Allan's Golden Age JSA Timeline
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This is going to be a real treat for everyone. Allan is a reader I've talked to quite a bit, he's a regular commenter and he also often shares his own ideas for about the timeline. This sort of hobby can get really personal, so there's not much point in us ARGUING about it... it's just two folks that love comic continuity sharing ideas.
Well, He sent me his JSA timeline, and it is GREAT. It's much more focused than the DCCP, with no real attempt to move the characters forward into the modern continuity, and I am immediately looking to steal ideas from him. He gave me his permission to share this here, and now you all get to enjoy it too! |
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1939
Haunted by nightmares of one of his business partners selling secrets to Russian spies and that technology leading to Stalinist atrocities, Wesley Dodds grabs an experimental gas mask and gas gun and assumes the identity of the Sandman to thwart the exchange at the 1939 World Fair before it can occur. He adopts the nom de guerre Sandman, tying up the ne'er-do-wells and leaving them with a poem folded into origami for the authorities to find.
Chemistry student Darrel Dane discovers a compound that when ingested allows him to shrink to the size of a doll and possess the strength of twenty men. He learns that his faculty advisor's daughter, Martha Roberts, is being blackmailed with compromising photos and so he uses his new powers and identity as Doll Man to destroy the photos and fighten off the scoundrel.
1940
Archaeologists Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders uncover the Nth metal armory of Eqyptian monarchs Khufu and Chay-Ara. Upon first touching the artifacts, memories of their past lives as these monarchs flood through their minds. When they present the pieces at a New York exhibit, they are attacked by the sorceror Anton Hastor who is a reincarnation of their ancient foe Hath-Set. Dressed in their ancient Thanagarian wing harnesses they assume the roles of Hawkman and Hawkgirl to attack Anton Hastor in his home and burn his estate to the ground, destroying the aperati of Hath-Set.
Corrupt Cliffland, NJ detective is gunned down by rival gangsters. He is given a second chance at life to atone for criminal deeds as the host of God's wrath as the Spectre. He strips the flesh of the gangsters who shot him and turned them into living skeletons. He then restores their flesh and they turn themselves in and confess to all of their crimes.
Rex Tyler discovers a compound that will give him amazing abilities for a one hour duration. He decides to use his discovery to fight crime as Hourman, foiling a robbery and letting the most repentant robber go under promise to give up a life of crime.
Amateur occultist Inza Cramer, inspired by learning that her cousin Shiera is reincarnated Egyptian royalty, summons the Tower of Fate to Salem, MA. The secrets of summoning the Tower were provided by the wizard Wotan, who wanted to use Inza as a trojan horse to attack Nabu. Inza distracts Wotan during the battle, allowing Dr Fate to banish Wotan. Kent Nelson takes Inza Cramer in as an apprentice sorceror and eventual love interest.
Nazi fifth columnists gather a mass of forgotten men outside of Everytown, OK and try to enlist them to take part in a revolt against the United States. Despite his unfortunate circumstances Sam Smith will betray his country of his countrymen and is not shy in saying so. He is beaten and left for dead outside of the forgotten man encampment. Sam's son Buddy sneaks out to check on him and sees him being confronted by the spirit of Uncle Sam himself. Sam Smith becomes a host to Uncle Sam's spirit and is able attack the Nazi ringleaders and inspire other forgotten men to strike back against the Nazis. Together the patriot's find that President Roosevelt himself had been kidnapped at they are able to save the president and perhaps the country.
Journalist Langford Terrill joins the first flight of an experimental airship, which subsequently explodes leaving him the only survivor. Not only did he survive, but he is transformed into a being of pure light energy. He discovers that the airship did not explode due to some design flaw, but was as a result of Japanese sabotage. He captures the saboteurs and abandons his old life to fight evil full time as the Ray.
Per Degaton travels from the future to capture the eight heroes in order to stop the founders of the Justice Society before the Justice Society can ever begin. They band together to beat him, sabotage his time machine and send him lost through time unable to navigate his way back. Dr Fate and Hourman develop a good rapport. The heroes decide to continue working together as the Justice Society and elect Hawkman as their chairman.
1941
Emporer Rilsom of the Kranaltine dies, putting the fate of twenty-four planets in question. Queen Clryssa noticed a coup forming around her idiot wastrel brother Gavyn to use him as a figurehead for their power grab. To save the empire, she exiles her brother to a the primitive Kranaltine-like planet of Earth. Prince Gavyn ship crashes in Gotham City and he is found by a group of evil scientists calling themselves the Brotherhood of the Electron. They repurpose technology from Gavyn's ship to hold Gotham City hostage and Prince Gavyn realizes that his sister was right and he is gullible enough to grant power to bad men who flatter him. Prince Gavyn uses his gravity rod to stop the Brotherhood of the Electron and continues to defend Gotham City as Starman.
Uncle Sam discovers an army of ant-sized Japanese soldiers armed with disintegrator rays attacking US cities, factories and military facilities. The mastermind behind this assault is Professor Sakagima, the same man whose sabotage of an experimental airship killed many and created The Ray. Uncle Sam and The Ray recruit shrinking expert and fellow hero Darrel Dane, the Doll Man, to assist them. The Ray captures the tiny soldiers by laying down strips of flypaper near their targets at the speed of light. Upon seeing Uncle Sam make short work of his normal sized guards and proving to be immune to his disintegration beams, Professor Sakagima uses his shrinking technology on himself to escape. Doll Man impales Professor Sakagima with a pencil and feeds him to a cat. Doll Man then confiscates the Professor Sakagima's shrinking technology in order to study it and see if he con improve his own shrinking formula.
Roy Licoln Jr works with his father on a new experimental explosive compound. Nazis learn of this compound and raid their laboratory in order to gain this compound for themselves. After seeing his father shot dead, Roy drinks the compound to stop it from falling into Nazi hands. Instead of blowing him up, the compound gives Roy the bizarre ability to explode any object he comes into physical contact with. With this new power he is able to defeat his father's killers.
Patrick O'Brien is part of a gang trying to rob the Crawford Chemical Works of Mammoth City, NJ. He is exposed to a deadly toxic acid during the heist and abandoned by his gang. When he awakens he finds his body is especially pliable and malleable. He sees this as an opportunity to live a life of lawfulness instead of lawlessness and captures his old gang turns them over to the FBI. The FBI gives him and his friend, Woozy Winks, immunity from prosecution of past transgressions and recruit them as special agents.
Dr Fate is alerted to the activation of the Medusa Mask in nearby Boston, MA home of the Hourman. Together they team up to stop the crime spree of the Psycho-Pirate, who is using the powers of the Medusa Mask to control others to steal for him. Others including Rex Tyler's girlfriend Wendy Harris. Rex Tyler convinces Kent Nelson to spend more time outside of Fate's tower and to learn more about the humanity that he was raised to defend. Inza Cramer and Wendy Harris become fast friends.
Reporter Jonathan Chambers of Sees All Tells All News covers an exhibit of several artifacts relating to Pharaoh Teth-Adam of Khandaq. One of these artifacts is a scroll containing an invocation of to the ancient god Horus. When the Carnival of Crime tries to rob the exhibit, Jonathan reads the prayer to Horus as a last ditch effort to avoid dying. Incredibly he is gifted the abilities of speed and flight, which he uses to stop the criminals. He continues to use his abilities to fight crime as Johnny Quick.
