What do you think?
Rate this book
All Star Comics Archives #6
All Star Comics Archives, Vol. 6
A collection of the adventures of the Justice Society of America, which at various times includes Wonder Woman, the Flash, the Green Lantern, Dr. Midnite, Wildcat, and Hawkman.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2000
60 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Francis Fox
1,192 books90 followersGardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 26, 2023
If you have never read an issue of All-Star Comics then I'll fill you in really quick. This title is the home of the Justice Society Of America, the first superhero team in the history of comic books. The issues are set up in what is now called a comic jam format. Each character is handled by a different artist, often the creator of the character. The team meets for a few pages, are presented with a case, and then split up to solve it, reconvening at the end to compare notes and solve the mystery or issue at hand.
Our victory in World War II was hardly assured when issue 24 was released in early 1945. Carter Hall (Hawkman)'s neighbor's son has been drafted and sees no reason to fight Germany. Somehow the fairy spirit Conscience answers their call and splits the team of The Flash, The Green Lantern, Johnny Thunder, The Atom, Dr. Midnite, Wildcat, and Mr. Terrific (although not their secretary, Wonder Woman) up and sends them back through various points in time to show how savage and evil Germany is. Comic book propaganda at its best.
#26 is my favorite issue in not only this book, but in the whole series thus far. Metal creatures from Jupiter come to Earth. They are made of metal yet also feed on metal, taking on the properties of whatever kind of metal they consume. Each member figures out a way to beat these foes that they cannot physically defeat. It's a lot of fun to read and turned things around for me. The first two issues in this book were decidedly average for the era.
Issue 27 was a touching way of telling kids to not only be kind to people with various handicaps, but to adults returning from the war without limbs. The team used handicapped kids to help them solve their crimes. Issue 28 is more typical Golden Age fare, with someone from the year 11,946 looking back on the jars of paint and wondering why they shouldn't be used. It's told in a way that the adventure was a matter of record. It was a neat way of telling this tale.
Our victory in World War II was hardly assured when issue 24 was released in early 1945. Carter Hall (Hawkman)'s neighbor's son has been drafted and sees no reason to fight Germany. Somehow the fairy spirit Conscience answers their call and splits the team of The Flash, The Green Lantern, Johnny Thunder, The Atom, Dr. Midnite, Wildcat, and Mr. Terrific (although not their secretary, Wonder Woman) up and sends them back through various points in time to show how savage and evil Germany is. Comic book propaganda at its best.
#26 is my favorite issue in not only this book, but in the whole series thus far. Metal creatures from Jupiter come to Earth. They are made of metal yet also feed on metal, taking on the properties of whatever kind of metal they consume. Each member figures out a way to beat these foes that they cannot physically defeat. It's a lot of fun to read and turned things around for me. The first two issues in this book were decidedly average for the era.
Issue 27 was a touching way of telling kids to not only be kind to people with various handicaps, but to adults returning from the war without limbs. The team used handicapped kids to help them solve their crimes. Issue 28 is more typical Golden Age fare, with someone from the year 11,946 looking back on the jars of paint and wondering why they shouldn't be used. It's told in a way that the adventure was a matter of record. It was a neat way of telling this tale.
October 4, 2022
Three stars is a bit generous BUT compared to the earlier volumes of this archive it was a big improvement. For one thing, the art is getting better.
For another thing, Fox Gardner is slowly getting the hang of writing better comics. He still isn't at the heights he will attain in the late 50's and 60's but he is getting better. Like the earlier volumes the main frustration of this "group" is they never work together as a group. We get a problem they all have to work on and then we get 6 chapters of each of them working on their own. The prologue and epilogue have them coming together but the main part of the story are 6 individual adventures tied together by the common problem. One problem is "magic paintings that come to life at night" one is "space robots that eat metals" and one is "solving a 40 year old mystery".
The improvement comes because the theme of the stories are more interesting and there are at least small attempts at clever solutions. In the very early volumes it was basically "heroes come and beat up bad guys and win easily". Here you have actual threats they have to overcome and sometimes have to use their wits to do it.
One other frustration that remains is that these super heroes barely use their powers or don't use them in an interesting way. Compare that to Gardner's JLA stories in the 60's where there were threats the team had to use their powers to overcome. Here we get very mundane uses of Flash's speed of Green Lantern's power ring.
