All-Star Comics #29 is an issue of the series All-Star Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1946.
Synopsis for Justice Society of America: "The Man Who Knows Too Much"
Landor, a man from the year 2446, has been stranded in the 20th Century by a defective time machine. By chance, Johnny Thunder meets and takes pity on him, buying him a meal. When Landor realizes Johnny doesn't believe his story and is only humoring him, he flies into a rage and warns him that he will make the Sapphire State Building disappear. Later, at Justice Society headquarters, Johnny is relating his encounter with Landor to the other members when a radio news bulletin announces that the Sapphire State Building really has disappeared! Landor then comes on the radio and challenges the Justice Society to match wits and fists at six different locations where he will use his knowledge of the future to make deadly devices from commonplace objects.
Landor recruits some gangsters to help him rob the U.S. Mint. Hawkman speeds to the Mint and finds additional guards already posted. While waiting for Landor to show, Hawkman runs into a force field wall, indicating that Landor is already inside. Flying inside, he faces off with Landor, who is unable to subdue Hawkman with his heavy-ink gun. Landor steals Hawkman's Nth Metal Belt and uses it to escape with some of his gang, but no loot.
Later, Landor and his remaining gang threaten to destroy a city block unless the local bank pays them $1 million dollars. The Atom witnesses Landor destroying the street surrounding the block. He leaps into action, or tries to at any rate, because he can't get across the chasm Landor has created in the street. While the bank agrees to pay up, Atom takes to the sewers and destroys Landor's invention and captures some of Landor's gang before the ransom arrives. Unarmed, Landor tries to escape. When the Atom catches up to him, he creates a flamethrower and uses it to cover his escape.
Landor escapes into the desert and creates a mono-magnet strong enough to disable electrically driven motors up to 1,000 miles away. Before Landor can demonstrate this magnet, the Flash finds him and breaks the controls off the magnet. He then throws Landor far away, then completely disassembles the magnet and scatters the pieces all over the desert. While Flash is working, Landor makes himself invisible. The Flash notices Landor's disintegration ray pointed at him and makes himself invisible by vibrating. Landor decides to retreat with his only four members of his original gang.
Next, Landor visits a city zoo where he creates super-intelligent elephants and gorillas whom he commands to wreck the city's electrical works. Doctor Mid-Nite is unable to fight the animals, so he uses a blackout bomb to halt their rampage. He then races to a drug store and gets sedatives to knock out the animals. After dispatching them, he then turns the electric generators into a lighting machine, which he uses to disable Landor's gang. Landor escapes, but Dr. Mid-Nite captures two more members of the gang.
Landor creates a molecular transformer to rob a jewelry store. The Green Lantern finds Landor and defeats his two henchmen, then engages Landor's transformer with his Green Lantern Ring. The green flame proves more powerful, but the exertion has left Green Lantern too exhausted to pursue Landor.
Thwarted by the JSA members at every turn, Landor's final scheme is to gather the Justice Society together so he can disintegrate them. To do this, he plots to capture Johnny Thunder. He does this by simply walking right up to Johnny and insulting him, then challenges him to a duel of magic tricks, which Johnny accepts. The Thunderbolt shows up and tries to get Johnny to slug Landor, but Johnny doesn't see any problem with him. While trying another failed trick, Johnny gets his fingers stuck in a finger trap. The Thunderbolt frees Johnny but notices that Landor is acting strangely, so he tells Johnny to stall him while he fetches the rest of the Justice Society. Johnny pretends to pass out. Instead of being captured by Johnny, Landor carries Johnny back to Justice Society headquarters.
Back at JSA headquarters, Landor attempts to disintegrate the entire Justice Society. The Flash disarms him before he can act, however, and Green Lantern destroys his disintegration ray. The rest of the members then tackle him. Landor expresses his regret about the decision to take on the Justice Society. Green Lantern sends Landor back to 2446 with his power ring, and Landor - having had his fill of adventure - has become quite content with the peaceful quiet ways of the future world.
Appearing in Justice Society of America: "The Man Who Knows Too Much"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- the Thunderbolt
Antagonists:
- Landor
- Landor's gang
- Scarface
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- 1946
- Chester Kozlak Boats-Bait-Etc.
- Gary Norris Groceries
- JSA Headquarters
- Modern Jewelery Salon
- Sapphire State Building
- United States Mint
- 2446
- 1946
Items:
- Blackout Bomb
- Green Flame of Life
- Green Lantern Ring
- Landor's Devices
- Disappearing Flame (made from Cigarette Lighter)
- Disintegration Machine (made from Flashlight)
- Excavator (made from Vacuum Cleaner)
- Flame Thrower (made from Pencil)
- Heavy Ink Gun (made from Fountain Pen)
- Invisibility Cloak (made from Sand)
- Molecular Structure Transformer (made from Handgun)
- Stimulated Animal Intelligence (made from Glutamic Acid)
- Typewriter Gun (made from a Typewriter)
- Wall of Force (made from Washing Machine)
- Nth Metal Belt
- Nth Metal Wings
Vehicles:
Notes
- Reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives Vol. 7.
Trivia
- There can be no doubt that the "Sapphire State Building" is a comic book stand-in for the Empire State Building. Curiously, the plot point of Landor making it vanish gets forgotten in the end and it is never explicitly stated that either Landor or the JSA return it to its rightful place in the end.
See Also