1942
Socialite Diane Belmont notices a doll sized figure stealing objects while visiting one of her wealthy friends and she relays this story to her long time boyfriend Wesley Dodds, the Sandman. Sandman calls his doll sized colleague Darrel Dane, the Doll Man. They confront Dr Josephus Doombie and are exposed to his shrinking gas. Sandman and Diane are disoriented by their new size, but Doll Man is unphased and is able to overpower the sinful scientist. Through studying Doombie and Sakagima's shrinking technologies, Doll Man is able to synthesize a new shrinking formula that doesn't require him to ingest it as often and gives him greater control of his size alteration ability through concentration. He loses the super-strength aspect, but he thinks it is a fair trade-off.
Solomon Grundy arises from his slumber in Slaughter Swamp and leads a string of thefts and murders through Gotham. Starman finds that Solomon Grundy is immune to his gravity rod and barely escapes his first encounter with the giant zombie. Starman tracks Solomon Grundy and his gang to a railway yard and Starman is able to anger Solomon Grundy into attacking him, while using his gravity rod on himself to avoid the behemoth's blows and luring Grundy into the path of an oncoming train. Grundy falls from the train outside of Boston, MA in the waste run-off of Tyler Chemicals. Dr Fate is drawn to the mystic disturbance caused by Solomon Grundy becoming super-charged by the radioactive chemical concentrate. Solomon Grundy's strength surpasses Hourman's and he proves impervious to Dr Fate's magic, so easily dispatches the two heroes. Solomon Grundy flies back to Gotham to capture Starman and bury him in Slaughter Swamp to turn him into a zombie like himself. Dr Fate is unable to track Solomon Grundy, since the zombie has grown more immune to his magics. Hourman suggests that Dr Fate try to track the chemicals that are covering the zombie but haven't been absorbed by it yet. Hourman is able to make short work of Grundy's gang and Dr Fate is able tio distract Grundy by creating illusions of Starman. Dr Fate rescues Starman and uses his magic to reverse the zombification process. Dr Fate and Starman are able to combine their sorcery and super-science to construct a bubble capable of containing Grundy and they fling him to the moon. Dr Fate expresses concerns that all the time he's spent on Earth pursuing frivolity has weakened his magic and is making him a less competent mystic defender. Hourman vows to try to come up with a more responsible way of dealing with his companies hazardous waste. Starman begins to learn everything he can about the history of Slaughter Swamp.
Ted Grant is force to drop out of medical school due to dire family financial hardship and try to make money boxing. Ted Grant is framed for murder by the sponsors of a rival boxer. Ted Grant despairs at how the entire system is controlled by the corrupt and uncaring and people like him don't have any hope. The police car carrying Ted is forced off the road and into a gorge by the same outfit that framed him. Ted Grant survives the crash and considers going on the lam, but he sees Starman flying through the sky above him and he decides to take matters into his own hands. He sews his own Wildcat costume and is able to investigate the murderers and force a confession, clearing his name but keeping his double identity secret.
Isaac Bowen beats the devil Neron is a fiddling contest and so Neron grants Isaac a magic violin capable of hypnotizing people, destroying objects and creating force fields. Isaac takes his new violin and terrorizes Philadelphia, PA as the Fiddler. It takes the combined forces of the Human Bomb, the Ray and Johnny Quick to stop him.
In Cliffland, NJ there's a rash of gangsters and thse close to them being turned to gold and the Spectre being blamed for it. Jim Corrigan knows that turning criminals to gold is something that he would do, but he wouldn't turn people to gold just for being near a criminal. He investigates a the crime scene and absentmindedly chews some gum he finds there. He starts turning to gold himself, but is able to will himself back to an unliving approximation of a man. He's able to track the gum back to Gustav Gilroy, a scientist sick of paying protection to the mob. The Spectre is not here to judge him for his actions against the criminals, but for the innocents caught as collateral. Gustav Gilroy, fearing what form the Spectre's judgment would take, eats his own gum and turns himself to gold to avoid it.
Adrenaline junky and automobile enthusiast Cliff Steele is recruited by a gang to help loot the workshop of famed inventor Robert Crane. Unfortunately for them, Robert Crane happens to enter the workshop while they are ransacking his inventions. One of the hotheads makes to kill Dr Crane but Cliff intervenes, Crane's life and getting shot in the process. The gang makes a run for it as Cliff lay dying and Crane tries to save him. Robert Crane does save Cliff, in a fashion. Cliff Steele's brain has been transferred into a robot body. Cliff is able to turn his former gangmates into the police and continues to fight crime as the Robotman.
The Mad Poet is able to hijack one of FDR's fireside chats and share his mad poetry with the nation. All who hear his poetry are themselves overtaken by madness and behave aggressively towards their fellow citizens. Uncle Sam is able to capture the poet, but is unable to bring the poet's victims back to reason. Buddy Smith is able to cipher out a counter incantation that undoes the effects of the mad poetry in those who hear it. The Mad Poet is locked in a room with a parrot that repeats his poetry back to himself, driving him to suicide.
1943
Plastic Man and the Ray fight Dracula and his nest of vampires. Plastic Man is almost turned but the Ray expels all particles of light from his body, losing his own molecular cohesion, thereby sacrificing his life to kill Dracula and all of his vampires.
Inza Cramer visits an art exhibition at Carter and Shiera's museum showcasing the moving painting of Loo Tung. Inza and the other museum patrons are drawn into the painting and menaced by the monsters depicted within it. Dr Fate and Hawkgirl both dive into the painting to save Inza. Wotan then he reveals himself to Hawkman as the man who arranged for the painting to be shown as a trap for Dr Fate. In the fight with Wotan, Hawkman and notices that damage done to the painting doesn't affect the people trapped within it. Hawkman then pleads with Wotan to be careful with the painting as he couldn't bear to see anything happen to Hawkgirl. Wotan takes the bait and destroys the painting, releasing the people trapped within it. Dr Fate then uses his magic to banish Wotan was again.
Rex Tyler dies of a heart attack due to overdosing on Miraclo pills.
The Black Legion, a nazi biker gang, menace Everytown, OK. Uncle Sam rallies the locals and Wildcat enlist non-nazi bikers to stop the Black Legion. After the nazi threat is ended Uncle Sam gives a speech to the squares of Everytown not to be so harsh on people who fall outside of their standards because that only drives people farther outside of society, and Wildcat gives a speech to the rebel bikers that just because something is rejected by society doesn't mean that it's fun or worthwhile. The next day the squares of Everytown behave a little more provocatively and the visiting rebels behave a little more respectfully.
Susan Linden-Thorne escapes from her abusive husband, Carl Thorne of Gotham's influential political Thorne family. She runs to her old school chum, Dr Philip Sylvain, who is studying the strange flora of Slaughter Swamp. Unfortunately, the damage from the long-term abuse is too expansive for her to survive long. Dr Sylvain uses research to create plant-based clones of her, complete with her memories. Only one of the clones made it to maturity, with superhuman abilities and a hatred of Carl Thorne. After getting her revenge on him and leaving a flower on his corpse, she continues to punish abusers of women as the Black Orchid.
1944
Jim Corrigan hasn't visited his girlfriend Clarice Winston since he died, not even to explain why he couldn't see her anymore. He ghosted her, somewhat justifiably since he is now something of a ghost. Clarice is elated that Jim Corrigan ahs come back into her life, the only problem being that it isn't Jim Corrigan but the evil magician Zachary Zor assuming Jim Corrigan's form. Zor is abusing Clarice's love for Corrigan by forcing to steal from her family fortune and commit other unseemly acts, and using her love connection to Jim to siphon off some of the Spectre's power. Black Orchid confronts the Spectre, but she is no match for the ghostly guardian. When the real Jim Corrigan learns of this he immediately seeks to expose the charlatan, but is no match for Zor using his own powers against him. The Spectre and Black Orchid reconvene, and she tells him of an Albanian tree called ectobane, that has antimagic properties that could possibly nullify Zor's power. The Spectre stops a mugging and turns the mugger and taps Black Orchid's mind so he can turn the mugger into an ectobane tree. He then cuts down the tree while the mugger screams and makes it into a chest. Black Orchid lures Zor into a trap by assuming the form of Clarice Winston and Corrigan is able to grab Zor by surprise and lock him in a trunk. The Spectre and Black Orchid explain the situation to Clarice and Jim even shows her the bullet wounds that haven't healed. He apologizes for everything that's happened and tells her to go on living. Black Orchid takes the chest and buries deep in Slaughter Swamp.
The Human Bomb stops Mr Chameleon, who has invented an invisibility and uses it to steal back his research from a company that he was fired from. The Human Bomb laments that the military could have used someone of Mr Chameleon's talents, if only his bitterness and selfishness hadn't so twisted him.
Plastic Man is investigating the source of a new crime wave of crooks using advanced technology to pull of their capers and Starman is investigating several new appearances of alien comforts and weaponry. Of course it's the same source, a spiderlike alien that the criminal underworld is calling Hairy Arms. Starman recognizes him as an Arachnian from the Spider Imperium. Hairy Arms and Starman have a tense stand-off using the alien the armory, but Plastic Man is able to sneak up on the Arachnian and capture it. Starman could make a deal with the creature to leave Earth and return to the stars, but he loves the people of Earth too much to allow them to be subjugated by Arachnians or the criminal underworld. Seeing that the march of progress is inevitable, Plastic Man and Starman agree to deliver the alien technology to Dr Robert Crane, who can study and replicate it and dispense for the betterment of mankind.
Captain Nazi uses the Spear of Destiny to command an army Valkyries to attack the United States. All of America's heroes unite to fight off the magic army. The battle is decided by Captain Nazi and Uncle Sam growing to giant size and fighting for control of the Spear while towering over the nation's capitol. Uncle Sam breaks the Spear of Destiny and the mystic backlash banishes the Valkyries and turns Captain Nazi and Uncle Sam back into normal men. As a normal man, Sam Smith lay dying of the wounds he sustained when the spirit of Uncle Sam first joined with him. The Spectre flies to the Gates of Heaven and confronts God about how he could let Sam die. God questions the Spectre about why he so concerned with grace now when he has only ever chosen the path of vengeance before. God has given Corrigan power and Corrigan has always picked cruelty over kindness and the punishment of the wicked over the exaltation of the righteous. The Spectre returns to Earth to find Sam Smith recovering enough to hold his son and assure him that he will be be okay. FDR gives the Sam Smith the medal of freedom and makes him the director of the new government agency the Bureau of Oddities, an agency dedicated to dealing with the growing superhuman situation.
Dr Fate takes the Spear of Destiny to the Tower of Fate for safekeeping. Kent Nelson tells Inza Cramer that Fate's time on Earth is ending and the Tower must return it's elsewhen beyond time and space. Kent knows how much she loves the wonders and won't begrudge her choosing to stay, but he really wants her to stay as a fellow defender of reality and as his wife. She packs her things to return to Earth, and as she stands in the doorway between the Tower of Fate and Salem, MA for the last time, she closes the door and chooses to stay with Kent as the Tower fades away from Earth.
Starman confronts Hawkman and Hawkgirl about being the vanguard of a Thanagarin invasion and Carter and Shiera learn just what's become of Thanagar in the thousands of years since Khufu and Chay-Ara died.
1945
Jim Corrigan sees Clarice Winston with a new fella and he's overwhelmed by happy is he is for her happiness. He visits the three criminals who killed him in jail and he tells them that how they succeeded and how he became the Spectre. One of the crooks asks if he's come to finish the job and he says he's come to forgive them. One of the criminals changes his ways and lives the rest of his life on the path of righteousness. One of the criminals kills himself that evening. The last criminal is unrepentant and unchanged until his dying day. Jim Corrigan flies to the Gates of Heaven and tells his God that he's ready for his judgment, he cannot continue fighting as the Spectre. God lets him through the Gates to enjoy his eternal reward, rejoicing that Jim has finally learned to go his hatred. It will be many decades before the Spectre finds another earthly host.
Nightmares drive Wesley Dodds to investigate a new circus outside of town. His investigation leads to him to discover that this circus is a new front for the Carnival of Crime. Before he can decide how to proceed he overhears a man's screams and prevents him from being killed by a woman. The man runs away and the woman turns into the Black Orchid. Sandman is no match for the Black Orchid. He asks her as he tries to avoid the worst of her blows if she's here to stop the Carnival of Crime from committing more robberies as well. Black Orchid is saddened that Sandman cares more about the prospect of millionaires losing some money than he is by the continuous sexual assault of women at the circus. When Dodds tells Diane Belmont about his night, she slaps him and agrees with Black Orchid. She tells him he has no idea it how hard it is for women to admit, let alone report, when men interfere with them. And she agrees that if he thinks that robbery is worse than rape then he's no hero and he's not the man she thought he was. Dodds' dreams are haunted by even more twisted images of the Carnival of Crime than before as well as twisted images of black orchids growing out of the bodies of the people surrounding, telling him he can never be sure who's a rapist and who's been raped. Sandman foils the robbery and leaves his origami poem on the sleeping robbers, since that's the crime he knows how to foil. He returns to the circus and discovers a row of men's bodies with black orchids placed on top of them.
Wildcat, Hawkman and Hawkgirl collaborate to catch Jim Craddock, the Gentlemen Ghost. After they capture him and his gang they expose all the tricks he used to make people think he's an actual haunt. When the police arrive, Craddock's gang is still tied up but the Gentlemen Ghost himself is nowhere to be seen.
1946
Sam Smith goes to Slaughter Swamp to recruit Black Orchid. He tells her that he has reason to believe that socialite Deborah Winters is being influenced by the malevolent mastermind known only as the Ultra-Humanite. He knows that Black Orchid has an interest in protecting women and Deborah Winters is influential enough that she wouldn't just be saving a women, she'd be saving her country. Black Orchid wants to know the real reason that Sam Smith is asking her to do it. He tells her that he's heard all sorts of rumors about Ultra-Humanite creating new diseases and housing Hitler's brain in South America, but every time he's tried to investigate it gets blocked in Washington, and every time he investigates why it turns out that Deborah Winters has been using her influence to block it. He's looked into Deborah Winters' past and her use of her influence this way, as well as other business decisions she's made, are incompatible with her previous behavior. That's why he thinks that the Ultra-Humanite must have some kind of hold on her and that's why he thinks that Black Orchid's and America's interests are aligned. Black Orchid agrees to help Deborah, but isn't heard from again for weeks. Sam takes his suspicions to the Justice Society and tells them that he thinks Black Orchid might be in danger. The Justice Society arrive at Ultra-Humanite's secret base in force and discover the terrible truth, that Ultra-Humanite has placed his brain in Deborah Winters body. That he was performing experiments on Black Orchid's body to see if it would be a suitable for Hitler's brain and that neither Black Orchid nor Hitler survived the surgery. That the Ultra-Humanite is indeed creating a new disease to finally annihilate the untermensch. Robotman seems to be seduced by Ultra-Humanite's offer to give him back a human body, but it's a trick to turn the tables on the sinister scientist. There is an epic struggle between the Justice Society and the Ultra-Humanite's forces. Sandman and Starman lose their lives. The Human Bomb determines that the only way to stop the plague is by generating an explosion so powerful that not even he could survive it. Only Doll Man, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Johnny Quick, Plastic Man, Robotman and Wildcat survive.
Diane Belmont begins to memorialize Wesley Dodds by publishing hagiographies of his adventures as Sandman, and eventually the adventures of his fellow heroes as well.
Doll Man, shaken by this experience and with a new appreciation for his civilian life, proposes to Martha Roberts and wishes to marry her sooner rather than later. She agrees to this and even agrees to a double wedding with Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders, but stands firm on having it be a traditional American wedding. No Egyptian nonsense and no Thanagarian nonsense. Shiera laments that her cousin can't attend, but Inza Cramer's astral spirit is in attendance.
Someone's been parroting Johnny Quick's appearance and powers to commit robberies in Philadelphia, PA. Johnny Quick learns it's not a parrot, but it is a bird. Professor Bird has used his study into electromagnetism to copy Johnny Quick's aura and is stealing things at the behest of mobsters who have kidnapped his family and is threatening them if he doesn't comply. Johnny Quick is far less averse to violence than Professor Bird, so he saves the professor's family and returns the stolen goods. Reunited with his family, Professor Bird abandons his research and accepts a position at Midwestern University in Keystone, KS.
Dr Robert Crane is murdered by William Ipes Zard and his cronies. The thugs loot his house and laboratory and W.I. Zard is interested in Crane's videography technology. Robbie the Robot Dog runs away and alerts Robotman. W.I. Zard is able to combine Dr Crane's video equipment with his own dark sorcery to make it possible for him to control actions of people who have been recorded, stealing their souls. Robotman and Robbie are able to stop the Wizard and save his victim's souls. Robotman decides to destroy all of Dr Crane's work, excepting himself and Robbie, because he doesn't trust anyone else to continue it and he fears it falling into the wrong hands.
1947
The time-traveling villain Per Degaton tries to take over the world with an army of dinosaurs and future technology. His plans foiled by the Justice Society, he decides to go back in time to 1940 and capture the original members of the Justice Society before they can even meet and thereby ensure that no one can stop him in 1947. This is of course what causes the original members of the Justice Society to meet and forms the team to begin with.
Wildcat investigates the death of a private detective who was investigating steel magnate Charles Dickles. Charles Dickles is about to be awarded a special commendation from the White House in recognition for aiding the war effort. Wildcat continues the investigation and learns that not only was Dickles deliberately supplying the US war effort with inferior steel in order to assist the Axis, but that he isn't even Charles Dickles at all. Charles Dickles is in fact immortal caveman Vandal Savage. Vandal Savage wanted to end the world's foolish fascination with democracy, where the mediocre and weak constrain the strong, and return the world to an age where superior men could enjoy their rightful place. Even though this new age of industry has ushered in so-called advances that increase the fecundity of the weak, it also eases the role of conquest. Savage does not have to make war to rule nations, he only has to spend money. The capitalist and the industrialist are so respected that no one would believe Wildcat if he told them. Wildcat's got his evidence, but Vandal has convinced him not to try taking him to the authorities. Wildcat takes justice into his own claws and tosses him into ravine and triggers an avalanche. He presents his information to Sam Smith, just in case Vandal Savage survives.
1948
The melancholic Mr Morbid invents a perfume that makes people so sad they can be talked into anything before they kill themselves. Plastic Man avoids the effects of the perfume by stretching his neck far enough away from Mr Morbid while the rest of his body wipes the floor with him.
1949
Evil optician Jonathan Cheval invents an array of of high-tech advanced monocles as to use as weaponry against those who have wronged him. At first it is believed that he is another crime-fighting vigilante, but his targets turn to from major to minor to perceived slights and Hawkman & Hawkgirl have to stop him.
Wildcat realizes he's been punching above his weight class for seven years and thinks that it's time to throw in the towel. Diane Belmont urges Ted to give up the costume, but not the fight. Wildcat holds a press conference where he publicly unmasks himself as Ted Grant and lives the rest of his life as an advocate against government corruption and for the rights of veterans and the mentally or physically disabled.
1950
A number of local businesses have been robbed and vandalized by the diabolical Dr Thirteen and his superstition based crimes. Doll Man finds Dr Thirteen and his hideout on the 13th floor of the HA Jinx Building and discovers that Dr Thirteen was hired by a consortium of business owners to help them commit insurance fraud.
The Baffler uses his robotic Black Knight to battle Johnny Quick and Robotman while he gets away with his robberies. They're able to beat the Black Knight, but not without Robotman suffering critical injuries. Robbie the Robot Dog talks Johhny Quick through the process of using the Black Knight's components to repair Robotman, but when it it comes to the crucial power components the only available undamaged components exist only inside Robbie himself. Robbie tells Johnny Quick what he has to do, and he's only going to have one chance to explain it because after Johnny disengages Robbie's heart he won;t be able to talk him through the rest in real time. Johnny is able to save Robotman's life, and to together they able to catch the Baffler and avenge Robbie the Robot Dog.
1951
Anton Hastor begins to open a portal so that Set can enter our dimension, after which he will conquer all planets starting with Earth. Hawkman and Hawkgirl try to stop him, as Khufu and Chay-Ara stopped Hath-Set millennia ago. They are at first stymied in their efforts by Jim Craddock, but he eventually switches sides when he learns what Set will do the Earth. Jim Craddock may hate Hawkman and Hawkgirl, but he doesn't hate all life. The portal is closed before Set can enter our world. Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Anton Hastor are finally taken to their final rewards. Jim Craddock is stuck in limbo until the modern day, when he helps guide Katar Hol back to land of the living and is able to continue his criminal pursuits as an actual ghost.
1952
Plastic Man is horribly injured in an explosion and has to be hospitalized. Given his increasingly inhuman physiology, the doctors aren;t even sure that efforts aren't doing more harm then good. Ted Grant comes in as a consultant, since he has experience as a medic and a superhero. Woozy Winks decides he has to take down the criminals responsible himself. It turns out it was part of a plan by twin criminal illusionists Abba and Dabba. Plastic Man finally recovers from his injuries and tells Woozy that he always knew that Woozy was a great agent and he could never dream of a better partner.
1953
Darrel Dane has been experiencing greater and greater mental problems when in a shrunken state, partly as a result of his post-traumatic stress from his shrunken adventures and partly as a result from the physiological strain the shrinking is having on his body. He retires from super-heroing to focus on academia full-time. He gets a professorship at Ivy University and publishes papers on topics such as forensic science and quantum compression.
Robotman is buried in a rockslide orchestrated by mob boss Louis Lashky. He lays there for decades until his body is found by Chief Niles Caulder and is recruited into the Doom Patrol.
President Eisenhower dissolves the Bureau of Oddities.
1954
Evil archaeologist Theo Adam discovers the amulet of Teth-Adam. Seeking Teth-Adam's power he places it around his neck as is possessed by the ancient ruler. Teth-Adam adopts the modern name Black Adam and goes about reconquering the areas around him in order to rebuild mighty Khandaq. Johnny Quick uses his incredible speed and flight to snatch the amulet from Black Adam's neck, turning him back into Theo Adam. Horus, one of Teth-Adam's patron dieties, strips Johnny Quick of his powers in retaliation. Jonathan Chambers starts a self-help media empire called Quickstart, whose core mission is to help people unlock their inner potential. It is also a Horus cult.
1955
Plastic Man foils the industrial espionage attempts of fellow shapeshifter, the Fiend of 1000 Faces.
1956
Woozy Winks is injured on the job and Plastic Man urges him to retire. Woozy refuses to abandon Plastic Man in the field alone. Plastic Man notices how much Woozy has aged in the last fifteen years. How much everyone has aged. How much evryone except him have aged. Plastic Man realizes that he may never age. He quits the FBI, allowing Woozy to also quit with honor. Plastic Man spends the ensuing decades traveling the world, enjoying hedonistic delights and fighting the occasional the crime, until he eventually fathers a son.
Haunted by nightmares of one of his business partners selling secrets to Russian spies and that technology leading to Stalinist atrocities, Wesley Dodds grabs an experimental gas mask and gas gun and assumes the identity of the Sandman to thwart the exchange at the 1939 World Fair before it can occur. He adopts the nom de guerre Sandman, tying up the ne'er-do-wells and leaving them with a poem folded into origami for the authorities to find.
Chemistry student Darrel Dane discovers a compound that when ingested allows him to shrink to the size of a doll and possess the strength of twenty men. He learns that his faculty advisor's daughter, Martha Roberts, is being blackmailed with compromising photos and so he uses his new powers and identity as Doll Man to destroy the photos and fighten off the scoundrel.
1940
Archaeologists Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders uncover the Nth metal armory of Eqyptian monarchs Khufu and Chay-Ara. Upon first touching the artifacts, memories of their past lives as these monarchs flood through their minds. When they present the pieces at a New York exhibit, they are attacked by the sorceror Anton Hastor who is a reincarnation of their ancient foe Hath-Set. Dressed in their ancient Thanagarian wing harnesses they assume the roles of Hawkman and Hawkgirl to attack Anton Hastor in his home and burn his estate to the ground, destroying the aperati of Hath-Set.
Corrupt Cliffland, NJ detective is gunned down by rival gangsters. He is given a second chance at life to atone for criminal deeds as the host of God's wrath as the Spectre. He strips the flesh of the gangsters who shot him and turned them into living skeletons. He then restores their flesh and they turn themselves in and confess to all of their crimes.
Rex Tyler discovers a compound that will give him amazing abilities for a one hour duration. He decides to use his discovery to fight crime as Hourman, foiling a robbery and letting the most repentant robber go under promise to give up a life of crime.
Amateur occultist Inza Cramer, inspired by learning that her cousin Shiera is reincarnated Egyptian royalty, summons the Tower of Fate to Salem, MA. The secrets of summoning the Tower were provided by the wizard Wotan, who wanted to use Inza as a trojan horse to attack Nabu. Inza distracts Wotan during the battle, allowing Dr Fate to banish Wotan. Kent Nelson takes Inza Cramer in as an apprentice sorceror and eventual love interest.
Nazi fifth columnists gather a mass of forgotten men outside of Everytown, OK and try to enlist them to take part in a revolt against the United States. Despite his unfortunate circumstances Sam Smith will betray his country of his countrymen and is not shy in saying so. He is beaten and left for dead outside of the forgotten man encampment. Sam's son Buddy sneaks out to check on him and sees him being confronted by the spirit of Uncle Sam himself. Sam Smith becomes a host to Uncle Sam's spirit and is able attack the Nazi ringleaders and inspire other forgotten men to strike back against the Nazis. Together the patriot's find that President Roosevelt himself had been kidnapped at they are able to save the president and perhaps the country.
Journalist Langford Terrill joins the first flight of an experimental airship, which subsequently explodes leaving him the only survivor. Not only did he survive, but he is transformed into a being of pure light energy. He discovers that the airship did not explode due to some design flaw, but was as a result of Japanese sabotage. He captures the saboteurs and abandons his old life to fight evil full time as the Ray.
Per Degaton travels from the future to capture the eight heroes in order to stop the founders of the Justice Society before the Justice Society can ever begin. They band together to beat him, sabotage his time machine and send him lost through time unable to navigate his way back. Dr Fate and Hourman develop a good rapport. The heroes decide to continue working together as the Justice Society and elect Hawkman as their chairman.
1941
Emporer Rilsom of the Kranaltine dies, putting the fate of twenty-four planets in question. Queen Clryssa noticed a coup forming around her idiot wastrel brother Gavyn to use him as a figurehead for their power grab. To save the empire, she exiles her brother to a the primitive Kranaltine-like planet of Earth. Prince Gavyn ship crashes in Gotham City and he is found by a group of evil scientists calling themselves the Brotherhood of the Electron. They repurpose technology from Gavyn's ship to hold Gotham City hostage and Prince Gavyn realizes that his sister was right and he is gullible enough to grant power to bad men who flatter him. Prince Gavyn uses his gravity rod to stop the Brotherhood of the Electron and continues to defend Gotham City as Starman.
Uncle Sam discovers an army of ant-sized Japanese soldiers armed with disintegrator rays attacking US cities, factories and military facilities. The mastermind behind this assault is Professor Sakagima, the same man whose sabotage of an experimental airship killed many and created The Ray. Uncle Sam and The Ray recruit shrinking expert and fellow hero Darrel Dane, the Doll Man, to assist them. The Ray captures the tiny soldiers by laying down strips of flypaper near their targets at the speed of light. Upon seeing Uncle Sam make short work of his normal sized guards and proving to be immune to his disintegration beams, Professor Sakagima uses his shrinking technology on himself to escape. Doll Man impales Professor Sakagima with a pencil and feeds him to a cat. Doll Man then confiscates the Professor Sakagima's shrinking technology in order to study it and see if he con improve his own shrinking formula.
Roy Licoln Jr works with his father on a new experimental explosive compound. Nazis learn of this compound and raid their laboratory in order to gain this compound for themselves. After seeing his father shot dead, Roy drinks the compound to stop it from falling into Nazi hands. Instead of blowing him up, the compound gives Roy the bizarre ability to explode any object he comes into physical contact with. With this new power he is able to defeat his father's killers.
Patrick O'Brien is part of a gang trying to rob the Crawford Chemical Works of Mammoth City, NJ. He is exposed to a deadly toxic acid during the heist and abandoned by his gang. When he awakens he finds his body is especially pliable and malleable. He sees this as an opportunity to live a life of lawfulness instead of lawlessness and captures his old gang turns them over to the FBI. The FBI gives him and his friend, Woozy Winks, immunity from prosecution of past transgressions and recruit them as special agents.
Dr Fate is alerted to the activation of the Medusa Mask in nearby Boston, MA home of the Hourman. Together they team up to stop the crime spree of the Psycho-Pirate, who is using the powers of the Medusa Mask to control others to steal for him. Others including Rex Tyler's girlfriend Wendy Harris. Rex Tyler convinces Kent Nelson to spend more time outside of Fate's tower and to learn more about the humanity that he was raised to defend. Inza Cramer and Wendy Harris become fast friends.
Reporter Jonathan Chambers of Sees All Tells All News covers an exhibit of several artifacts relating to Pharaoh Teth-Adam of Khandaq. One of these artifacts is a scroll containing an invocation of to the ancient god Horus. When the Carnival of Crime tries to rob the exhibit, Jonathan reads the prayer to Horus as a last ditch effort to avoid dying. Incredibly he is gifted the abilities of speed and flight, which he uses to stop the criminals. He continues to use his abilities to fight crime as Johnny Quick.
1942
Socialite Diane Belmont notices a doll sized figure stealing objects while visiting one of her wealthy friends and she relays this story to her long time boyfriend Wesley Dodds, the Sandman. Sandman calls his doll sized colleague Darrel Dane, the Doll Man. They confront Dr Josephus Doombie and are exposed to his shrinking gas. Sandman and Diane are disoriented by their new size, but Doll Man is unphased and is able to overpower the sinful scientist. Through studying Doombie and Sakagima's shrinking technologies, Doll Man is able to synthesize a new shrinking formula that doesn't require him to ingest it as often and gives him greater control of his size alteration ability through concentration. He loses the super-strength aspect, but he thinks it is a fair trade-off.
Solomon Grundy arises from his slumber in Slaughter Swamp and leads a string of thefts and murders through Gotham. Starman finds that Solomon Grundy is immune to his gravity rod and barely escapes his first encounter with the giant zombie. Starman tracks Solomon Grundy and his gang to a railway yard and Starman is able to anger Solomon Grundy into attacking him, while using his gravity rod on himself to avoid the behemoth's blows and luring Grundy into the path of an oncoming train. Grundy falls from the train outside of Boston, MA in the waste run-off of Tyler Chemicals. Dr Fate is drawn to the mystic disturbance caused by Solomon Grundy becoming super-charged by the radioactive chemical concentrate. Solomon Grundy's strength surpasses Hourman's and he proves impervious to Dr Fate's magic, so easily dispatches the two heroes. Solomon Grundy flies back to Gotham to capture Starman and bury him in Slaughter Swamp to turn him into a zombie like himself. Dr Fate is unable to track Solomon Grundy, since the zombie has grown more immune to his magics. Hourman suggests that Dr Fate try to track the chemicals that are covering the zombie but haven't been absorbed by it yet. Hourman is able to make short work of Grundy's gang and Dr Fate is able tio distract Grundy by creating illusions of Starman. Dr Fate rescues Starman and uses his magic to reverse the zombification process. Dr Fate and Starman are able to combine their sorcery and super-science to construct a bubble capable of containing Grundy and they fling him to the moon. Dr Fate expresses concerns that all the time he's spent on Earth pursuing frivolity has weakened his magic and is making him a less competent mystic defender. Hourman vows to try to come up with a more responsible way of dealing with his companies hazardous waste. Starman begins to learn everything he can about the history of Slaughter Swamp.
Ted Grant is force to drop out of medical school due to dire family financial hardship and try to make money boxing. Ted Grant is framed for murder by the sponsors of a rival boxer. Ted Grant despairs at how the entire system is controlled by the corrupt and uncaring and people like him don't have any hope. The police car carrying Ted is forced off the road and into a gorge by the same outfit that framed him. Ted Grant survives the crash and considers going on the lam, but he sees Starman flying through the sky above him and he decides to take matters into his own hands. He sews his own Wildcat costume and is able to investigate the murderers and force a confession, clearing his name but keeping his double identity secret.
Isaac Bowen beats the devil Neron is a fiddling contest and so Neron grants Isaac a magic violin capable of hypnotizing people, destroying objects and creating force fields. Isaac takes his new violin and terrorizes Philadelphia, PA as the Fiddler. It takes the combined forces of the Human Bomb, the Ray and Johnny Quick to stop him.
In Cliffland, NJ there's a rash of gangsters and thse close to them being turned to gold and the Spectre being blamed for it. Jim Corrigan knows that turning criminals to gold is something that he would do, but he wouldn't turn people to gold just for being near a criminal. He investigates a the crime scene and absentmindedly chews some gum he finds there. He starts turning to gold himself, but is able to will himself back to an unliving approximation of a man. He's able to track the gum back to Gustav Gilroy, a scientist sick of paying protection to the mob. The Spectre is not here to judge him for his actions against the criminals, but for the innocents caught as collateral. Gustav Gilroy, fearing what form the Spectre's judgment would take, eats his own gum and turns himself to gold to avoid it.
Adrenaline junky and automobile enthusiast Cliff Steele is recruited by a gang to help loot the workshop of famed inventor Robert Crane. Unfortunately for them, Robert Crane happens to enter the workshop while they are ransacking his inventions. One of the hotheads makes to kill Dr Crane but Cliff intervenes, Crane's life and getting shot in the process. The gang makes a run for it as Cliff lay dying and Crane tries to save him. Robert Crane does save Cliff, in a fashion. Cliff Steele's brain has been transferred into a robot body. Cliff is able to turn his former gangmates into the police and continues to fight crime as the Robotman.
The Mad Poet is able to hijack one of FDR's fireside chats and share his mad poetry with the nation. All who hear his poetry are themselves overtaken by madness and behave aggressively towards their fellow citizens. Uncle Sam is able to capture the poet, but is unable to bring the poet's victims back to reason. Buddy Smith is able to cipher out a counter incantation that undoes the effects of the mad poetry in those who hear it. The Mad Poet is locked in a room with a parrot that repeats his poetry back to himself, driving him to suicide.
1943
Plastic Man and the Ray fight Dracula and his nest of vampires. Plastic Man is almost turned but the Ray expels all particles of light from his body, losing his own molecular cohesion, thereby sacrificing his life to kill Dracula and all of his vampires.
Inza Cramer visits an art exhibition at Carter and Shiera's museum showcasing the moving painting of Loo Tung. Inza and the other museum patrons are drawn into the painting and menaced by the monsters depicted within it. Dr Fate and Hawkgirl both dive into the painting to save Inza. Wotan then he reveals himself to Hawkman as the man who arranged for the painting to be shown as a trap for Dr Fate. In the fight with Wotan, Hawkman and notices that damage done to the painting doesn't affect the people trapped within it. Hawkman then pleads with Wotan to be careful with the painting as he couldn't bear to see anything happen to Hawkgirl. Wotan takes the bait and destroys the painting, releasing the people trapped within it. Dr Fate then uses his magic to banish Wotan was again.
Rex Tyler dies of a heart attack due to overdosing on Miraclo pills.
The Black Legion, a nazi biker gang, menace Everytown, OK. Uncle Sam rallies the locals and Wildcat enlist non-nazi bikers to stop the Black Legion. After the nazi threat is ended Uncle Sam gives a speech to the squares of Everytown not to be so harsh on people who fall outside of their standards because that only drives people farther outside of society, and Wildcat gives a speech to the rebel bikers that just because something is rejected by society doesn't mean that it's fun or worthwhile. The next day the squares of Everytown behave a little more provocatively and the visiting rebels behave a little more respectfully.
Susan Linden-Thorne escapes from her abusive husband, Carl Thorne of Gotham's influential political Thorne family. She runs to her old school chum, Dr Philip Sylvain, who is studying the strange flora of Slaughter Swamp. Unfortunately, the damage from the long-term abuse is too expansive for her to survive long. Dr Sylvain uses research to create plant-based clones of her, complete with her memories. Only one of the clones made it to maturity, with superhuman abilities and a hatred of Carl Thorne. After getting her revenge on him and leaving a flower on his corpse, she continues to punish abusers of women as the Black Orchid.
1944
Jim Corrigan hasn't visited his girlfriend Clarice Winston since he died, not even to explain why he couldn't see her anymore. He ghosted her, somewhat justifiably since he is now something of a ghost. Clarice is elated that Jim Corrigan ahs come back into her life, the only problem being that it isn't Jim Corrigan but the evil magician Zachary Zor assuming Jim Corrigan's form. Zor is abusing Clarice's love for Corrigan by forcing to steal from her family fortune and commit other unseemly acts, and using her love connection to Jim to siphon off some of the Spectre's power. Black Orchid confronts the Spectre, but she is no match for the ghostly guardian. When the real Jim Corrigan learns of this he immediately seeks to expose the charlatan, but is no match for Zor using his own powers against him. The Spectre and Black Orchid reconvene, and she tells him of an Albanian tree called ectobane, that has antimagic properties that could possibly nullify Zor's power. The Spectre stops a mugging and turns the mugger and taps Black Orchid's mind so he can turn the mugger into an ectobane tree. He then cuts down the tree while the mugger screams and makes it into a chest. Black Orchid lures Zor into a trap by assuming the form of Clarice Winston and Corrigan is able to grab Zor by surprise and lock him in a trunk. The Spectre and Black Orchid explain the situation to Clarice and Jim even shows her the bullet wounds that haven't healed. He apologizes for everything that's happened and tells her to go on living. Black Orchid takes the chest and buries deep in Slaughter Swamp.
The Human Bomb stops Mr Chameleon, who has invented an invisibility and uses it to steal back his research from a company that he was fired from. The Human Bomb laments that the military could have used someone of Mr Chameleon's talents, if only his bitterness and selfishness hadn't so twisted him.
Plastic Man is investigating the source of a new crime wave of crooks using advanced technology to pull of their capers and Starman is investigating several new appearances of alien comforts and weaponry. Of course it's the same source, a spiderlike alien that the criminal underworld is calling Hairy Arms. Starman recognizes him as an Arachnian from the Spider Imperium. Hairy Arms and Starman have a tense stand-off using the alien the armory, but Plastic Man is able to sneak up on the Arachnian and capture it. Starman could make a deal with the creature to leave Earth and return to the stars, but he loves the people of Earth too much to allow them to be subjugated by Arachnians or the criminal underworld. Seeing that the march of progress is inevitable, Plastic Man and Starman agree to deliver the alien technology to Dr Robert Crane, who can study and replicate it and dispense for the betterment of mankind.
Captain Nazi uses the Spear of Destiny to command an army Valkyries to attack the United States. All of America's heroes unite to fight off the magic army. The battle is decided by Captain Nazi and Uncle Sam growing to giant size and fighting for control of the Spear while towering over the nation's capitol. Uncle Sam breaks the Spear of Destiny and the mystic backlash banishes the Valkyries and turns Captain Nazi and Uncle Sam back into normal men. As a normal man, Sam Smith lay dying of the wounds he sustained when the spirit of Uncle Sam first joined with him. The Spectre flies to the Gates of Heaven and confronts God about how he could let Sam die. God questions the Spectre about why he so concerned with grace now when he has only ever chosen the path of vengeance before. God has given Corrigan power and Corrigan has always picked cruelty over kindness and the punishment of the wicked over the exaltation of the righteous. The Spectre returns to Earth to find Sam Smith recovering enough to hold his son and assure him that he will be be okay. FDR gives the Sam Smith the medal of freedom and makes him the director of the new government agency the Bureau of Oddities, an agency dedicated to dealing with the growing superhuman situation.
Dr Fate takes the Spear of Destiny to the Tower of Fate for safekeeping. Kent Nelson tells Inza Cramer that Fate's time on Earth is ending and the Tower must return it's elsewhen beyond time and space. Kent knows how much she loves the wonders and won't begrudge her choosing to stay, but he really wants her to stay as a fellow defender of reality and as his wife. She packs her things to return to Earth, and as she stands in the doorway between the Tower of Fate and Salem, MA for the last time, she closes the door and chooses to stay with Kent as the Tower fades away from Earth.
Starman confronts Hawkman and Hawkgirl about being the vanguard of a Thanagarin invasion and Carter and Shiera learn just what's become of Thanagar in the thousands of years since Khufu and Chay-Ara died.
1945
Jim Corrigan sees Clarice Winston with a new fella and he's overwhelmed by happy is he is for her happiness. He visits the three criminals who killed him in jail and he tells them that how they succeeded and how he became the Spectre. One of the crooks asks if he's come to finish the job and he says he's come to forgive them. One of the criminals changes his ways and lives the rest of his life on the path of righteousness. One of the criminals kills himself that evening. The last criminal is unrepentant and unchanged until his dying day. Jim Corrigan flies to the Gates of Heaven and tells his God that he's ready for his judgment, he cannot continue fighting as the Spectre. God lets him through the Gates to enjoy his eternal reward, rejoicing that Jim has finally learned to go his hatred. It will be many decades before the Spectre finds another earthly host.
Nightmares drive Wesley Dodds to investigate a new circus outside of town. His investigation leads to him to discover that this circus is a new front for the Carnival of Crime. Before he can decide how to proceed he overhears a man's screams and prevents him from being killed by a woman. The man runs away and the woman turns into the Black Orchid. Sandman is no match for the Black Orchid. He asks her as he tries to avoid the worst of her blows if she's here to stop the Carnival of Crime from committing more robberies as well. Black Orchid is saddened that Sandman cares more about the prospect of millionaires losing some money than he is by the continuous sexual assault of women at the circus. When Dodds tells Diane Belmont about his night, she slaps him and agrees with Black Orchid. She tells him he has no idea it how hard it is for women to admit, let alone report, when men interfere with them. And she agrees that if he thinks that robbery is worse than rape then he's no hero and he's not the man she thought he was. Dodds' dreams are haunted by even more twisted images of the Carnival of Crime than before as well as twisted images of black orchids growing out of the bodies of the people surrounding, telling him he can never be sure who's a rapist and who's been raped. Sandman foils the robbery and leaves his origami poem on the sleeping robbers, since that's the crime he knows how to foil. He returns to the circus and discovers a row of men's bodies with black orchids placed on top of them.
Wildcat, Hawkman and Hawkgirl collaborate to catch Jim Craddock, the Gentlemen Ghost. After they capture him and his gang they expose all the tricks he used to make people think he's an actual haunt. When the police arrive, Craddock's gang is still tied up but the Gentlemen Ghost himself is nowhere to be seen.
1946
Sam Smith goes to Slaughter Swamp to recruit Black Orchid. He tells her that he has reason to believe that socialite Deborah Winters is being influenced by the malevolent mastermind known only as the Ultra-Humanite. He knows that Black Orchid has an interest in protecting women and Deborah Winters is influential enough that she wouldn't just be saving a women, she'd be saving her country. Black Orchid wants to know the real reason that Sam Smith is asking her to do it. He tells her that he's heard all sorts of rumors about Ultra-Humanite creating new diseases and housing Hitler's brain in South America, but every time he's tried to investigate it gets blocked in Washington, and every time he investigates why it turns out that Deborah Winters has been using her influence to block it. He's looked into Deborah Winters' past and her use of her influence this way, as well as other business decisions she's made, are incompatible with her previous behavior. That's why he thinks that the Ultra-Humanite must have some kind of hold on her and that's why he thinks that Black Orchid's and America's interests are aligned. Black Orchid agrees to help Deborah, but isn't heard from again for weeks. Sam takes his suspicions to the Justice Society and tells them that he thinks Black Orchid might be in danger. The Justice Society arrive at Ultra-Humanite's secret base in force and discover the terrible truth, that Ultra-Humanite has placed his brain in Deborah Winters body. That he was performing experiments on Black Orchid's body to see if it would be a suitable for Hitler's brain and that neither Black Orchid nor Hitler survived the surgery. That the Ultra-Humanite is indeed creating a new disease to finally annihilate the untermensch. Robotman seems to be seduced by Ultra-Humanite's offer to give him back a human body, but it's a trick to turn the tables on the sinister scientist. There is an epic struggle between the Justice Society and the Ultra-Humanite's forces. Sandman and Starman lose their lives. The Human Bomb determines that the only way to stop the plague is by generating an explosion so powerful that not even he could survive it. Only Doll Man, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Johnny Quick, Plastic Man, Robotman and Wildcat survive.
Diane Belmont begins to memorialize Wesley Dodds by publishing hagiographies of his adventures as Sandman, and eventually the adventures of his fellow heroes as well.
Doll Man, shaken by this experience and with a new appreciation for his civilian life, proposes to Martha Roberts and wishes to marry her sooner rather than later. She agrees to this and even agrees to a double wedding with Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders, but stands firm on having it be a traditional American wedding. No Egyptian nonsense and no Thanagarian nonsense. Shiera laments that her cousin can't attend, but Inza Cramer's astral spirit is in attendance.
Someone's been parroting Johnny Quick's appearance and powers to commit robberies in Philadelphia, PA. Johnny Quick learns it's not a parrot, but it is a bird. Professor Bird has used his study into electromagnetism to copy Johnny Quick's aura and is stealing things at the behest of mobsters who have kidnapped his family and is threatening them if he doesn't comply. Johnny Quick is far less averse to violence than Professor Bird, so he saves the professor's family and returns the stolen goods. Reunited with his family, Professor Bird abandons his research and accepts a position at Midwestern University in Keystone, KS.
Dr Robert Crane is murdered by William Ipes Zard and his cronies. The thugs loot his house and laboratory and W.I. Zard is interested in Crane's videography technology. Robbie the Robot Dog runs away and alerts Robotman. W.I. Zard is able to combine Dr Crane's video equipment with his own dark sorcery to make it possible for him to control actions of people who have been recorded, stealing their souls. Robotman and Robbie are able to stop the Wizard and save his victim's souls. Robotman decides to destroy all of Dr Crane's work, excepting himself and Robbie, because he doesn't trust anyone else to continue it and he fears it falling into the wrong hands.
1947
The time-traveling villain Per Degaton tries to take over the world with an army of dinosaurs and future technology. His plans foiled by the Justice Society, he decides to go back in time to 1940 and capture the original members of the Justice Society before they can even meet and thereby ensure that no one can stop him in 1947. This is of course what causes the original members of the Justice Society to meet and forms the team to begin with.
Wildcat investigates the death of a private detective who was investigating steel magnate Charles Dickles. Charles Dickles is about to be awarded a special commendation from the White House in recognition for aiding the war effort. Wildcat continues the investigation and learns that not only was Dickles deliberately supplying the US war effort with inferior steel in order to assist the Axis, but that he isn't even Charles Dickles at all. Charles Dickles is in fact immortal caveman Vandal Savage. Vandal Savage wanted to end the world's foolish fascination with democracy, where the mediocre and weak constrain the strong, and return the world to an age where superior men could enjoy their rightful place. Even though this new age of industry has ushered in so-called advances that increase the fecundity of the weak, it also eases the role of conquest. Savage does not have to make war to rule nations, he only has to spend money. The capitalist and the industrialist are so respected that no one would believe Wildcat if he told them. Wildcat's got his evidence, but Vandal has convinced him not to try taking him to the authorities. Wildcat takes justice into his own claws and tosses him into ravine and triggers an avalanche. He presents his information to Sam Smith, just in case Vandal Savage survives.
1948
The melancholic Mr Morbid invents a perfume that makes people so sad they can be talked into anything before they kill themselves. Plastic Man avoids the effects of the perfume by stretching his neck far enough away from Mr Morbid while the rest of his body wipes the floor with him.
1949
Evil optician Jonathan Cheval invents an array of of high-tech advanced monocles as to use as weaponry against those who have wronged him. At first it is believed that he is another crime-fighting vigilante, but his targets turn to from major to minor to perceived slights and Hawkman & Hawkgirl have to stop him.
Wildcat realizes he's been punching above his weight class for seven years and thinks that it's time to throw in the towel. Diane Belmont urges Ted to give up the costume, but not the fight. Wildcat holds a press conference where he publicly unmasks himself as Ted Grant and lives the rest of his life as an advocate against government corruption and for the rights of veterans and the mentally or physically disabled.
1950
A number of local businesses have been robbed and vandalized by the diabolical Dr Thirteen and his superstition based crimes. Doll Man finds Dr Thirteen and his hideout on the 13th floor of the HA Jinx Building and discovers that Dr Thirteen was hired by a consortium of business owners to help them commit insurance fraud.
The Baffler uses his robotic Black Knight to battle Johnny Quick and Robotman while he gets away with his robberies. They're able to beat the Black Knight, but not without Robotman suffering critical injuries. Robbie the Robot Dog talks Johhny Quick through the process of using the Black Knight's components to repair Robotman, but when it it comes to the crucial power components the only available undamaged components exist only inside Robbie himself. Robbie tells Johnny Quick what he has to do, and he's only going to have one chance to explain it because after Johnny disengages Robbie's heart he won;t be able to talk him through the rest in real time. Johnny is able to save Robotman's life, and to together they able to catch the Baffler and avenge Robbie the Robot Dog.
1951
Anton Hastor begins to open a portal so that Set can enter our dimension, after which he will conquer all planets starting with Earth. Hawkman and Hawkgirl try to stop him, as Khufu and Chay-Ara stopped Hath-Set millennia ago. They are at first stymied in their efforts by Jim Craddock, but he eventually switches sides when he learns what Set will do the Earth. Jim Craddock may hate Hawkman and Hawkgirl, but he doesn't hate all life. The portal is closed before Set can enter our world. Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Anton Hastor are finally taken to their final rewards. Jim Craddock is stuck in limbo until the modern day, when he helps guide Katar Hol back to land of the living and is able to continue his criminal pursuits as an actual ghost.
1952
Plastic Man is horribly injured in an explosion and has to be hospitalized. Given his increasingly inhuman physiology, the doctors aren;t even sure that efforts aren't doing more harm then good. Ted Grant comes in as a consultant, since he has experience as a medic and a superhero. Woozy Winks decides he has to take down the criminals responsible himself. It turns out it was part of a plan by twin criminal illusionists Abba and Dabba. Plastic Man finally recovers from his injuries and tells Woozy that he always knew that Woozy was a great agent and he could never dream of a better partner.
1953
Darrel Dane has been experiencing greater and greater mental problems when in a shrunken state, partly as a result of his post-traumatic stress from his shrunken adventures and partly as a result from the physiological strain the shrinking is having on his body. He retires from super-heroing to focus on academia full-time. He gets a professorship at Ivy University and publishes papers on topics such as forensic science and quantum compression.
Robotman is buried in a rockslide orchestrated by mob boss Louis Lashky. He lays there for decades until his body is found by Chief Niles Caulder and is recruited into the Doom Patrol.
President Eisenhower dissolves the Bureau of Oddities.
1954
Evil archaeologist Theo Adam discovers the amulet of Teth-Adam. Seeking Teth-Adam's power he places it around his neck as is possessed by the ancient ruler. Teth-Adam adopts the modern name Black Adam and goes about reconquering the areas around him in order to rebuild mighty Khandaq. Johnny Quick uses his incredible speed and flight to snatch the amulet from Black Adam's neck, turning him back into Theo Adam. Horus, one of Teth-Adam's patron dieties, strips Johnny Quick of his powers in retaliation. Jonathan Chambers starts a self-help media empire called Quickstart, whose core mission is to help people unlock their inner potential. It is also a Horus cult.
1955
Plastic Man foils the industrial espionage attempts of fellow shapeshifter, the Fiend of 1000 Faces.
1956
Woozy Winks is injured on the job and Plastic Man urges him to retire. Woozy refuses to abandon Plastic Man in the field alone. Plastic Man notices how much Woozy has aged in the last fifteen years. How much everyone has aged. How much evryone except him have aged. Plastic Man realizes that he may never age. He quits the FBI, allowing Woozy to also quit with honor. Plastic Man spends the ensuing decades traveling the world, enjoying hedonistic delights and fighting the occasional the crime, until he eventually fathers a son.