Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #17
Published June-July 1943
Cover Price 0.10
Pages 60
Editing Sheldon Mayer
Notes This All-Star was the first to have 56 interior pages. Internal evidences suggests the story was actually much longer, but panels were cut so that the story fell within the new War Production Board paper guidelines. The Editor's page features a JJSA code message in the Hawkman code. All story synopses and notes by Craig Delich (Dec. 2005).

Cover Details - "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk"

Characters Wonder Woman [Earth-2]; Dr. Mid-Nite; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Starman [Ted Knight]; Dr. Fate; Atom [Al Pratt] (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA); Brain Wave (inset)
Genre superhero
Pencils Joe Gallagher
Inks Joe Gallagher
Notes This All-Star was the first to have 56 interior pages. Internal evidences suggests the story was actually much longer, but panels were cut so that the story fell within the new War Production Board paper guidelines. The Editor's page features a JJSA code message in the Hawkman code. All story synopses and notes by Craig Delich (Dec. 2005).
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

4 page Justice Society of America story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [introduction]"

Characters Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Dr. Fate; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Wonder Woman [Earth-2]; Dr. Mid-Nite; Atom [Al Pratt]; Starman [Ted Knight] (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA); Brain Wave (villain)
Synopsis As the JSA members gather for their monthly meeting, Wonder Woman informs them that all the minutes of past meetings have been stolen. The scene then shifts back to the moment the Brain Wave jumped from his tower, supposedly to his death. But he survived and invented a way using electricity and a special substance that will shrink the JSA members to 8" tall! At the meeting rooms of the JSA, Wonder Woman heads home to look for the minutes and after she leaves, the members find themselves shrunk to 8" in height, and Brain Wave enters, imprisoning each member in a cage. When Brain Wave leaves the room, Hawkman calls his hawks, who come and take the members away as Brain Wave watches.
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Joe Gallagher
Inks Joe Gallagher
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

4 page Hawkman story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 1]"

Characters Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)
Synopsis While flying along, Hawkman is captured by a JJSA member in a net. He informs the young boy that his father is to be robbed by Brain Wave's men, so they head for the house, to discover living tiny soldiers, mixed in with the boy's regular toys. Unfortunately, they regain their regular size and the Feathered Fury must come up with a different way of defeating the foe. As the Police arrive to arrest the thugs, Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt shows up and takes Hawkman away.
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Sheldon Moldoff
Inks Sheldon Moldoff
Notes The Hawkman chapter was cut 2-3 pages from its original length and doesn't have a splash. Sheldon Moldoff said he purposely drew it that way, indicating he combined pages of Fox's script in order to shorten the chapter.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

6 page Sandman story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 2]"

Characters Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)
Synopsis Sandman is dumped out of his cage by the hawk who rescued him near a tree that grew money! Each $1 bill has a message on it to thugs connected with the Brain Wave, so he hides and awaits them. When they show, they read the bills, which tells them to take jewels from Riffanys. He follows them from the store and is able to whip them before a Policeman shows up to take them into custody AND the Thunderbolt arrives to whisk him away.
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox; Jack Kirby (partial re-write)
Pencils Jack Kirby
Inks Joe Simon
Notes Writer credit from Craig Delich (April 30, 2004). Re-writes confirmed by Jack Kirby.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

6 page Spectre, The story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 3]"

Characters Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)
Synopsis Brain Wave's thugs use a special gun that shoots indestructible spider webs at some guards protecting a safe in a person's home, which incapacitates them while they begin looting the safe. The Spectre arrives and takes on the crooks, but has a difficult time because of his size, so he rockets into outer space, finds a meteor and aims it toward the house where the crooks are looting the safe. It crashes and knocks the men out. As Spectre is setting off an alarm for the Police, the Thunderbolt arrives and takes him away to Johnny Thunder.
Genre superhero; occult
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Bernard Baily
Inks Bernard Baily
Letters Howard Ferguson
Notes Letterer credit by Craig Delich (Dec. 2005).
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

6 page Dr. Fate story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 4]"

Characters Dr. Fate; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)
Synopsis The Brain Wave's minions, headed by Lucky Luke, are posing as plumbers in order to get into a bank to loot it. Doctor Fate shows up in time to trail the thugs back to Lucky's apartment, and he uses a typewriter to type out some bad news to Lucky. Noting that he has one more job to do, and it's Friday the 13th, Lucky decides to go through with the job, and Fate puts a stop to the plot just as the Thunderbolt shows up.
Genre occult; superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Howard Sherman
Inks Howard Sherman
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

5 page Dr. Mid-Nite story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 5]"

Characters Dr. Mid-Nite; Brain Wave (cameo)
Synopsis A special newspaper is delivered to wealthy Augustus Flack....a paper that tells of "The Ace of Spades," and that those who refuse to pay up die. As he leafs through the paper, an ace of spades card falls out with a note on it, telling him where to take his blackmail money. Others also receive these threats. Dr. Mid-Nite arrives and discovers the address to which the men are asked to bring their money, so he heads over to see what he can do. The Wonder of the Witching Hours takes on the thugs, under cover of his blackout bomb, and convinces the men that they have gotten lead poisoning from handling the papers Brain Wave had printed. They head over to a doctor that Charles McNider has recommended, and the doctor gases them and calls the Police.
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Stan Aschmeier [as Stan Josephs] (signed)
Inks Stan Aschmeier [as Stan Josephs] (signed)
Notes This chapter was probably shortened by a page, as the panel showing the Thunderbolt coming to get Dr. Mid-Nite is missing.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

1 page Hop Harrigan text story "Water, Water Everywhere"

Characters Hop Harrigan; Tank Tinker
Genre aviation
Letters typeset

5 page Starman story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 6]"

Characters Starman [Ted Knight]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)
Synopsis Townspeople head over to Keller's Circus, which is putting on a free show for the people, a clever ruse by the Brain Wave, because it leaves the town deserted and wide open to be robbed blind while the people back at the circus have been gassed. Starman shows up and follows the crooks into town from the circus and takes them on until the Police arrive.....and the Thunderbolt shows up to whisk him away.
Genre superhero
Script Paul Reinman
Pencils Paul Reinman
Inks Sam Burlockoff
Notes Pencil & ink credits from Craig Delich (April 30, 2004). Ink credits confirmed by Sam Burlockoff. Pencil credits originally credited to: Ed Dobrotka. This chapter was shortened by a 1/3 of a page.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

5 page Atom story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 7]"

Characters Atom [Al Pratt]; Brain Wave (cameo); Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (cameo)
Synopsis The Atom witnessess many strange accidents and the victims just happened to be crooks of every description. He discovers that the Brain Wave has taught the men how to fake accidents in order to commit theft. The men, in spite of the Atom's attempts, escape from the hospital with a supply of radium and head for their hideout, followed by the Mighty Mite. He attacks the best he can until the Police arrive to arrest the thugs.....and the Thunderbolt appears to take him away.
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Joe Gallagher
Inks Joe Gallagher
Notes This chapter was probably shortened by one page.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

6 page Johnny Thunder story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [chapter 8]"

Characters Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt
Synopsis Johnny arrives at the Keystone Hotel, ready to take on the Brain Wave's thugs, but lands head first and is knocked out. Inside the hotel, a phony Senator Sebastin Graves overpowers the real Senator and talkes his place. Johnny attempts to intervene, but his small size presents a real challenge to him until he thinks to have the Thunderbolt make his full size again! Still, Johnny is captured....so he asks the Thunderbolt to get the rest of the JSA pronto!
Genre superhero;humor
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Stan Aschmeier
Inks Stan Aschmeier
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4

2 page Justice Society of America story "The Brain Wave Goes Berserk [conclusion]"

Characters Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Dr. Fate; Dr. Mid-Nite; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt; Starman [Ted Knight] (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA); Brain Wave (villain)
Synopsis The JSA saves Johnny and the Senator, then head over to the Brain Wave's tower at Sharktooth Bay. Brain Wave has wired explosives outside the tower to blow up the JSA as they arrive, but the Thunderbolt moves the explosives inside the tower and the Brain Wave accidently blows himself up!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Joe Gallagher
Inks Joe Gallagher
Notes Wonder Woman does not appear in the conclusion.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #4