| Issue | #25 |
| Published | Summer 1945 |
| Cover Price | 0.10 |
| Pages | 52 |
| Editing | Sheldon Mayer |
| Notes | This issue carries the All-American instead of DC bullet. Art cover credits from Craig Delich (April 30, 2004). Scripter Gardner Fox wrote this story originally featuring Spectre and Starman instead of the Flash and Green Lantern, but the DC-AA split forced the original characters [which were DC property] to be removed and replaced. Martin Naydel had to draw Flash and Green Lantern figures and paste them over the Spectre and Starman figures on this cover. All notes and synopses added by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006). |
| Characters | Flash [Jay Garrick]; Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Wonder Woman [Earth-2]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Dr. Mid-Nite (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA) |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash & Green Lantern figures) |
| Inks | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash & Green Lantern figures) |
| Notes | This issue carries the All-American instead of DC bullet. Art cover credits from Craig Delich (April 30, 2004). Scripter Gardner Fox wrote this story originally featuring Spectre and Starman instead of the Flash and Green Lantern, but the DC-AA split forced the original characters [which were DC property] to be removed and replaced. Martin Naydel had to draw Flash and Green Lantern figures and paste them over the Spectre and Starman figures on this cover. All notes and synopses added by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006). |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Flash [Jay Garrick]; Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Wonder Woman [Earth-2]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Dr. Mid-Nite (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA) |
| Synopsis | As the JSA members enter their HQ, they note the body of a man slumped on the floor, looking as if he'd been in an auto accident, mumbling that Rob Victor is innocent of the murder of Ted Kimball. Flash recalls that the murder of Kimball occurred twenty years earlier, having read about the mystery the night before. Hawkman questions the man as to how he knows this, but the man, obviously suffering from partial amnesia, can't. He states that the District Attorney mysteriously disappeared after the trial, but he has clues in his possession that may lead to his identity as well as possibly uncovering what had happened to the D.A., so the JSA decides to follow the clues to 1) discover who their visitor really is, and 2) see if they can prove Rob Victor innocent. Unknown to the JSA'ers, a mysterious figure is outside the window of their meeting room, and has sworn to get every member before they can learn the truth. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash & Green Lantern figures) |
| Inks | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash & Green Lantern figures) |
| Notes | Revised art credits [adding Naydel] by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006). |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Hawkman [Carter Hall] |
| Synopsis | In possession of a silver belt buckle as his only clue, the Feathered Fury drops in to visit Martini, a famous jeweler who may know something about this buckle. Martini is taken aback when he sees it and tells Hawkman that he may learn more about it from the person he sold it to: someone who lives at the old Kimball country home. As our hero leaves, Martini places a phone call to someone, warning them that Hawkman is on his way. When Hawkman enters the old house, he is immediately jumped by several men and knocked out. As he is being carried over to a chemical warehouse to be dropped through a skylight, he covers and rises up into the air, carrying several of the thugs with him. He drops them and heads down towards the remaining one, who is shooting at him. Disposing of him, the Feathered Fury "convinces" the men to tell him who hired them to knock him off, and they reply that it was 'Big Hunk.' After tying them securely, Hawkman re-enters the house and discovers an elderly lady there who claims to have witnessed the murder of Kimball by Victor. She was outside the room, heard the shot and entered, finding Rob Victor standing over the body of Tim Kimball with a smoking gun in his hand. She tells Hawkman that she had bought the buckle for Tim, and since then has stayed on to take care of the home, abandoned by the relatives, who inherited millions from the estate. Before Hawkman heads back to JSA HQ, she tells him that she doesn't know what happened to the District Attorney in the case, who mysteriously disappeared after the trial. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Joe Kubert [as Kubert] (signed) |
| Inks | Joe Kubert [as Kubert] (signed) |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Green Lantern [Alan Scott] |
| Synopsis | The Emerald Crusader's clue is a wallet with "From Boots to Doe" embossed on it. He drops in on a famous newspaper reporter who had covered the murder some twenty years before and shows him the wallet. He tells G.L. that the wallet was a birthday gift from Doris Black [the elderly lady in the Hawkman chapter] to Tim Kimball, but that he doesn't have a clue as to who "Boots" is unless it is Kimball. He mentions that Kimball and Victor had a quarrel on the night of the killing over Doris, and that was the motive for the crime in his opinion. But he tells Green Lantern that he'd feel better if the Emerald Gladiator would further discuss this with Doris herself. As G.L. is leaving the newspaperman's home, he is suddenly attacked by several men, but he quickly mops them up, leaving them in the possession of the reporter while he heads for the Kimball home to see Doris Black. Upon arrival, he shows her the wallet and she recounts what happened when she entered the room where the murder occurred. Rob Victor, still holding the gun, doesn't remember firing the shot, yet he feels the need to cover his tracks. As the stunned on-lookers watch, Victor drags the body of Kimball down to the docks, puts him on a speedboat, drenches it with gasoline, lights a fire and sets the boat adrift, fully engulfed in flames. Later, the charred remains wer recovered, Victor arrested and convicted and sentenced to life in prison, where he later died, according to her. Green Lantern then visits the warden at the prison to inquire about the death of Victor, but learns that he didn't die after all---but escaped after serving two years in prison! |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Stan Aschmeier; Martin Naydel (Green Lantern figures) |
| Inks | Stan Aschmeier; Martin Naydel (Green Lantern figures) |
| Notes | This chapter was originally written and illustrated featuring the Starman by Stan Aschmeier, so Martin Naydel had to draw G.L. figures and paste them over the Starman figures. |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Atom [Al Pratt] |
| Synopsis | The Atom's clue to follow-up is a scarf, so he heads for Bleak Point, where the Kimball's former butler, Jabez Smith, lives. As he nears the house, he is jumped by several men....but the Mighty Mite takes care of them all, while unknowingly being watched by a mysterious red-hooded figure. Atom reaches the house and shows the scarf to Smith, which he says was a gift by him to Tim Kimball. He further states that he is in possession of the murder weapon, brought to him by the D.A. after Victor had been convicted. He recollects over-hearing the District Attorney tell someone that the gun supposedly used by Victor was owned by Hengast Kimball, Tim's cousin, and a mystery he could never figure out was why the gun only had one bullet in it! But apparently the D.A. knew something that could acquit Rob Victor, but he disappeared mysteriously before that could happen, and the last place the D.A. was seen was at the Kimball house. As this discussion is on-going, the mysterious red-hooded figure reaches in through a window and grabs the murder weapon from a table, but the Atom sees this and dives out the window after him. Apparently knocking the figure out, the Mighty Mite bends over him, and the figure suddenly springs to life, clubing the Atom unconscious with the gun. Upon awakening, Jabez Smith is attending to him, telling him that he won't need the gun IF he can figure out why the one bullet meant so much to the D.A., and why the D.A. disappeared soon after. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Joe Gallagher |
| Inks | Joe Gallagher |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Dr. Mid-Nite [Charles McNider] |
| Synopsis | The Man of Night's clue is a gold watch. He figures that the one person who benefited most from Kimball's death was his cousin, Hengast Kimball, a millionaire oil man, so he decides to call on him. As he approaches Kimball's home, he spots the red-hooded figure standing outside a window and aiming a gun at Kimball. Blinding the figure with the gold watch case, Dr. Mid-Nite struggles with the red-hooded mystery man, but is knocked to the ground, and the figure escapes over a wall as several men enter the picture to apparently finish Mid-Nite off. Hengast Kimball intervenes and holds a gun on all concerned until he can tell Dr. Mid-Nite that the men are his bodyguards. Our hero then questions Kimball about the night of the murder and he states that he tried to cheer Rob Victor up and gave him glass after glass of champagne, making him quite tipsey. It was at that point that Rob said he was going to talk with Tim.....just as Hengast opened a table drawer with the gun in it, which Rob eyed strangely. In the moments following, a shot was heard and he entered the room to see Victor holding the smoking gun over Kimball's body, looking dazed. He also tells the Man of Night about being forced to watch Kimball's body being drug down to the docks, put aboard a boat doused in gasoline, set afire and adrift. Dr. Mid-Nite figures it is an open-and-shut case, now knowing that Rob Victor knew where the gun could be found, and heads back to JSA HQ. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Stan Aschmeier |
| Inks | Stan Aschmeier |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Genre | humor |
| Script | Ron Santi ? |
| Pencils | Ron Santi |
| Inks | Ron Santi |
| Notes | This filler does NOT appear in the Archives edition. |
| Characters | Buster Leeds (track coach); Roy Minters; Bill Brent |
| Synopsis | Roy Minters is discouraged that he hasn't been able to develop a proper "finishing kick" to be able to compete in the mile relay for his Porter College team. Coach Leeds was concerned as well, having run on the 1920 Olympic Track Team with Roy's father, and he also knew that the Dean of the college had told him that is Porter did not win the Tri-State Meet, he'd be through as coach! Dejectedly, Roy left the stadium, but was stopped by an old friend of his, Bill Brent, also a team member who was on his way to see the coach about not being qualified to run because of his grades. Roy agreed to help Bill with his grades IF he'd help him develop a finishing kick for the mile relay. As it tunns out, Bill passed his classes and became eligible, and Roy successfully ran the finishing leg of the mile relay, leading Porter College to the championship! |
| Genre | sports |
| Script | Jay Marr (signed) |
| Inks | ?/n/a |
| Letters | typeset |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Script | A. W. Nugent ? |
| Pencils | A. W. Nugent |
| Inks | A. W. Nugent |
| Notes | This feature does NOT appear in the Archives edition. |
| Characters | Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt |
| Synopsis | Johnny's clue to follow up is a tie clasp, and as he is getting off a streetcar, he is accosted by several toughs, taken to an abandoned house, tied up, encircled with gunpowder, and left with a candle burning down to that gunpowder. When he feels all hope is lost, the mysterious man in the red hood shows up, blows out the candle and unties master John. The two converse for a moment [and Johnny says the magic words and the Thunderbolt shows up, only to be shooed away], then leaves the house with the stranger, mentioning to him about Rob Victor being innocent, but nobody believing it. The red-hooded man positively states that Victor IS innocent, but he can't say more until he kills all of the Kimballs. Johnny suddenly realizes that he can't allow this to happen and begins chasing the strange fellow right to the Kimball house, where he pulls out the murder weapon and points it at the family. Johnny promptly calls for the Thunderbolt to go and get the rest of the JSA members. |
| Genre | superhero; humor |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Stan Aschmeier |
| Inks | Stan Aschmeier |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Dr. Mid-Nite; Flash [Jay Garrick]; Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA) |
| Synopsis | With his magical abilities, the Thunderbolt gathers up the startled members and brings them all to the Kimball home. Johnny begins to explain the situation, stating that the red-hooded figure says that the Kimball family was responsible for killing the District Attorney! The Atom chimes in with the fact that the murder weapon only had one bullet in it, but Dr. Mid-Nite can't see the relevance of that fact. The Flash asks Chairman Hawkman for an assignment, so the Feathered Fury tells him to go out and round up Big Hunk Adams, the gang czar whose men have been attempting to thwart the JSA's investigation into this case. After he leaves, the Hawkman tells the others that all the witnesses in the case will be brought together to settle the case once and for all, as well as identifying the mysterious red-hooded man. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash & Green Lantern figures) |
| Inks | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash & green Lantern figures) |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Flash [Jay Garrick] |
| Synopsis | Flash heads for a gambling place known to be owned by Hunk Adams, and enters the scene, informing all concerned that he plans to transport them all to another location. They naturally balk at the idea, so the Scarlet Speedster slams them around, and finally chases Adams down. He persuades Big Hunk to tell him why he and his gang were interfering with the JSA's investigation, and he tells Flash that Hengast Kimball came to see him and paid Adams to stop the JSA----one way or another! Flash asks Adams if his boys could identify Hengast as the man who bribed them, and he said that they could. Flash tells the boys that they are going with him....and has to do a bit more "convincing" before they agree to come along peacefully. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash figures) |
| Inks | Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Flash figures) |
| Notes | This chapter was originally written and drawn featuring the Spectre, so Martin Naydel had to draw Flash figures and paste them over the Spectre's. |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Hawkman; Johnny Thunder; Wildcat; Mr. Terrific; Flash; Wonder Woman; Dr. Mid-Nite; Green Lantern; Johnny Thunder; Atom |
| Synopsis | The page tells readers how to join the JJSA, shows the new membership certificate and the new cloth emblem, plus providing a coupon that can be sent in with 15 cents to join the JJSA. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | various |
| Inks | various |
| Letters | ?; some typeset |
| Notes | Sequence and all info added by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006). |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |
| Characters | Flash [Jay Garrick]; Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Dr. Mid-Nite; Atom [Al Pratt] (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA) |
| Synopsis | Flash returns to the Kimball house and informs Hawkman that Big Hunk and his boys were locked up, having confessed that Hengast Kimball hired them to keep the JSA out of the case. Hawkman reviews the information about the case as he knows it before the now-assembled group, which stuns Hengast, especially when he finds out that the JSA knows about the single bullet. Hawkman knows why this fact was important, because Hengast knew the gun was now empty when Rob Victor held it on all concerned, ushering them out onto the lawn as he drug the body of Tim Kimball down to the speedboat that night. That meant Hengast wanted Tim dead, so he could inherit the millions left behind as a part of the estate. With that out in the open, Hengast makes a dash for the door, but is stopped short by Dr. Mid-Nite. Hawkman turns to the red-hooded man and tells him that the time has come to unmask, which he does, revealing Rob Victor! Victor states that he did not kimm Kimball....but, at first, because of the liquor he was being fed, he wasn't really sure until several years after the murder, and he escaped from prison, but was regarded as dead by the warden. He wandered the streets of New York, bitter at the thought that the girl he loved thought he was a murderer, and now dead. It was then that he saw a man crossing the street and get hit by a car, then watch the man wander off and enter the JSA meeting room, overhearing the original conversation with them. It was then and there that he discovered that the Kimball family had framed him and he was going to get even with them. When Flash mentions that nothing was said that proved his innocence, Victor tells them he saw Tim Kimball alive, and directs their attention to the man who originally came to the JSA in a daze from the accident with the clues for them to follow up. Immediately, Doris and the others recognize the man to be Tim Kimball, who tells them that it was Hengast who shot him, then thrust the gun into Rob Victor's hand as people came into the room. He had been planning all along to clear Victor when a freak lightning bolt struck a tree, which fell on him, causing amnesia. The family now agrees to salvage what is left of their lives and thank the Justice Society for their efforts.....to which Hawkman replied, "This may seem ironical, but -- forget it!" |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Gardner Fox |
| Pencils | Martin Naydel (pages W & X)(Flash & Green Lantern figures on pages Y & Z); Joe Gallagher (pages Y & Z) |
| Inks | Martin Naydel (pages W & X)(Flash & Green Lantern figures on pages Y & Z); Joe Gallagher (pages Y & Z) |
| Notes | Wonder Woman does not appear in the conclusion. |
| Reprinted | in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #6 |