CODEX OMNIVERSA

When we last saw the group of heroes that stopped Hitler’s invasion of England, Flash commented that maybe they could have dinner sometime together to at least discuss the possibility of staying together as an army regiment.

At a later date, Johnny Thunder was aware of the resulting meeting but was offended he was not invited. Nevertheless, he unintentionally crashed the party.

Had he not, who knows how history would have changed…

I’ll contribute an idea! Suppose you each tell the most exciting experience you ever had… that’ll entertain everybody!

The attendees liked the idea, but the Atom asked where were Superman, Batman, and Robin? Flash explained that since they were all there, somebody had to look after things and protect people. What about the Red Tomato… er, Red Tornado? 

One by one, the heroes shared their stories: the Flash, Hawkman, the Spectre, Hourman, Sandman, Dr. Fate, the Atom, and Green Lantern,  In the middle of the event, Red Tornado made a brief appearance… as comic relief…

Ending the meeting came an announcement from the Flash. The F.B.I. chief (a swell guy) said they were needed as patriotic Americans to confer upon a matter of vital importance to the United States!

Stirred to their inmost being of the needs of their country, the members of the Justice Society are resolved to succeed… Answering their country’s call, the Justice Society “goest to war” against the subversive activities of the “Fifth Column.”

Naturally, the members of the Justice Society successfully completed their field missions, the first of many to come…

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After the debut of Superman, many other costumed heroes followed, each appearing in their own adventures. They never interacted, though, until late 1940 when several of them met to share their stories within the pages of All-Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940/November 22, 1940.) This seemingly innocent gathering of “the Justice Society of America” had monumental impact. It established that these characters did in fact exist in the same world.

The prior two issues of All-Star Comics featured adventures of some of the same characters, but with no connective tissue. Other characters featured in the first two issues eventually dropped from the series and were not part of the Justice Society. Biff Bronson appeared in only #1 and Red, White & Blue in only #1 and 2. (Their substitutions in #3 and beyond became Dr. Fate and the Atom.)

Notably absent from the lineup were the heavy-hitters, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Focusing on the next tier of heroes allowed for more adventure and suspense. I mean, how many menaces couldn’t Superman handle on his own? And even if he couldn’t, how much help could one of the lesser-powered heroes really be? (Comics have overcome these issues but remember we’re talking about the 1940s here.)

In the stories of subsequent issues of All-Star Comics, the heroes retained their personalities; they didn’t act any differently than they did in their solo adventures. From a publishing standpoint, the was great appeal of various heroes joining forces. Putting them together meant the chances of readers finding something they liked in one title increased, perhaps not exponentially, but increased, nevertheless.