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

Issue Details

Issue #42
Published August-September 1948
Cover Price 0.10
Pages 52
Editing Whitney Ellsworth (with Julius Schwartz)
Notes Hawkman sports a new cowl and the Atom dons a completely new uniform beginning with this issue. This is the last issue of All-Star to carry the old cover logo [designed by Sheldon Mayer]. The JJSA secret code message is in the Green Lantern code. All notes, credit verifications and synopses added by Craig Delich (Feb. 2006).

Cover Details - "The Man Who Hated Science!"

Characters Green Lantern (Alan Scott); Flash (Jay Garrick); Wonder Woman; Dr. Mid-Nite; Atom (Al Pratt); Black Canary; Hawkman (Carter Hall) [all as the Justice Society of America]; The Alchemist (villain, intro, death)
Genre superhero
Pencils Irwin Hasen
Inks Irwin Hasen
Notes Hawkman sports a new cowl and the Atom dons a completely new uniform beginning with this issue. This is the last issue of All-Star to carry the old cover logo [designed by Sheldon Mayer]. The JJSA secret code message is in the Green Lantern code. All notes, credit verifications and synopses added by Craig Delich (Feb. 2006).
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #9

9 page Justice Society of America story "The Man Who Hated Science [chapter 1]"

Characters Hawkman (Carter Hall); Atom (Al Pratt); Wonder Woman; Black Canary; Dr. Mid-Nite; Green Lantern (Alan Scott); Flash (Jay Garrick) [all as the Justice Society of America]; Professor Zabor Zodiac; Christopher Columbus
Synopsis The story opens with the JSA being star witnesses at the trial of one Professor Zodiac, who is accused of murdering Gotham University's Professor Michaels. But when the All-Stars fail to show for the trial, Professor Zodiac explains that he has taken care of them via use of the elementary principles of alchemy. The judge gives Zodiac fifteen minutes to prove his contentions, and he proceeds to explain that a young man named Galio was walking in his native Spain 500 years earlier when he fell through the earth into a cave. Inside he saw the four wonders of alchemy right in front of him, but when he announced this to the world, he was thrown into a dungeon as some type of sorcerer. Later, Christopher Columbus took Galio and others out of prison on his trip to the New World....but Galio slipped away with his treasures of alchemy, and by using the Elixir of Youth, continued to stay young through the ages of time until he felt it was safe to reveal the wonders of alchemy. During that time, his Philospher's Stone made possible the California gold rush and his Universal Solvent created the Grand Canyon! Years later, as the Elixir of Youth began to wear off, Galio was old and dying....but he was determined to put his treasures into the hands of a new organization that he felt he could trust before he died: the Justice Society of America. At the same time that Galio arrives at JSA HQ and begins to tell them about himself and his discoveries, in the next room one Professor Zodiac was inside trying to perfect his alchemo-bomb when he overheard the conversation in the next room. Although Galio died in JSA HQ with telling the locations of the four wonders of alchemy, the All-Stars make plans to try to find them IF they exist. But Zodiac has also heard and noisely leaves his room, drawing the attention of the JSA, who now realize that this Professor Zabor Zodiac, whose cane they find left behind in the room, could be a threat IF he finds those objects first!
Genre superhero
Script John Broome
Pencils Arthur F. Peddy
Inks Bernard Sachs
Notes The splash page by Peddy & Sachs was based on Hasen's cover, which is nearly identical.
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #9

8 page Justice Society of America story "The Man Who Hated Science [chapter 2]"

Characters Hawkman (Carter Hall); Flash (Jay Garrick); Dr. Mid-Nite; Atom (Al Pratt) [all as the Justice Society of America]; Professor Zabor Zodiac [also as the Alchemist].
Synopsis Professor Zodiac uses a special invention to scan 100 newspapers at a time, looking for a clue as to where the four wonders of alchemy can be found, and he discovers his first clue in the Gotham Globe that an odd occurance happened at the Gotham Terminal. Zodiac disguises himself as The Alchemist and heads for the terminal, unaware that Jay Garrick and Carter Hall are there now meeting with the clerk at the checkroom and explaining the vein of gold that was running through the ceiling in the checkroom. Just the, the Alchemist barges in, knocks out the clerk and seizes a metal case that he knows contains the Philosopher's Stone. After switching clothes, the Flash and Hawkman suddenly spring at the Alchemist, and do battle until he uses the Philosopher's Stone on a metal column, causing it to turn to gold, and collapsing the ceiling on the two All-Stars, and he takes them both prisoner. Meanwhile, in the wine cellar millionaire Horace Albrook, the man discovers an earth encrusted bottle he believes to be wine, but when he drinks from it, he disappears. When Dr. Mid-Nite and Atom hear the news on the radio, they race over to the man's home, realizing it is the Universal Solvent, and they must get to it before Professor Zodiac does. By the time the JSA duo reach Albrook's home, the Alchemist already has taken possession of the solvent, but they attack anyway and appear to have the upper hand until the Alchemist uses the solvent to collapse a ceiling on top of the JSAers, and takes them prisoner.
Genre superhero
Script John Broome
Pencils Arthur F. Peddy
Inks Bernard Sachs
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #9

8 page Justice Society of America story "The Man Who Hated Science [chapter 3]"

Characters Black Canary; Wonder Woman; Green Lantern (Alan Scott) [all as the Justice Society of America]; Professor Zabor Zodiac [as the Alchemist]
Synopsis Zodiac then discovered the third wonder of alchemy, Perpetual Motion, at the Annual Top-Spinning Contest for boys, when a young man's top, that he had found buried in his back yard, continued to spin for five minutes. Two spectators, Black Canary and Wonder Woman, were present, and approached the judge's stand to take charge of the top, but the judge blinded the duo with a light and switched to the Alchemist and ran away with the top. The All-Stars followed and trapped the Alchemist in the rafters of the building....that is until he used one of his alchemo-bombs on them, bringing on a strange change. Meanwhile, back in the courtroom, Zodiac's testimony is interrupted by two young kids, dressed as the Flash and Hawkman, but they quickly escorted out of the courtroom as Zodiac continues. He tells the judge about Professor Michaels noting that his balcony flowers were still in bloom, with snow still on the ground and in the middle of winter. A visiting Professor Zodiac knows the reason and, switching to the Alchemist, returns to Michael's home and digs up the Elixir of Youth from Michael's garden. When Michael's rushes at him, Alchemist throws an alchemo-bomb at him, destroying him. Green Lantern witnesses the scene and attempts to capture the Alchemist, who throws his last alchemo-bomb at the Emerald Crusader, freezing the ray of his ring, and allowing the Alchemist to capture him.
Genre superhero
Script John Broome
Pencils Arthur F. Peddy
Inks Bernard Sachs
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #9

2 page text story "Descent into Wonderland"

Genre adventure; fantasy
Script Ted Udall (signed)
Pencils ? (spot illo)
Inks ? (spot illo)
Letters typeset
Notes This text story was NOT reprinted in the Archive.

7 page Justice Society of America story "The Man Who Hated Science [chapter 4]"

Characters Green Lantern (Alan Scott); Flash (Jay Garrick); Wonder Woman; Black Canary; Atom (Al Pratt); Dr. Mid-Nite; Hawkman (Carter Hall) [all as the Justice Society of America]; Professor Zabor Zodiac [as the Alchemist]
Synopsis As G.L. revives, he finds himself with the other JSA members bound to a perpetual motion machine that is charged with ultra magnetism, negating the powers of the JSA. The Alchemist doffs his disguise and heads back to Gotham to surrender to the Police for the murder of Michaels and to demand a trial, knowing that the JSA will not be able to appear to testify against him. Thus, he'll be found not guilty and released. Unfortunately, by admitting to all of this, the judge declares him guilty and sentences him to death. Zodiac jumps up and switches to the Alchemist, and orders his men to hold the Policemen at bay. An image-camera is brought into the courtroom and the Alchemist's message is broadcast to the U.S. Congress, telling them to meet his demands or that he will use the Philosopher's Stone to create so much gold that it will bankrupt the nation's financial system. Meanwhile, in the court's anteroom, the kids dressed as the Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Dr. Mid-nite tell a Policeman what happened to the JSA on the wheel of perpetual motion. Green Lantern had reached for the bottle of the Elixir of Youth, taken a sip and turned into a boy....then the bottle was passed on to the others, and the same occured with them, and they all fell from the wheel to safety. It was then that the young JSA kids appeared at the courtroom. Now, the Policeman, following the advise of the Justice Society, yells through the door into the courtroom for the Alchemist to surrender or else. Alchemist responds with an alchemo-bomb through the transom window, and it magically restores the JSA to adults, and they bust into the courtroom and mop up the gang of the Alchemist. However, Zodiac flees the courtroom to his special plane on the rooftop and takes off. Suddenly, it explodes and crashes to earth, and Dr. Mid-Nite explains to the others that his plane, built on the principles of alchemy, was NOT aero-nautically sound, and therefore couldn'd fly properly. Later, at JSA HQ, Green Lantern reads the latest newspaper headline that relates that Professor Michaels reappeared alive....that the effects of the Alchemist's alchemo-bomb was only temporary.
Genre superhero
Script John Broome
Pencils Arthur F. Peddy
Inks Bernard Sachs
Reprinted in All Star Comics Archives (DC, 1991 series) #9

8 page Johnny Peril Surprise Story story "Kismet"

Characters Johnny Peril
Genre fantasy
Script Howard Purcell ?
Pencils Howard Purcell
Inks Howard Purcell
Notes This story does NOT appear in the Archive.