Bring on the Bad Guys: "Easy" Eddie Edwards

Real name: Eddie Edwards

First appearance: All-Star Comics#6 (August-September 1941)

Abilities: Failure to pick up sarcasm 

Worst act: Attempted murder, counterfeiting

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Stan Asch (pencils)

And so we end another feature here. 

#6 is a bit notable, as this is where the Flash goes from JSA member to honorary one and Johnny Thunder takes his place. 

The first chapter sets up, but since there's no real villain I opted out of giving that a separate entry. Johnny Thunder is given a chance to join the JSA but he must capture a real arch enemy of justice!

It's a snipe hunt. The 'villain' is an old kook who prints up stories about all the crimes he got away with. Johnny finds him easy enough, but Mr. Edwards takes notice and assumes the old timey nut is the real deal and thus would have a fortune or two squirreled away. 

The JSA set him right. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Professor

 Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: SCIENCE!

Worst act: Blackmail, assault 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Irwin Hasen (pencils)

The Professor is the seventh agent. His mission? Take out the Green Lantern

Well, at least their expectations are a bit more manageable this time. Mr. X, figuring that since Green Lantern controls light, he'll use light to destroy him! He opts to blackmail the city by blowing up some buildings first, just to show them he's serious. 

The Professor shows up and knocks out GL via electricity. Which is quite surprising, as I thought he was only vulnerable to wood. The Professor also manages to make things invisible. GL manages to wake up and remember his ring can do pretty much anything he wants and he takes the Professor and his gang out with zero issue. 

The story wraps up after this and Mr. X gets taken out with minium effort. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Gang of Gamblers

Real names: Baretti, the rest unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Gambling 

Worst act: Attempted assault

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Bernard Baily (pencils)

The Gang of Gamblers are the sixth agents. Their mission? Take out the Spectre

Ye cats, did Mr. X just hate these guys outright?

The Gang has a brilliant idea-they will run several crooked games and make it look like the Spectre is a crook. 

I know I've said this before this month, but the ideas seem to be running a bit low at this point. The Spectre is taken for a ride and shot, which would be a huge problem if he wasn't already dead. 

Shockingly, the Spectre manages to round up with the gang without horribly killing all of them. I guess he felt sorry for them?

Bring on the Bad Guys: Joe the Butcher and Small Change

 Real names: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: General thuggery

Worst act: Presumably something bad

Created by: Evelyn Gaines (script), Sheldon Mayer (pencils)

Taking a break from Mr. X to look in with Johnny Thunder. 

Johnny's got a new job, working as an elevator operator. He's a putz but he recognizes two thugs who look to do harm to his girlfriend's dad (who works in the same building). Thankfully he remembers the nigh omnipotent genie he has at his beck and call. 

Pretty simple but for Johnny Thunder I suppose this is about as good as it gets. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Muscles

Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Lifting 

Worst act: Attempted assault, racketeering 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Ben Flinton (pencils)

Muscles is the sixth agent. His mission? Take out the Atom

Lower stakes than last time. The plan this time is to harass every short person in town and get them to join a gym. 

They actually get lucky and snag the real deal, but the Atom makes short work of their equipment before beating them all into reforming. 

I feel that the energy is going out in this yarn with every chapter. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Phony Hourman

Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Impression

Worst act: Identity theft, assault 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Bernard Bailey (pencils)

A Phony Hourman is the fifth agent. His mission? Take out Hourman (the real one that is)

Didn't we already do this plot?

Someone dressed up as Hourman is running amuck, leading the police to assume that the Man of the Hour has gone crooked, or else gaining superpowers from drugs is somehow a bad idea.

Of course, the fake is just a decoy with the idea to lure the deal out so a bunch of thugs can ambush him. They seem to have forgotten about the whole crazy strong for an hour bit and thus he easily mops the floor with the punks. 

Not a very well thought out idea, was it?

