History ComicBook / AllStarComics

* BadassNormal: Since they started out when LEGOGenetics was in the future, and even comic-book science was still in the LightningCanDoAnything stages, most of the members had some variant of a CharlesAtlasSuperpower. ComicBook/TheAtom, ComicBook/{{Wildcat}}, ComicBook/{{Sandman|MysteryTheatre}}, ComicBook/MisterTerrific, ComicBook/BlackCanary and ComicBook/DoctorMidNite all had no superpowers, despite Doctor Mid-Nite's DisabilitySuperpower of being able to see in the dark. All of these characters got by on wits, determination, and a good solid punch to the jaw rather than superpowers. There are a lot of street level heroes on this team, and during this period even Wonder Woman's abilities were meant to be something any human in the 'verse could achieve with training, outside of her immortality while on Paradise Island.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: What happened to Hourman? Why did he disappear between issues? What about Doctor Fate, the Spectre or Starman? The kids in the 1940s who wondered this were out of luck, because no explanation was offered. It took a {{retcon}} applied decades later to explain where these characters went.

* GiantSpider: The denizens of Mercury that Johnny Thunder is found by in issue 13 look like giant spiders with a pair of their legs switched out for tentacles.

* BadassInCharge: Hawkman, once he became the chairman of the JSA in #8. Green Lantern was no slouch either during his tenure as chairman. He had the team raising funds for war orphans after going on a solo scouting mission over Axis-occupied territory.

For the first two issues ''All-Star Comics'' functioned as a traditional AnthologyComic with each story unconnected and featuring a specific character, in this case ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, Sandman, ComicBook/{{the Flash}}, ComicBook/{{the Spectre}}, ComicBook/{{Hourman}}, Red, White and Blue, Ultra-Man and Franchise/GreenLantern. This all changed with the introduction of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica in issue three, following which most of the stories are tied together by the framework of a JSA meeting, even though individual members each get their own tale in which the others rarely feature. These JSA storties are often the only tales in the book with one written two page Hop Harrigan story breaking up some of the individual tales. In issue eight, a story titled ''[[ComicBook/AllStarComicsNumberEight Introducing Wonder Woman]]'' was the first ever published appearance of [[Franchise/WonderWoman the character]] who would go on to become comics' most iconic superheroine.

* HistorysCrimeWave: The TropeNamer is ''All-Star Comics'' #38 where the Justice Society of America investigate Gotham City murders claimed to be performed by historical villains. Though they turn out to be the disguises of an insane wax museum guard, he succeeds in killing every member in the issue except Wonder Woman, who has to use the purple ray to bring them back to life. The villains are Nero, Goliath, Captain Kidd, Cesare Borgia, Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun.

''All-Star Comics'' is a Creator/DCComics book famous for hosting the first ever SuperTeam the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica. The series ran for 57 issues from 1940-1951, and was then revived in 1976 for another 17 issues.

* BadassNormal: Since they started out when LEGOGenetics was in the future, and even comic-book science was still in the LightningCanDoAnything stages, most of the members had some variant of a CharlesAtlasSuperpower. ComicBook/TheAtom, ComicBook/{{Wildcat}}, ComicBook/{{Sandman|MysteryTheatre}}, [[ComicBook/MisterTerrific Mr. Terrific]], ComicBook/BlackCanary and [[ComicBook/DoctorMidNite Dr. Mid-Nite]] all had no superpowers, despite Dr. Mid-Nite's DisabilitySuperpower of being able to see in the dark. All of these characters got by on wits, determination, and a good solid punch to the jaw rather than superpowers. There are a lot of street level heroes on this team, and during this period even Wonder Woman's abilities were meant to be something any human in the 'verse could achieve with training, outside of her immortality while on Paradise Island.

* DeadlyDodging: In "Two New Members Win Their Spurs" Dr. Mid-Nite ducks out of the way of Professor Elba's two associates while tossing one of his black-out bombs and they knock themselves out by running head first into each other.

* DoubleKnockout: Two of Professor Elba's associates knock each other out when Dr. Mid-Nite uses one of his black-out bombs while they're trying to attack him.

** More than once in All-Star Comics, chapters featuring Dr. Fate or Starman or Dr. Mid-Nite show those characters using nothing more than their fists to take on the villain, as opposed to the super-powers which should make such conflicts easy to win.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Professor Elba runs into a dark corridor in order to ambush the pursuing JLA members with a syringe full of his serum, he's then followed by Dr. Mid-Nite—who can see in the dark—and stabs himself with the syringe when Mid-Nite dodges the attack leading directly to his own death.

* KindRestraints: The victims of Professor Elba's Insanity Serum are tied up to prevent them from harming themselves and others until Dr. Mid-Nite synthesizes Solution K to cure them of the effects.

* SolarSystemNeighbors: In issue 13 each member of The Justice Society Of America is knocked out and sent to a different planet in the solar system. All of them encounter intelligent life on their respective planets, with Dr. Mid-Nite lampshading how improbable it is to find life on even one other planet. This occasion is actually when Wonder Woman first met and befriended Queen Desira of the winged women of Venus.

* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: In the issue in which Dr. Mid-Nite joins the Justice Society of America the villain orchestrating everything runs into a pitch dark building and the other JSA members stand back to have Mid-Nite run in and fight him, since he can see in the dark.
* TimeTravel: In issue 10 Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Sandman, Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite, Specter, and Johnny Thunder travel forward in time to the year 2442.

* WorksSetInWorldWarII: After the attack on Pearl Harbor, every active member (except the Spectre, but including the legally blind Dr. Mid-Nite) join the military to go fight the Japanese. They all end up fighting in the [[WorldWarII/WarInAsiaAndThePacific Pacific]], or off the west coast, repelling (fictional) Japanese incursions. Even Wonder Woman gets a full adventure, even though she's not an official member at this point.
* WatchWhereYoureGoing: Dr. Mid-Nite ducks out of the way of Professor Elba's two associates and they knock themselves out by running head first into each other.

* LegionOfDoom: The Injustice Society of the World was the very second example in comics, consisting of many of the JSA's greatest enemies, including the Wizard, ComicBook/VandalSavage, ComicBook/SolomonGrundy, and Per Degaton.

* {{Omnibus}}: The entire original ''All-Star'' run has been restored and collected in the DC Archives series. It's about the only affordable way to read these stories today, 70-80 years after they were published.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: While Hawkgirl and Red Tornado are associated with the society and show up in several of their stories Wonder Woman is the only female hero to actually join.

[[caption-width-right:318:The fist SuperTeam meeting]]

For the first two issues ''All-Star Comics'' functioned as a traditional AnthologyComic with each story unconnected and featuring a specific character, in this case ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, Sandman, ComicBook/{{the Flash}}, ComicBook/{{the Spectre}}, ComicBook/{{Hourman}}, Red, White and Blue, Ultra-Man and Franchise/GreenLantern. This all changed with the introduction of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica in issue three, following which most of the stories are tied together by the framework of a JSA meeting, even though individual members each get their own tale in which the others rarely feature. These JSA storties are often the only tales in the book with one written two page Hop Harrigan story breaking up some of the individual tales. In issue eight a story titled [[ComicBook/AllStarComicsNumberEight Introducing Wonder Woman]] was the first ever published appearance of the character who would go on to become the most iconic superhero woman.

* WarInAsiaAndThePacific: After the attack on Pearl Harbor, every active member (except the Spectre) join the military to go fight the Japanese. They all end up fighting in the Pacific, or off the west coast, repelling (fictional) Japanese incursions. Even Wonder Woman gets a full adventure, even though she's not an official member at this point.

* AnthologyComic: Started out as a straight anthology comic with a number of unconnected features and their stories, but eventually became a Justice Society comic, where the members would often tell tales or go on individual adventures tied together by their membership and sometimes would all be working together just at different locations allowing for different stories.