Overall - these stories have to be approached with the understanding that this was the beginnings of comics and not everyone had a handle of how to write the stories - especially for team ups. So they are of interest from a historical prospective.
For another thing, Fox Gardner is slowly getting the hang of writing better comics. He still isn't at the heights he will attain in the late 50's and 60's but he is getting better. Like the earlier volumes the main frustration of this "group" is they never work together as a group. We get a problem they all have to work on and then we get 6 chapters of each of them working on their own. The prologue and epilogue have them coming together but the main part of the story are 6 individual adventures tied together by the common problem. One problem is "magic paintings that come to life at night" one is "space robots that eat metals" and one is "solving a 40 year old mystery".
The improvement comes because the theme of the stories are more interesting and there are at least small attempts at clever solutions. In the very early volumes it was basically "heroes come and beat up bad guys and win easily". Here you have actual threats they have to overcome and sometimes have to use their wits to do it.
One other frustration that remains is that these super heroes barely use their powers or don't use them in an interesting way. Compare that to Gardner's JLA stories in the 60's where there were threats the team had to use their powers to overcome. Here we get very mundane uses of Flash's speed of Green Lantern's power ring.
Overall - these stories have to be approached with the understanding that this was the beginnings of comics and not everyone had a handle of how to write the stories - especially for team ups. So they are of interest from a historical prospective.
January 12, 2021
If you like any of the stories here you're either a time traveling kid from the 40s or you were a kid reading these back then and you like remembering what it was to read silly stories.
This one includes a bad guy that at the end of the issue he's explaining how he did what he did to our heroes and while he's doing so he collapses... So Green Lantern says: "he talked too much and he fainted. " Like SERIOUSLY.
They also fight hungry robots from outer space that were peaceful but became hateful because this bad guy told them so from earth.
If you're stupid and you know it clap your hands!!
This one includes a bad guy that at the end of the issue he's explaining how he did what he did to our heroes and while he's doing so he collapses... So Green Lantern says: "he talked too much and he fainted. " Like SERIOUSLY.
They also fight hungry robots from outer space that were peaceful but became hateful because this bad guy told them so from earth.
If you're stupid and you know it clap your hands!!
December 10, 2017
The JSA fights discrimination against the handicapped while also fighting off metal eating life forms from Jupiter. Oh. and perpetuate racist Anti German propaganda.
But Wildcat makes a couple appearances and we see Mr Terrific for one issue, which is cool.
But Wildcat makes a couple appearances and we see Mr Terrific for one issue, which is cool.
January 5, 2017
This book collects Issue 24-28 of the Golden Age All-Star Comics. This included three issues where due to All American Comics deciding to separate from DC's characters, some regular members were banished and Green Lantern and Flash returned dropping their honorary member title.
Issue #24: This Is Our Enemy: A man is unsure if fighting in the War is worth it, and so the Justice Society takes him on a tour through time highlighting all the cruelty and war-mongering in German history. It's War Propoganda, but it's fairly well done and enjoyable for what it is. Grade: A-
Issue #25: The Mystery of the Forgotten Crime: A man comes to the Justice Society with a very bad case of amnesia, but he does remember that a man convicted of a crime was innocent of it and the Justice Society sets out to investigate. It's a fun, if cliched mystery with some over the top twists. It's still very enjoyable. Grade: B+
Issue #26: Vampires of the Void: The Justice Society takes on a group of metal eating monsters. This is a very traditional superhero story, but enjoyable and a lot of fun in its own right. Grade: B+
Issue #27 : A Place in the World: A lovely and life-affirming story regarding disability. It was very timely because many men returned from war with new disabilities. One of these was a focal point in the story, a football player who lost an arm in the War. Prior to the War he'd been a football player who'd looked down on his own disabled brother. Now, he found himself not being respected and having to be encouraged by his brother. He asks the Justice Society to help a group of young men with disabilities who were struggling with depression. The Justice responds by each having a disabled person assist them in their own unique way. It has a powerful for kids as well as affirming people with disabilities. There are problems you could point to if you wanted to be skeptical but it's heartfelt and particularly for the era, is a brilliant moving story. Grade; A+
Issue #28: A dying man asks the Justice Society to thwart a murder plot he set in motion. The would-be killer is an artist who sent paintings painted with paint that causes the subject to come to life at night. It's an insane concept leading up to amazing insane conclusion. My big problem is that the framing story of people in the future finding paints from the JSA that it says not to use is completely unnecessary. Grade; B+
Overall, these are some of the better All Star Comics stories. I think the limited quarterly publication schedule really does help them maintain quality writing, although the art is iffy at times, though that's to be expected from a book that was produced by a variety of freelancers.
Still, this is a great collection full of sublime JSA goodness.
Issue #24: This Is Our Enemy: A man is unsure if fighting in the War is worth it, and so the Justice Society takes him on a tour through time highlighting all the cruelty and war-mongering in German history. It's War Propoganda, but it's fairly well done and enjoyable for what it is. Grade: A-
Issue #25: The Mystery of the Forgotten Crime: A man comes to the Justice Society with a very bad case of amnesia, but he does remember that a man convicted of a crime was innocent of it and the Justice Society sets out to investigate. It's a fun, if cliched mystery with some over the top twists. It's still very enjoyable. Grade: B+
Issue #26: Vampires of the Void: The Justice Society takes on a group of metal eating monsters. This is a very traditional superhero story, but enjoyable and a lot of fun in its own right. Grade: B+
Issue #27 : A Place in the World: A lovely and life-affirming story regarding disability. It was very timely because many men returned from war with new disabilities. One of these was a focal point in the story, a football player who lost an arm in the War. Prior to the War he'd been a football player who'd looked down on his own disabled brother. Now, he found himself not being respected and having to be encouraged by his brother. He asks the Justice Society to help a group of young men with disabilities who were struggling with depression. The Justice responds by each having a disabled person assist them in their own unique way. It has a powerful for kids as well as affirming people with disabilities. There are problems you could point to if you wanted to be skeptical but it's heartfelt and particularly for the era, is a brilliant moving story. Grade; A+
Issue #28: A dying man asks the Justice Society to thwart a murder plot he set in motion. The would-be killer is an artist who sent paintings painted with paint that causes the subject to come to life at night. It's an insane concept leading up to amazing insane conclusion. My big problem is that the framing story of people in the future finding paints from the JSA that it says not to use is completely unnecessary. Grade; B+
Overall, these are some of the better All Star Comics stories. I think the limited quarterly publication schedule really does help them maintain quality writing, although the art is iffy at times, though that's to be expected from a book that was produced by a variety of freelancers.
Still, this is a great collection full of sublime JSA goodness.
April 29, 2008
Boy, what happened? As the stories in this volume were produced, World War II saw its final days and the quality of All-Star Comics plummeted. With the exception of the Hawkman sections, drawn by Joe Kubert, the art is pretty poor. The stories are a bit better--not some of Mr. Fox's better work, mind you--but solid Golden Age storytelling, chock full of morality, history and/or science lessons. The JSA take a tour through the history of Germany, for one last hurrah of wartime propaganda. They also revisit a 20-year old murder case, fight element eating robots from space, thwart a crime wave with the help of various disabled persons and combat portraits painted with paint that comes to life after sunset. If I didn't have a collector's mentality, I think I would've passed this one by. (Of course, I do kind of like the robots...)
June 18, 2015
This was the first volume of the All Star Comics Archives to reflect the period when there were no National Periodical Publications heroes on the team. NPP/DC and All American Comics split for awhile there, so no Superman, Batman, Dr. Fate, Spectre, etc.
While the art isn't nearly as varied throughout all the issues as was usual for the title, there's some fun and informative stories in this book. I'd rate the one in which the JSA tries to help a disabled veteran show other folks with disabilities that they can be productive members of society the highest, along with the first tale, a historical journey in which a guy in the US who supports Germany is taken back in history to see how Germany's leadership became so messed up and power hungry.
Mr. Terrific makes his sole Golden Age appearance with the team, and Wildcat appears in two stories.
A good read for any GA fan!
While the art isn't nearly as varied throughout all the issues as was usual for the title, there's some fun and informative stories in this book. I'd rate the one in which the JSA tries to help a disabled veteran show other folks with disabilities that they can be productive members of society the highest, along with the first tale, a historical journey in which a guy in the US who supports Germany is taken back in history to see how Germany's leadership became so messed up and power hungry.
Mr. Terrific makes his sole Golden Age appearance with the team, and Wildcat appears in two stories.
A good read for any GA fan!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews