; The Psycho-Pirate [Charley Halstead] (villain); phony Hawkman (villain); phony Spectre (villain); phony Johnny Thunder (villain); phony Dr. Mid-Nite (villain); phony Starman (villain)

Synopsis

Left behind to protect Mr. Morgan, Atom must face despair on a grand scale: Morgan's home foreclosed on, newsboys are on strike, Morgan's staff is quitting, the newspaper guild wants to kick him out of the Union, and Charley Halstead tells that his wife is suing for divorce. Then the radio says the JSA have failed and have been captured, but Halstead says to go to Psycho-Pirate's lair and try to free the captured members. Atom later finds out that the supposed JSA members are actually the Psycho-Pirate's thugs in disguise, so he mops them up, but is shot in the process!

Reprints

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

Keywords

Daily Courier

[The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate, Conclusion] (Table of Contents: 18)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Joe Gallagher

Inks

Joe Gallagher

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Justice Society of America [Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]; Starman [Ted Knight]; Johnny Thunder; The Atom [Al Pratt]; The Spectre [Jim Corrigan]]; The Thunderbolt [Archibald]; Rex Morgan; The Psycho-Pirate [Charley Halstead] (villain); Psycho-Pirate's thugs (villains)

Synopsis

The JSA returns to the offices of the Courier, much to the surprise of Morgan, who tells them about the radio announcement and the Atom taking off to save the day. Suddenly, the voice of the Atom is heard through the ventilation ducts that he knows who the Psycho-Pirate is. But thugs find the Mighty Mite on the roof and toss him off to his doom. Fortunately, Johnny sees what is happening and orders the Thunderbolt to save Atom, which he does, and he brings Atom into Morgan's office, then grabs Charley Halstead! He protests and soon becomes the victim of his own emotions.

Reprints

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

Keywords

Daily Courier; Say You

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

Let's Go to College / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

These Issues Are Now on Sale Everywhere! (Table of Contents: 20) (Expand) /

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

Capt. Tootsie and the Toy Cannon (Table of Contents: 21) (Expand) /

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