All-Star Comics #54 is an issue of the series All-Star Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1950.
Synopsis for Justice Society of America: "Circus of a Thousand Thrills!"
With no crimes to look into at their latest meeting, the JSA decide to hit up a visiting circus instead. On their way, the police commissioner calls them in, and shows them a chart indicating a crime wave is due to hit Civic City that day. They connect the dots that the circus they were going to visit always comes into town just before the crime wave begins, and go to investigate. After finding themselves in a trap-filled funhouse, the JSA are sure their suspicions were right, and are told by "the man with the mechanical brain" where four brazen crimes will soon be carried out.
A high-wire artist and two clowns move a buoy so a cruise ship runs into a sandbar. With the ship trapped, they can steal a valuable painting it's carrying. Hawkman easily captures the high-wire artist, but is mystified when he makes it back to the circus and sees the same man doing his act, even though he should be in jail.
Atom and Flash intercept the circus's lion tamer using trained elephants to steal jewels and furs at opening night of the opera. They drop him off in police custody, only to come back to the circus and see the same man doing his act too.
Wonder Woman and Dr. Mid-Nite catch the circus' trick motorcyclist robbing a coin collection from a museum. They chase him down in Wonder Woman's invisible plane, but return to the circus to see the same man doing his stunts for the show.
The Man with the Mechanical Brain and the circus' 9-foot-tall strongman steal a valuable miniature orchestra, but their scheme's exposed by Green Lantern, who protects the owners of the orchestra with ring-conjured sandbags before snaring the perps with emerald ropes. Like the rest of the Justice Society, Green Lantern gets back to the circus only to see the performers he just captured.
The JSA storm the center ring, but are shanghaied into joining the act. After escaping a fall off the high-wire safely, they spread out to find the criminals and get some answers. Hawkman sees a limousine with a police escort driving away and realizes it's a fake because of incorrect license plates. The JSA surround the car and find all the performers they'd battled earlier wielding tommy guns, but the mighty heroes prove more than a match for some gun-toting hoods. Handing the crooks over to the cops, they find out all the circus performers had twin siblings, allowing them to be in two places at once.
Appearing in Justice Society of America: "Circus of a Thousand Thrills!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Commissioner Brian
Antagonists:
- Circus of 1, 000 Thrills
- Alimand
- Mr. Mechanico, mentalist
- His twin brother
- Frederick the Lion Tamer
- His twin brother
- Felix, aerialist
- His twin brother
- Goliath, strongman
- His twin brother
- Demon Dan, trick motocyclist
- His twin brother
Other Characters:
- Mrs. Rockmillion
- Mr. Marcy
Locations:
- Civic City
- JSA Headquarters
- Circus of 1, 000 Thrills
- Civic Opera
- Great Museum of Natural History
Items:
- Doctor Mid-Nite's Blackout Bomb
- Doctor Mid-Nite's Infra-red goggles
- Green Flame of Life
- Green Lantern Ring
- Hawkman's Nth Metal Wings
- Wonder Woman's Bracelets of Submission
- Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth
- Wonder Woman's Tiara
- Pompeii Tiara
- Electrum coins
- Harmonimac (miniature automating orchestra made of ivory)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Johnny Peril: "The Dark Horseman!"
Appearing in Johnny Peril: "The Dark Horseman!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives Vol. 11.
Trivia
- JSA story:
- It is clear that Atom already has super strength in this story when he stops an elephant by picking up his trunk. While his abnormal strength never is explained in the Golden Age, a retcon in All-Star Squadron (Volume 1) indicates that Atom gained powers after being exposed to radiation from the reluctant villain Cyclotron.
- Aida is being performed at the Civic Opera.
See Also
Links and References