Bring on the Bad Guys: Per Degaton

 Real names: Per Degaton

First appearance: All-Star Comics#35 (June-July 1947)

Abilities: Time Travel

Worst act: Attempted murder, murder, attempted taking over the world 

Quote: "Am I? Listen, you old fool! I'm sick of being an assistant to doddering greybeards like you! Tired of scullery maid to test tubes! All my life I've been only that-an assistant!"

Created by: John Broome (script), Irwin Hasen (pencils)

In the tradition of Two-Face, Lex Luther, the Cheetah, Solomon Grundy (and Sportsmaster), the Shade, the Mad Mod, Captain Boomerang, and Sonar (and the Javelin), we now take a look at a special or at least a foe I thought was a cut above the rest. 

Per Degaton might be considered one of the JSA's top foes. Personally I picked him due to his gimmick. A lowly assistant to Dr. Zee, the man who would rule dreamed of time travel. When the doctor finally perfected it, Degaton used the machine to rule the world!

And so it would go, with Degaton mucking around in the time stream but managing to get sent back to right before he started his ascent into evil, with his writing the whole adventure off as a dream. Funny enough he only had two appearances in the Golden Age but he did show up enough to help form the Injustice Society, one of the first main evil super groups in DC. 

Overall decent; good luck and a nice gimmick can take a character far. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Magico

Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Slight of hand

Worst act: Attempted murder, theft 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Howard Sherman (pencils)

Magico is the fourth agent. His mission? Take out Dr. Fate

Well, he ain't lacking for confidence, is he?

The whole thing gets kicked off when Inza, Dr. Fate's girlfriend, hears of a magician robbing rich old women. Magico is really more of the bait, as he lures Dr. Fate into a trap. Inza is the one who gets shot however but the doctor is in so she's ok!

Dr. Fate then proceeds to mystically kidnap the faker and drag him to pretty much Hell until the man reforms on the spot. 

Ok but it feels like a rehash of the Hawkman chapter from yesterday. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Wing Norris

Real name: Wing Norris

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Shooting guns

Worst act: Attempted murder, breaking and entering

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Sheldon Moldoff (pencils)

Wing Norris and his gang are the third agents. Their mission? Kill Hawkman

A bit weak. Norris and his gang put out a rumor that a certain jewelry store is going to be robbed. Evidently they hope Hawkman will somehow hear about it and rush to investigate, at which point they will shoot him as he doesn't wear a shirt. 

Pity he was working on a spare suit which he gives to his girlfriend Shiera in an effort to fool the gang. She puts it on (doesn't call herself Hawkgirl just yet) and rushes to the scene-where she is promptly shot. Hawkman then proceeds to beat seven shades of Hell out of the entire gang. 

Yeah, even as filler this was a bit low stakes. Shiera gets shot but she's more or less over it and this incident wouldn't even get mentioned in future issues. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Kidnapper's Union

Real names: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Kidnapping

Worst act: Kidnapping 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Cliff Young (pencils)

The Kidnapper's Union are the second agents. Their mission? Kidnap the Sandman.

They actually kick the whole fight by kidnapping the Sandman's main squeeze Dian Belmont but the Sandman and Dian actually work out to utterly wreck the group and make them regret their life and career choice. 

A bit silly but the name Union does suggest some really weird trade union. Like are there dues? A shop steward? T-shirts?

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Flame Farmer

 Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Arson

Worst act: Arson, attempted murder

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Hal Sharp (pencils)

The Flame Farmer is the first agent. His mission? Kill the Flash. Easier said than done, especially since his whole strategy is just setting apartments on fire and hoping he gets lucky. 

Yeah, I think the World's Fastest Man can handle a run of the firebug. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Mr. X

Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#5 (June-July 1941)

Abilities: Rackets

Worst act: Racketeering, attempted murder

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

New issue and like the previous, the entire thing is an anthology. This time the theme is Mr. X, a racketeer who plans to destroy the JSA by luring them away and sending a specially selected agent to do them in. He technically appears in every story but his only active role is in the first story and the last.

Name aside, he's a bit bland. Not horrible but honestly generic even by the standards of the 1940s. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Mogi the Magnificent

 Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#4 (March-April 1941)

Abilities: Slight of hand 

Worst act: Theft

Created by: Evelyn Gaines (script), Sheldon Mayer (pencils)

Johnny Thunder takes over for a short story. There's been a rash of robberies in the area. Johnny and his gal pal Daisy stop to get her fortune told and Johnny quickly denounces the man as a fake but thankfully he's proven right. 

Not much to do with the rest of the issue but a nice distraction. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Grey Shirts

 Real names: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#4 (March-April 1941)

Abilities: Intimidation 

Worst act: Being a Nazi, sabotage 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Chad Grothkopf (pencils)

The Sandman is on the case and the case leads him to El Paso. Seems the local branch of the Gray Shirts have been intimidating the local newspaper. 

The Sandman manages to stop them, not as the Sandman but rather as his alter-ego Wesley Dodds. He manages to take most of the group down with a speech, so convinces them to fight the rest of their fellows. 

Bit of a twist with the speech, but I suppose you can't convince that many people with just a gas gun. 

The last three chapters of this issue all focus on the Gray Shirts, with Fritz finally being fully stopped in the last chapter. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Carl

 Real name: Carl 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#4 (March-April 1941)

Abilities: Organization 

Worst act: Being a Nazi, sabotage 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Howard Sherman (pencils)

Dr. Fate gets involved, which really should wrap the whole thing up but I digress. The Gray Shirts are at it again, this time in New England. Dr. Fate checks in and easily captures the leader of that cell; just a dude named Carl. Bit of a let down but the doc does have a way of interrogating suspects, mostly summoning devils from hell to torment the suspect. 

Not sure if that's going to hold up in court but that's not my department. 

The main issue is the lead. Doc is way too powerful to be even bother by some thugs in gray.  

Bring on the Bad Guys: Captain Erdner

Real name: Erdner

First appearance: All-Star Comics#4 (March-April 1941)

Abilities: Dynamite 

Worst act: Being a Nazi, sabotage 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Bernard Baily (pencils)

Hourman's up next. The FBI sends him out to Oklahoma. Not as punishment, but to investigate the rumors of someone trying blow up oil fields. 

Turns out Captain Erdner is behind all this. One pop of his miracle drug later and Hourman mops the floor with the creep. 

Better than the last two but only by so much. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Hans and Dorgoff

 Real names: Hans and Dorgoff 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#4 (March-April 1941)

Abilities: Steel wood

Worst act: Being a Nazi, sabotage 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Bernard Baily (pencils)

The Spectre's up next and the job is a munition factory in Pittsburgh. Given his power level, finding the saboteurs is no sweat. You can almost pity them trying to kill a ghost. 

Almost

A bunch on bland spies get taken care of. Not even in hideously ironic ways either.   

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Baron

 Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#4 (March-April 1941)

Abilities: AIRSHIP

Worst act: Being a Nazi, sabotage 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Marty Nodell (pencils)

Now Green Lantern takes over. It seems someone is cutting into commercial radio signals, so naturally a guy with the power to shape continents is the best person to use. With a bit of daring-do our hero finds the Baron and his Nazi airship are zipping around the countryside messing with the radios. 

He dies. Turns out an oversized hydrogen balloon was no match for a mystic ring. Who knew?

A bit silly and not even in a good way.  

Bring on the Bad Guys: Fritz Klaver and the Grey Shirts

Real name: Fritz Klaver

First appearance: All-Star Comics#4 (March-April 1941)

Abilities: Organization 

Worst act: Being a Nazi, sabotage 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

At the behest of the FBI director, the JSA rushes to DC. Why? A bunch of Nazis need punching. The Flash opts to go first and his mission takes him to that far off land of mystery known only as Toldeo. 

Turns out the Grey Shirts have been taking their orders from Fritz Klaver in Toldeo while they spread their sabotage across the Midwest. Fritz also acts as the main villian for the entire issue. Some super speed settles his hash. The Scarlet Speedster heads back to DC to report as the Green Lantern heads out on his assignment. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Commissioner Lacey

Real name: Lacey

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: Organization 

Worst act: Graft, theft, kidnapping, and attempted murder

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Marty Nodell, E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

The Green Lantern brings us home. It seems crime is going out of control, and Police Commissioner Mason is stumped. So much so the mayor opts to have him removed from office and Lacey put in charge. 

And to the new commissioner hits the ground running, being a fearless fighter against the tidal wave of terror that has swept the city. 

Yeah, he's a crook. Of course, the Green Lantern was established as being active in Gotham City. Nowadays I suppose they would have mentioned this to Gordon but here it's just a city.

The Green Lantern takes a dim view on graft and wages a one-man war against the Lacey. One of his reporters gets kidnapped but GL makes the save. 

And thus the first issue ends. Overall not bad but the stories were a bit short. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Boss and Brooklyn Murder Trust

Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: Organization 

Worst act: Attempted theft

Created by: Bill O'Connor, Gardner Fox (script), Ben Flinton, E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

This time the Atom takes over. Back when they thought the atom was the smallest thing around and couldn't be split, so one of the few heroes whose concept hasn't aged well.

The Atom, as college student Al Pratt, witnesses an armored truck robbery and quickly figures out the culprits. He then find said crooks and beats the tar out of them. 

Starting to see why Johnny Thunder ask them to move to someone else. Not a horrible chapter but a bit basic. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Kidnapper

Real name: Edgar Eggwell, Jr. 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: Being a jerk

Worst act: Attempted kidnapping

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Sheldon Mayer (pencils)

This time, gatecrasher Johnny Thunder decides to interject and spin his own tale. In case you came in late, the wraparound story is the JSA sitting around a hotel room and telling stories. 

Johnny happens by his gal pal Daisy Darling's abode and find her necking with a new beau. Johnny wishes the fellow had some poison ivy and his magic thunderbolt obliges. Daisy kicks them both out. 

Dateless and flat broke as usual, Johnny stumbles across a kidnapping and manages to save the victim, Theresa, and she wants to give him anything he wants. He wants a hundred bucks a week and job. She agrees and makes him her bodyguard. Daisy happens by and sees another woman with her man, so she promptly dumps him.

The kidnapper is still out there, and yup, it turns out the whole kidnapping scheme was the invention of Edgar, Daisy's new boyfriend! Can Johnny figure it out in time?

Decent. Fast and we see the usual comedy relief character handling himself pretty well. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The wizard and phantoms

Real name: Unrevealed 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: Magic!

Worst act: Attempted murder

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Howard Sherman, E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

Dr. Fate takes over for this chapter. HIs wife Inza gets knocked out by a magic book, prompting doc to head out to the moors and melt a wizard and fight phantoms. 

Feels like I missed a few pages, but that's it. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Dr. Faversham

Real name: Faversham

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: SCIENCE!

Worst act: Attempted murder, murder, failing basic biology 

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Chad Grothkopf, Sheldon Moldoff, E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

The Sandman takes over, and wow. We open with wealthy man about town Wesley Dodds (Sandman's alter ego) and his best gal pal Dian taking a scenic drive through the countryside.

That's when they hit a giant. 

Yup, a giant. The poor fellow escaped from the residence of the mad Dr. Faversham. His whole deal is pumping chemicals into pituitary glands. Why? SCIENCE! And he'll make those blind fools pay! Thankfully the Sandman and his gas gun make short work of the mad doc. 

A bit silly. The Sandman tended to face your standard crooks, so a mad scientist was a bit out of left field. The doc also brings to mind Hugo Strange but I'm sure that wasn't intentional. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Mr. Durant

Real name: Durant 

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: Insurance fraud 

Worst act: Attempted theft

Created by: Gardner Fox, Ken Fitch (script), Bernard Bailey (pencils)

So after the Spectre's grisly yarn, Hourman steps up. From God's own vengeance to a guy who's really tough for only an hour. 

Rex Tyler (Hourman's alter ego) scores an invite to a costume party. On a lark, he goes as Hourman...only to discover most of the guests had the exact same idea. Since no costume party in the DC Universe ever goes right, the Durant Diamond Collection is stolen!

The culprit? Hourman!

Naturally Rex is a bit put out by this and works to uncover the real thief. The phony Hourmen are actually in the pay of none other than Mr. Durant himself. Yup, he went to all the trouble of staging a costume ball to cover his insurance fraud. Seems like he could just stolen them and blamed a burglar, but what do I know? Turns out the gems on display were fake anyway, as Durant didn't want to get rid of the originals. 

Bit of a comedown from the last story.  

Bring on the Bad Guys: Oom

Real name: Oom

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: Magic

Worst act: Attempted murder, murder

Created by: Gardner Fox, Jerry Siegel (script), Bernard Bailey, E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

The Spectre offers up a story. Always good to hear from the personification of God's Vengeance; in his day job as police detective Jim Corrigan, the Spectre investigates a series of full moon slayings. The killer doesn't waste any time. His name is Oom and he has a bargain for the ghostly guardian. He's looking for the Red Moon Stone of Yzgartyl. Whoever can find it can remain on Earth with the loser being banished forever.

For some reason, the Spectre humors him and goes on the hunt. Oom manages to find the stone, but the Spectre tricks him into dropping the stone in his hands, thus damning his soul to remain forever trapped in the stone. 

Dang. Bit harsh, pity Hourman trying to top that. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Mazda

 Real name: Mazda

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: FIRE

Worst act: Attempted murder

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), Sheldon Moldoff, E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

After Flash's tale, we have Hawkman (we'll get to his origin soon, I hope) and his chapter. Sheira and Carter go to study the Krakaota volcano, but it turns out the natives don't care for visitors. 

Yeah, natives. Seems there is a group of Volcano People and for the crime of showing up, they try to put the winged wonders to death. 

Hawkman manages to escape and rescues Sheira before the volcano blows up.

Which really shouldn't be a problem for a group of people who literally live inside a volcano, but yeah. I imagine after Hawkman finishes, there is a series of awkward pauses. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Nancy K

Membership: Burly Billy

First appearance: All-Star Comics#3 (Winter 1940)

Abilities: Sailors 

Worst act: Attempted theft, attempted murder

Created by: Gardner Fox (script), E.E. Hibbard (pencils)

This year we'll be looking at the first super group, the Justice Society of America! Looking back at the stories, one can't help but notice the sheer difference in storytelling. Nowadays the book would have all the assembled heroes fighting their foes at once, but back in 1940 All-Star Comics worked more as an anthology, with each heroes telling the reader of their separate yarns.   

So, with the first issue and the first chapter, what's it all about? We have the Flash (Jay Garrick) telling a gatecrashing Johnny Thunder about an adventure he just had. 

A Spanish galleon sank off the coast of Panama, its hold heavy with Aztec gold. A friend of Jay's girlfriend Joan is trying to salvage the gold, but the ship the Nancy K and its roughneck crew are making it clear they'll let the gold be salvaged first, then they'll be taking it. 

Thankfully Joan knows a guy who can run at supersonic speed. The Flash jogs down to Central America and easily slaps the would be pirates around. 

A pretty basic story but then again most of the stories in All-Star run about seven pages so one is not going to bogged down with a crazy amount of details. Technically I suppose these guys should be considered Flash foes but for this month we'll be looking just at the villains that popped up in the JSA stories at this time frame.