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

Issue Details

Issue #30
Published August-September 1946
Cover Price 0.10
Pages 52
Editing Sheldon Mayer
Notes Scripter Gardner Fox reports writing this story [after he had written All-Star #23's and All-Star #22's stories] for issue #24, but the story was bumped so that the story, "This is Our Enemy," could be published in a timely manner. This story was originally written and illustrated featuring Starman and Spectre, but because of the AA-DC split, those heroes could not appear, thus requiring artist Martin Naydel to replace the Starman figures and Spectre figures with Green Lantern and the Flash. The cover to this issue is entirely brand new, never having featured Starman and Spectre. The figure on the cover of Wonder Woman appears to be a tracing or photostat of Harry G. Peter's artwork. All notes and synopses added by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006).

Cover Details - "Dreams of Madness!"

Characters Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Flash [Jay Garrick]; Dr. Mid-Nite; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Wonder Woman [Earth-2] (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA)
Genre superhero
Pencils Martin Naydel (signed)
Inks Martin Naydel (signed)
Notes Scripter Gardner Fox reports writing this story [after he had written All-Star #23's and All-Star #22's stories] for issue #24, but the story was bumped so that the story, "This is Our Enemy," could be published in a timely manner. This story was originally written and illustrated featuring Starman and Spectre, but because of the AA-DC split, those heroes could not appear, thus requiring artist Martin Naydel to replace the Starman figures and Spectre figures with Green Lantern and the Flash. The cover to this issue is entirely brand new, never having featured Starman and Spectre. The figure on the cover of Wonder Woman appears to be a tracing or photostat of Harry G. Peter's artwork. All notes and synopses added by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006).
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

3 page Justice Society of America story "The Dreams of Madness [introduction]"

Characters Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Flash [Jay Garrick]; Dr. Mid-Nite; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Wonder Woman [Earth-2] (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA); Brain Wave (villain)
Synopsis At the regular meeting of the JSA, Chairman Hawkman brings a newspaper ad to the attention of the members from a Forest Malone, who wants them to participate in a never before done experiment for the good of humanity. The members then head over to Malone's laboratory, where he shows the members his "dream recorder," a machine that will allow one not only to graph the electrical emantions from a person's thoughts as they dream, but to also translate those thoughts into pictures! Malone states that by knowing the pattern of people's dreams, he may be able to help mankind by being able to double a person's thinking ability. The members agree to be the guinea pigs, lie down on tables, and fall asleep as whirling discs vibrate above them. Then Malone sheds his disguise and reveals himself as the Brain Wave, bragging that the machine is really a "dream inducer," which he plans to use on the members to drive them totally insane.
Genre superhero
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (figures of Flash & Green Lantern)
Inks Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (figures of Flash & Green Lantern)
Notes Although Wonder Woman accepts "Forest Malone's" challenge, she doesn't appear after page two of the introduction.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

6 page Hawkman story "The Dreams of Madness [chapter 1]"

Characters Hawkman [Carter Hall]
Synopsis As the Feathered Fury sinks into slumberland, a voice tells him that he is standing among gigantic iceboxes and refrigerators, and he sees queer people that have ice cubes for heads. Hawkman is invited by these beings to come into the icebox with them, and immediately notices an elevator inside, which is used by one of the beings to turn off the light when the icebox door is closed. The being then tells Hawkman that a war is raging outside the icebox: the fire people versus the cold creatures, but it's the birds he pities most. Hawkman decides to try and help the birds and tries to get out the door....but his flying disturbs the wind currents inside and causes an avalanche of ice, which pushes him out the door, and into the presence of birds with soda straws around their necks! When he asks them why, he is told it prevents them from rubber-necking and getting into trouble. Just then, the fire and ice people show up to engage in battle and Hawkman is ready to try and break it up when a giant head, named Boreas [also called the Wind], blows on the Feathered Fury with hurricane-force wind. As he is being blown about, literally freezing to death, the fire people ignite flames and the ice people advance toward them, and Hawkman divess down, suddenly getting hot. Then he gets cold again by the wind and ice people, then hot again....so much so, he loses his senses and believes himself to be a thermometer!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Joe Kubert (signed)
Inks Joe Kubert (signed)
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

1 page Fat and Slat filler "Those Blokes with Jokes"

Characters Fat and Slat
Genre gag
Script Ed Wheelan
Pencils Ed Wheelan
Inks Ed Wheelan
Notes This filler does NOT appear in the Archives.

5 page Dr. Mid-Nite story "The Dreams of Madness [chapter 2]"

Characters Dr. Mid-Nite [Dr. Charles McNider]
Synopsis Dr, Mid-Nite finds himself in a world where germs are the lords of creation and finds himself facing that which doctors fear most: plague! He sees giant living germs tying a man down, and decides to free him. Having done so, the man and the Man of Night escape, followed by the giant germs who carry flyswatters to do them in. The man he has saved finds a hidden passage back to his friends, where they are warmly greeted, and Dr. Mid-Nite is told that these people often dream that in another world, they are the lords of creation. Dr. Mid-Nite begins to think maybe his former life was a dream, but to make sure, he goes out and mixes some anti-toxins to use on the grm people. IF they die, then he knows that this is only a dream. He uses the mixture, but it has no effect on the creatures, but he vows to fight on, even trying to use his blackout bomb, which fails to work. Brought down by superior numbers, Dr. Mid-Nite suddenly sees one of the germ people infected with a plague, no doubt brought on by his presence, drop dead. He creis for this death and then reasons his touch means death to these creatures, and he is nothing more than a living sickness!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Stan Aschmeier
Inks Stan Aschmeier
Notes This chapter shows the only time a JSA member actually cried.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

5 page Green Lantern story "The Dreams of Madness [chapter 3]"

Characters Green Lantern [Alan Scott]
Synopsis The sputtering of a 4th of July sparkler arouses the interest of not only Green Lantern, but astronomers as well in this dream world, who seem to think that the sparks are actually new stars being born. The Emerald Crusader tells them so, but they think he is mad. So he borrows the sparkler from the youth holding it and tells the astronomers that if his power ring can extinguish the sparks, they'll know for sure they are not stars. Suddenly, G. L. finds himself floating upwards uncontrollably....then he sees some crooks trying to steal the sparkler, so he attempts to move downward to help out. However, he finds himself unable to do so....then he sees an elevator, and asks the operator to go down...but he won't. He then rmembers the power ring and if the ring will take him up, it will also take him down....and down to earth he crashes, then bounces up and hits a ceiling and goes through it. There he discovers the crooks and knocks them up into the air. Wanting to follow them up, Green Lantern now discovers the power ring will not allow him to. Then he notices a young boy getting ready to shoot off a rocket, so he decides to hitch a ride on it. Suddenly the man on the Moon helps him aboard and off they go until G.L. spots three balloons, which he believes to be the criminals in disguise he's after. Forgetting who he really is, he spots the astronomers below watching him [holding the three balloons by strings], and he suddenly feels that he is the Sun and the three balloons are his little planets!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Stan Aschmeier; Martin Naydel (Green Lantern figures)
Inks Stan Aschmeier; Martin Naydel (Green Lantern figures)
Notes This chapter was originally drawn and illustrated by Stan Aschmeier featuring Starman, so Martin Naydel drew figures of Green Lantern and pasted them over the Starman figures.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

5 page Flash story "The Dreams of Madness [chapter 4]"

Characters Flash [Jay Garrick]
Synopsis The Crimson Speedster finds himself plunged into a dream world of funny animals who talk and act as if they are human. When Flash tells them that, in his world, only humans speak and birds and animals don't, the animals try to prove humans don;y talk. They find one pulling a cart with a donkey in it and they ask him if he can speak....he says that he can, but only the Flash can hear him talk....not the animals! A chicken comess along and wants to know if the Flash will be his pet, showing him a tiny human in a cage "singing." He then goes on to meet other human pets....and swears to the animals that he won;t allow that to continue. The animals decide to have a race: the Flash against a frog, and if Flash wins, then all humans will be released. The race begins, but a series of calamities befall the Scarlet Speedster, and he loses the race. But the animals love him for all the laughter he has given them....and the Flash loses it, believing himself to be just that: a laughing stick!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Martin Naydel [as Mn] (signed)
Inks Martin Naydel [as Mn] (signed)
Notes This chapter originally featured the Spectre. However, the editors decided to scrap the original art and have Martin Naydel completely re-draw it featuring the Flash.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

5 page Atom story "The Dreams of Madness [chapter 5]"

Characters Atom [Al Pratt]
Synopsis The Atom awakens to a metallic world where the beings have umbrellas for arms and clocks for heads. Just then, an alarm goes off as rain begins to fall, and the beings put up their umbrellas and head for cover, feating being rusted to death. When the Mighty Mite attempts to go indoors as well, the creatures throw him out, as he is dripping wet and might rust them. Just then, Atom sees large crooks heading into a bank, and he attempts to combat them. But he finds out that the rain is shrinking his size, gets knocked about by particles of dust and falls into the water, swallowing much and fearing drowning. Suddenly, he is full size again, and heads back after the thieves, only to discover that he has now grown tremendously. He has trouble catching the crooks, so he reaches up to a cloud and pulls a chain to turn on the sunlight, hoping it will shrink him back down to normal size, which it does. Catching up with the thugs, he punches one in the face with no effect, and the criminals begin to wring him out, convincing the Mighty Mite that he is no longer a man....but a sponge!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Joe Gallagher
Inks Joe Gallagher
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

2 page text story "Submarine Man"

Characters Jaimie; Professor Murock
Synopsis The ad in the newspaper was short and sweet: man wanted who can swim underwater for two minutes, handsome salary. Seven men appeared to qualify in response to the ad, but only one, Jamie, made it. In fact, he eventually set a record, according to Professor Murock who was timing him, by staying underwater for twelve minutes and fifteen seconds! This had been made possible by secret injections on Jamie by the Professor. A few months later, Jamie could stay underwater for 28 minutes....but with some changes occuring in his physical structure. He began turning lighter, had chesst pains and began to having terrific headaches, which all required more frequent injections. The main result was a final corpuscle structural conversion, which soon enabled him to stay underwater for 32 minutes, making him literally a human fish! Jamie was then ordered by Murock to pack his bags and get ready to leave, as the Professor had plans for this human submarine. The next morning, Jamie and the Professor headed out in a small boat. Jamie was naked and smeared with thick, heavy black grease, and two metallic magnetic mines under his arms. They were now in the Brooklyn Ship Yards and Murock watched as a new battleship slid into the water and got underway. After following it a short distance, Jamie, looking like a dingy, giant Samoan, was ordered into the water. The next day at the Explorer's Club, in a dim lit corner, sat two men in easy chairs. One man nudged the other and showed him the newspaper that told about a deafening explosion in the East River near the Brooklyn Navy Yards at 10 am that morning that completely blew a small boat to bits. The other man, named Jamie, stirred, and told the other that he often got headaches and held his breath for ten minutes or so, and it would go away. His friend said that Jamie looked more like a giant Samoan than one of the F.B.I.'s ace bloodhounds.....you know, like a guy who dives for tourists' pennies in South Seas harbors and stays down for a lung-bursting two minutes in order to retrieve a dime. Jamie grunted peacefully and said, "That's what the Professor thought! he said enigmatically.
Genre adventure
Script Jim Robinson (signed)
Pencils ? (spot illo)
Inks ? (spot illo)
Letters typeset
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

5 page Johnny Thunder story "The Dreams of Madness [chapter 6]"

Characters Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt
Synopsis Johnny arrives in the Land of Already Equipped and spots an artist with a brush for a hand and an artist pallet for a head, painting a picture of a young lady, whose head was a bowl of fruit! Of course Johnny thinks this is an ideal world and goes out to see more of it, while the Thunderbolt can only shake its head and think Johnny really is nuts! Johnny finds several "normal" people on the street crying and he wonders why they are so sad, and they tell him that a bunch of racketeers around there had a magician hex them. So, brother John heads out to locate the crooks and asks the Thundrbolt to put him right in the middle of them. Johnny is immediately transported there and runs into trouble, but the T-Bolt saves him and he then starts chasing the crooks over a drawbridge, but Johnny can't make it over. He then orders the Thunderbolt to go and get the crooks for him, then he is led to the magician that hexed the people and has the T-Bolt stuff him into a jar, seal it, and throw it into the ocean. Johnny is then hailed a hero, and the Thunderbolt now realizes that, while the other JSA members were driven insane by this dream world, Johnny was driven sane!
Genre superhero; humor
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Stan Aschmeier [as Stan Josephs] (signed)
Inks Stan Aschmeier [as Stan Josephs] (signed)
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7

5 page Justice Society of America story "The Dreams of Madness [conclusion]"

Characters Hawkman [Carter Hall]; Green Lantern [Alan Scott]; Flash [Jay Garrick]; Atom [Al Pratt]; Johnny Thunder [Earth-2]; Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt; Dr. Mid-Nite (all as the Justice Society of America/JSA); Brain Wave (villain)
Synopsis Back in the Brainwave's lab, the JSA members are stirring restlessly as they lay on the tables in their dream-induced states. As the villain leaves the lab and the JSA to their madness, the members begin waking....Hawkman believes he belongs in the medicine cabinet, Atom believes he's a sponge, Flash tells Johnny to start laughing because he is a laughing stock, Green Lantern introduces himself as a new solar system, Dr. Mid-Nite tells Johnny to stay back because he is a germ, and so on. Johnny has had enough of this nonsense and calls for the Thunderbolt to come and figures out what to do to restore them. Meanwhile, Brainwave has gone out to get his gang together and come and see what he has done to the Justice Society, and they walk in and see the nonsense for themselves. The Brainwave puts the members into a cage, then Johnny and the T-Bolt storm in....Johnny wades into them, fists flying, while the Thunderbolt uses an electrical shock to restore the JSA back to themselves. Furious, the JSA wades into the crooks and mops up, although Johnny gets kicked in the head and knocked out. After the people are captured, Thunderbolt explains what happened and the fact that the dream world made Johnny sane and thus able to rationally handle the problem. Unfortunately, when Johnny wakes up, the kick in the head made brother John back into his old, normal, nutty self!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner Fox
Pencils Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Green Lantern & Flash figures)
Inks Joe Gallagher; Martin Naydel (Green Lantern & Flash figures)
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #7