Entry #12

Issue #5
Rating: 5

Flash stars in “Menace of the Vandal”
King in “Get the King”
Hawkman in “The Kidnapping of Ione Craig”
Johnny Thunder in “G-Man Johnny”
Rod Rian
Cliff Cornwall in “The Snow King”
“You Can’t Get Away With It” Flash picture novelette
The Whip in “Judge Frawd’s Court”

Gardner Fox must have been experimenting with omitting Joan and Shiera from the main features. Although the stories in this issue are top notch, without the regular inclusion of the female support; the solo superhero stories would not have survived the decade long run. The Flash story continues to develop the character as a whimsical superhero that has fun in frightening criminals into confessoins.

Shelly effectively creates the right mood for the adventure that the Hawkman is led on in helping the mysterious Ione Craig.

The back-up stories really do not hold up through the test of time. It is unknown how they rated with the readers of the day. Since Johnny Thunder was a member of the All-Star Society, he must be considered a headliner for the series. Perhaps it’s the artwork that is not of noteworthy quality, along with retread story lines. As difficult as it is to read sometimes, the stories are just not interesting. In particular in these early issues -- the Whip, Rod Rian, and Johnny Thunder. Maybe they are just holdovers from the previous decade. I like the King. He is paired with his beautiful arch-enemy in the works, the Witch.

In many ways, she is the proto-Black Canary.