JSA #40 is an issue of the series JSA (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 2002. It was published on September 18, 2002.
Synopsis for "Do No Harm"
In Portsmouth, a hostage situation is a few hours old. A villain known as the Shadower has kidnapped a class of children and will kill them—unless Doctor Mid-Nite performs an operation on the Shadower's grandfather, a former Nazi supervillain by the same name. Mid-Nite and Mister Terrific step in, but the Shadower was a monster, killing the original Doctor Mid-Nite's beloved and then writing taunting letters from prison until the day McNider died.
Captain Marvel is on-site with the Star-Spangled Kid. Together, they discuss tactics with the head police officer. However, something is odd with the officer's eyes.
In the building, it is revealed that the Shadower also has strange eyes. He seems pleased that everyone is afraid of him, and keeps asking Doctor Mid-Nite, via a comm-unit, how the operation is going.
The plan begins: Star-Spangled Kid disrupts the power with her cosmic rod, distracting the Shadower as Captain Marvel smashes through the walls. But the plan fails: Shadower's power is to link up with other people's nervous system's, drawing power and information from them. He drew on the police officer, so he saw their plan coming; and he is linked with the children, so if they attack him, everyone else in the room will bear the brunt of the attack. Captain Marvel points out that Shadower has never met his grandfather, but Shadower disagrees: when his powers manifested, he could hear his grandfather's thoughts, guiding him in their use.
Suddenly, the operation goes badly as the original Shadower suffers a heart attack. Mid-Nite and Terrific give up, and Shadower realizes that he can no longer hear his grandfather's thoughts. Grief-stricken, he puts his gun to his own head, intending to kill himself and everyone else in the room.
Suddenly, one of the children stands up, and says he wants to be an artist. As the others stand up, listing dreams, the boy asks Shadower what he wanted to be when he was their age.
There is silence, and Shadower responds, "I... don't remember."
Captain Marvel walks out with Shadower in cuffs and all the children safe. He has been humbled by the courage of that one boy.
However, Black Adam does not approve of Captain Marvel's ways. And with the help of a few friends, hopefully he will not have to deal with them for long...
Appearing in "Do No Harm"
Featured Characters:
- Justice Society of America
- Captain Marvel
- Doctor Mid-Nite
- Hawkgirl (Cameo)
- Hawkman (Cameo)
- Mister Terrific
- Power Girl (Cameo)
- Star-Spangled Kid
- Wildcat (Cameo)
Antagonists:
- Atom Smasher (Cameo)
- Black Adam
- Brainwave (Cameo)
- Northwind (Cameo)
- Shadower I (Dies)
- Shadower II (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Achilles (Mentioned only)
- Atlas (Mentioned only)
- Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) and Hooty the Owl (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Lieutenant Greaves (Single appearance)
- Hercules (Mentioned only)
- Tracee Humboldt (Single appearance)
- Janet (Single appearance)
- Jason (Single appearance)
- Myra Mason (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Mercury (Mentioned only)
- Solomon (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
Notes
- This issue was reprinted in JSA Omnibus Vol. 2.
- JLA/JSA Secret Files and Origins #1 and JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice were published concurrent with the next two issues which lead into one long storyline. The appearance of Atom-Smasher with the JSA in the cross-over likely means it occurs before JSA #41.
Trivia
- Northwind's new appearance debuts here, mirroring the Earth-22 version featured in Kingdom Come (Volume 1). Additionally, Hourman's costume is the same as that Elseworlds mini-series.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Justice Society Recommended Reading
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- All-Star Comics (Volume 1)
- All-Star Squadron (Volume 1)
- America vs. the Justice Society (Volume 1)
- Infinity Inc. (Volume 1)
- JSA (Volume 1)
- JSA: All Stars (Volume 1)
- JSA Classified (Volume 1)
- JSA: Strange Adventures (Volume 1)
- JSA vs. Kobra (Volume 1)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 1)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 2)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 3)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 4)
- Last Days of the Justice Society Special #1