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"Justice Society of America: "The Movie That Changed a Man's Life, Introduction"": Wealthy industrialist Jason L. Rogers begs the Justice Society of America for help in dealing with the criminal mastermind known as the [[Jason Rogers (Earth-Two)|Monster

Quote1 It's time I taught Rogers a new lesson in horror! A new horror that will drive his mind from his body! Quote2
The Monster

All-Star Comics #20 is an issue of the series All-Star Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1944.

Synopsis for Justice Society of America: "The Movie That Changed a Man's Life, Introduction"

Wealthy industrialist Jason L. Rogers begs the Justice Society of America for help in dealing with the criminal mastermind known as the Monster. The villain has been targeting Rogers’ home and business for the last 15 years. He also tells the story of how he had a home movie made of himself and his wife, and how, after viewing it alone one night, his wife somehow died of fright.

Appearing in Justice Society of America: "The Movie That Changed a Man's Life, Introduction"

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Synopsis for chapter 1: "Hawkman and the Steel Baron"

Hawkman thwarts the Monster's plan to take over a steel baron's factories by blackmailing his twin brother, but the Monster manages to escape.

Appearing in chapter 1: "Hawkman and the Steel Baron"

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Synopsis for Chapter 2: "The Spectre and the Architect"

The Spectre stops the Monster from extorting Jason Rogers' friend, but the Monster manages to escape.

Appearing in Chapter 2: "The Spectre and the Architect"

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Synopsis for Chapter 3: "The Atom and the Monster's Aircraft"

The Atom breaks up a payroll heist, but the Monster manages to escape.

Appearing in Chapter 3: "The Atom and the Monster's Aircraft"

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Synopsis for Chapter 4: "Dr. Mid-Nite and Dr. Hill"

Doctor Mid-Nite breaks up the Monster's racket of surgically altering millionaire's faces, and then collecting ransom to fix them, but the Monster manages to escape.

Appearing in Chapter 4: "Dr. Mid-Nite and Dr. Hill"

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Synopsis for Chapter 5: "Starman and the Millionaires"

Starman stops a mass robbery at a planetarium, but the Monster manages to escape.

Appearing in Chapter 5: "Starman and the Millionaires"

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Synopsis for Chapter 6: "Johnny Thunder and the Laughing Gas Robbers"

Johnny Thunder tries to stop a jewelry robbery but gets captured by the Monster's gang. The Thunderbolt rescues Johnny and takes care of the gang, but the Monster manages to escape.

Appearing in Chapter 6: "Johnny Thunder and the Laughing Gas Robbers"

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Synopsis for Justice Society of America: "The Movie That Changed a Man's Life, Conclusion"

The Sandman and Doctor Fate have been guarding Rogers' home. Their missions completed, the individual JSA members gather again at Rogers' home, to watch the home movie. When there is a problem with the film, Rogers leaves to fix it, and the Monster bursts in. While he gets the upper hand against the Justice Society, the Monster is unable to kill them with his bare hands, so he draws a ray-gun. Johnny Thunder kicks his hand and the Monster shoots himself in the face. Having defeated the Monster, they return to watch the film where they learn that Rogers WAS the Monster, when they witness his transformation on film.

Appearing in Justice Society of America: "The Movie That Changed a Man's Life, Conclusion"

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Synopsis for Hop Harrigan: "Ghost Plane"

Hop Harrigan and Tank Tinker catch a glimpse of the "Ghost Plane", a silent and invisible bomber that attacks their airfield every night, while patrolling their airfield. Hop sets a trap for the plane using Tank as a sentry in a hot air balloon. With Tank at the lookout, Hop gets the drop on the Ghost Plane and kills the pilot, then boards and lands the Ghost Plane.

Appearing in Hop Harrigan: "Ghost Plane"

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  • Major Dunning

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  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Notes

  • Published quarterly by All-American Comics, Inc.
    • After three issues with 56 interior pages each, this is the first issue with 48 interior pages (plus covers equals 52). As with all comic books of the era, wartime paper shortages necessitated cutting back the page count for each edition. Fewer pages meant less space for individual hero chapters. Thus, the Spectre and Dr. Fate (the least popular JSA members at the time) didn't get their own chapters, this time around. In a few more months, after it became apparent that the page-count drop would become permanent, the editors at DC / All-American simply reduced the JSA's team by two members.
    • Reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives Vol. 5.
  • In Justice League of America Vol 1 193, the issue that introduced the All-Star Squadron series, the time traveling supervillain Per Degaton abducts the Monster from his proper timeline, and sends him back to 1941, in order to fight Hawkman, the Atom, and Dr. Mid-Nite. After being defeated there, the Monster is returned to his rightful point on the (pre-Crisis) timeline. Like a few other villains Degaton snatched out of time, the Monster was taken just prior to his death. It's likely he was taken away and subsequently returned during the brief moment Rogers / the Monster was out of the room in the epilogue.
  • This story draws heavily from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."



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