Green Lantern (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1945.
Synopsis for "The Last of the Buccaneers"
Peter Pike's a rich but unassuming businessman who usually lets his board of directors make the major decisions. He leaves on vacation to revel in his true passion: having his employees dress up as a pirate crew and pretend to raid his own company buildings (so technically doing nothing illegal). His employees plan to kill Pike and keep the spoils for themselves, but have to deal with Alan Scott so he doesn't construct a radio transmission apparatus that might let Pike call for help. As Alan Scott and Doiby drive down a coastal road to where he's supposed to get to work on this new project, the pirate ship attacks the cab. Alan changes to Green Lantern and routes the pirates, but is taken out when a coconut falls and bonks him on the head. They try to locate the crew, but Pike's ship can transform from an ordinary yacht to a pirate ship and back, and the crew take advantage of this ability to shake the heroes. Eventually, the mutinous crew spring their trap on Pike, only for it to turn out two of their number are Green Lantern and Doiby in disguise. In trying to join in the fight, Pike accidentally drops the mast on Green Lantern. Fortunately, the villains were already defeated by then. Pike turns his pretend pirate ship into a vessel for disadvantaged kids to take play tours on, and has learned confidence from his ordeal. After all, he whooped Green Lantern!
Appearing in "The Last of the Buccaneers"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mr. Bladd
- his men
Other Characters:
- Peter Pike, tycoon
Locations:
Items:
- Starheart Power Ring
Vehicles:
- Pike's yacht
Synopsis for "The Connoisseur of Crime"
Andrew Prism's a man of perfect taste and refinement, but secretly also the gang boss known as "the Dandy." Some of his hirelings want to leave the gang and enjoy the wealth they've earned, but agree to one last job as a farewell. Green Lantern interrupts their heist of a priceless painting, but the clever Dandy escapes by throwing iron filings that cause a backlash when the hero's power beam hits them. Back at the hideout, Prism gives his departing underlings money coated with explosive mercury fulminate. When Green Lantern investigates the resulting fire, he catches the two and grills them. The only distinguishing feature about their boss they can recall is that he uses a fancy brand of snuff all the time, which the hero knows only one company in town's fancy enough to stock, and which he sends Doiby in disguise to investigate. Prism easily sees through Doiby's impersonation, and when Green Lantern comes looking for his friend, he easily destroys the criminal's normal weapons. Luckily for Prism, Green Lantern's caught by surprise when he overturns a rack of glass jars full of tear gas, giving the gangster time to make his getaway. Doiby was one step ahead and put flourescein in the Dandy's pocket, leaving a trail for the duo to follow.
However, Prism knew about this trick the whole time, and lets the heroes follow him to the robbery of an art gallery. He captures GL and Doiby, but secretly leaves the ropes half-cut so the captured heroes can escape after the criminals leave, thinking they've shot GL and Doiby to death. When the gang tries to rob an Egyptian artifact exhibit, Green Lantern and Doiby turn out to be hiding in the sarcophagi and mop up the gang. It turns out the Dandy's tired of all his refinement and luxurious living, and wanted to go to prison so he could live like the common man.
Appearing in "The Connoisseur of Crime"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Andrew Prism, the Dandy
- his gang
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Starheart Power Ring
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Duplicity of Johnny Double".
Johnny Double's the victim of a mystery: he sells fictional stories and receives money for them, but his work never appears in print. What he doesn't realize is he has a villainous split personality that takes control of his body when he sleeps, but the two personalities are unaware they share a body. It's the villainous personality's exploits that Johnny writes about from subconscious memories when he awakes.
One night the villainous version takes over and searches for Johnny on a train to kill him and prevent him from exposing the evil Johnny's new scheme. Alan Scott's on the train, and overhearing talk of a murder, changes to Green Lantern and intervenes, with the villainous Johnny almost derailing the train to give himself a chance to escape. The next day, the normal Johnny visits the radio network where Alan works to discuss his stories and the weird mystery, with the two seeming to recognize each other. Alan promises to look into the strange situation. As soon as Johnny falls asleep, his alter ego takes over, gathers some henchmen, and goes to Alan Scott's place to steal back the new story that was given to him. Alan changes to Green Lantern, and when villainous Johnny tries to escape he runs into the path of Doiby's cab, the terrific jolt waking him up and restoring normal Johnny to control. Green Lantern's perplexed, knowing that Johnny Double looks just like the gangster who he's fought twice, but doesn't act or sound anything like him. However, Doiby's read Johnny's new story already, states it's word-for-word Green Lantern's encounter on the train, and the perpetrator's the only person that could've known what happened in such perfect detail. As they discuss this, villainous Johnny's gang happen upon them outside a movie theater. There's a scuffle, Green Lantern hits his head on a wooden poster frame and gets knocked out.
Villainous Johnny sends his goons out of the room to kill the heroes himself, but they manage to jolt him awake again with a blow from a rocking chair. They confront Johnny with the truth of his strange condition, but the gang overhear what's going on , run in and shoot the trio before hurrying off to commit their next crime. The trio revive, Green Lantern having shielded them from the bullets with his ring. Doiby knocks Johnny out to follow his alter ego to where the crime's being committed. After breaking up the thieves' attempt to rob a fortune teller's, Green Lantern comes up with a solution for Johnny's problem: he'll sleep in prison when the evil version of him's in control, and the normal Johnny will be allowed to leave and carry out his normal life during the day.
Appearing in "The Duplicity of Johnny Double".
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Johnny Double
- his gang
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Starheart Power Ring
Vehicles:
Notes
- Published quarterly by Jolaine Publications, Inc.
- This issue's Johnny Double character is no relation to the later character to go by that name.
- Also appearing in this issue of Green Lantern was:
- Mutt & Jeff, by Al Smith
See Also