Guide to Golden Age Mr. Terrific, Wildcat and More Reprints

Continuing our look back at how to find the earliest reprints of various JSAers, and we'll look at a few team members that didn't fare so well...folks like Mr. Terrific, Wildcat, Johnny Thunder and the Red Tornado, members who were valuable parts of the JSA, but just haven't been able to get their solo Golden Age adventures out there.

Mr. Terrific

Terry Sloane was the master of fair play, and being smarter than everyone, graduating college at twelve!  He became bored and planned to end it all....but instead helped a young woman and her brother, and became the hero, Mr. Terrific!

All this happened in his first appearance, "Who Is Mr. Terrific?" in Sensation Comics #1 (January, 1942) by Charles Reizenstein and Harold W. Sharp.

This story was reprinted in the Famous First Edition C-30 of 1974 and in the Millennium Edition: Sensation Comics #1 (October, 2000), but more as this was the start of Wonder Woman's first regular series.

Mr. Terrific found a second story of his reprinted, this from the Big All-American Comic Book of 1944, entitled "Models For Crime", with no identified writer, and art by Stan Aschmeier, where Terry faces the criminal, "Money" Lowy.

This story was reprinted in the DC Comics Rarities Archives #1 of 2005, and also features Wildcat, Johnny Thunder, Ma Hunkel and a few other Golden Age characters as well like Hawkman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and the Flash!

Sadly, only the first five of Mr. Terrific's Golden Age tales from Sensation Comics #1 to Sensation Comics #5 (May, 1942, all by Charles Reizenstein and Hal Sharp) were reprinted in the JSA All-Stars Archives #1 of 2007, but he was in good company (but they still had many stories to reprint, as Mr. Terrific had a series until Sensation Comics #63 of March, 1947).

Mr. Terrific's one and only other Golden Age appearance was in All-Star Comics #24 (Spring, 1945), which was reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives #6 of 2000, and you can read more about him joining the JSA here!

Wildcat

Ted Grant was a boxer framed for a murder, but he refused to give up the fight, becoming Wildcat to clear his name (and continuing the fight even after, as Ted just refused to stop fighting for us all!).  This happened in Sensation Comics #1 (January, 1942) by Bill Finger and Irwin Hasen, in "This Is The Story Of Wildcat".

This story was reprinted in the Famous First Edition C-30 of 1974 and in the Millennium Edition: Sensation Comics #1 (October, 2000) all along with Mr. Terrific's tale, as well as in Secret Origins #3 (July-August, 1973) with a cover by Nick Cardy and in the Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told hardcover of 1990 with a Jerry Ordway cover.

Wildcat found another story reprinted from Sensation Comics #4 (April, 1942) with "Stretch Skinner, Dee-teca-tif" by Bill Finger and Irwin Hasen.  Stretch (whose first name was Hiram), made his first appearance here, and continued to help Wildcat during his career as a detective (and sometimes as Ted Grant's manager).

This story was reprinted in 100-Page Super-Spectacular DC-14 of February, 1973 and includes Golden Age reprints of Batman, Wonder Woman, Blackhawk and Doll Man all under a wraparound cover by Nick Cardy!

Wildcat and Stretch later found two more appearances reprinted, stories from Comic Cavalcade #1 (Winter, 1942) of "Crime Takes A Count" by Bill Finger and Irwin Hasen, and Comic Cavalcade #2 (Spring, 1943) of "The Story Behind The Bellyache" also by Finger and Hasen, with the two taking a swing at criminals, putting them down for the count!


Both these stories were reprinted in Comic Cavalcade Archives #1 of 2005, along with the rest of the contents of those issues (and Comic Cavalcade #3 of Summer, 1943, which didn't include Wildcat), including Golden Age stories of Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Flash, and even the Black Pirate, Hop Harrigan and Scribbly.


Wildcat was also in the Big All-American Comic Book of 1944, where "Wildcat Met The Kidder", with no identified writer, and art by Joe Gallagher; along with Mr. Terrific and more, and it was still reprinted in the DC Comics Rarities Archives #1 of 2005.

Wildcat faced trouble in "The Wasp's Nest" with no identified writer, but art by Joe Kubert in Sensation Comics #66 (June, 1947), where he and Stretch Skinner faced the Yellow Wasp (who had appeared before, in the Wildcat stories in Sensation Comics #20 and #25, both not reprinted).


This story was reprinted in Wanted: The World's Most Dangerous Villains #6 (February, 1973), with a cover by Nick Cardy (and the villain being called the Golden Wasp, which led to some confusion over the years).  The issue also featured Starman and Sargon!

Wildcat's next reprinted appearance was from Sensation Comics #71 (November, 1947) with "The Count That Never Ended" by Robert Kanigher and Gil Kane, where Wildcat faced his foe, the original Huntress (who appeared in Sensation Comics #68 and #69, both not reprinted).  This was the original Huntress, not Helena Wayne, daughter of Batman (though she faced her as well).


This story was reprinted in 100-Page Super-Spectacular DC-20 of September, 1973 along with a Black Canary tale (and a few other Golden Age stories), and Black Canary and Starman faced off against the original Huntress as well in Brave and the Bold #62 (October-November, 1965), and Black Canary was there when Huntress was part of the Injustice Society of the World returned to fight the JSA in All-Star Comics #41 (June-July, 1948).

Sensation Comics #84 (December, 1948) with "The Monkey's Circle" has the last of Wildcat's original run to be reprinted, with no identified writer and art by Bernie Krigstein, and has Wildcat and Stretch facing off against an evil organ grinder and his pet monkeys!


This tale found its way into Justice League of America #96 (February, 1972), along with a Golden Age Hourman reprint and under a cover drawn by Neal Adams; Wildcat still was featured in Sensation Comics all the way up until Sensation Comics #90 (June, 1949).


But, there was one more Golden Age Wildcat story to be told!

This unpublished Golden Age tale of Wildcat, "Crime Wore A Costume" by Robert Kanigher and Jon C. Kozlak found its way into DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #6 (1971) with a stunning Neal Adams cover that included Wildcat facing the Huntress, as well as a few other reprints including Johnny Quick and Vigilante (and the issue had Golden Age reprints of theirs as well).

This reprint also found itself reprinted, as the DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #6 Replica Edition in May, 2004.

Wildcat's Golden Age JSA adventures including how he joined the team are recapped here!

Wildcat, like many other JSAers, found his first five stories (from Sensation Comics #1 to Sensation Comics #5 of May, 1942) reprinted in the JSA All-Stars Archives #1 of 2007.

Johnny Thunder

Say, you'd think we'd be happy to see Johnny Thunder, and his magic Thunderbolt (called Cei-U, pronounced "say, you") and his first appearance in Flash Comics #1 (January, 1940) from the story "The Kidnapping of Johnny Thunder" by John B. Wentworth and Stan Aschmeier?

Well, we are, and this story has his origins.

This story has been reprinted a few times, in Famous First Edition F-8 (August-September, 1975) and in the Millennium Edition: Flash Comics #1 (September, 2000), but likely more because the book is also the first appearance of the Golden Age Hawkman and Flash....but, hey, Johnny was there too!

Unfortunately, most of Johnny's reprints came because he was in a book where others had stories reprinted.  Johnny was in the New York World's Fair Comics #2 (1940) with the story "At The World's Fair" by John B. Wentworth and Stan Aschmeier, where Johnny tries to impress his girlfriend, Daisy Darling, but ends up getting his wallet stolen (and later found by the Thunderbolt).  Johnny was also in the the Big All-American Comic Book (1944) in a story by Julius Schwartz and Stan Aschmeier, where Johnny and his adopted daughter, "Peachy Pet Met the Big Bad Wolf".  Both of these tales were reprinted in the DC Comics Rarities Archives #1 of 2005 along with many other Golden Age tales, including stories from Wildcat, Mr. Terrific, Hourman and the Atom.

Johnny also had a solo tale in in All-Star Comics #2 (Fall, 1940) with "The Darling Apartment" by John B. Wentworth and Stan Aschmeier, with Johnny, Daisy and her dad dealing with a crooked political boss.

This story was reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives #0 from 2006, and Johnny was popular enough to stay as a regular guest of the Justice Society in their earliest appearances, and even had solo tales in All-Star Comics #4 (March-April, 1941) and in All-Star Comics #5 (June-July, 1941), although Johnny didn't become a member until All-Star Comics #6 (August-September, 1941) (and All-Star Comics #3 to #6 are reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives #1 from 1992, where you can read more about Johnny, and you can read how he joined the JSA here).

Johnny's first five stories from Flash Comics (Flash Comics #1 to Flash Comics #5 of May, 1940) were reprinted in the JSA All-Stars Archives #1 of 2007, and oddly (and thankfully), his last six Golden Age solo appearances were also collected...


...as in Flash Comics #86 (August, 1947), Black Canary premiered in Johnny's strip, and his tales from Flash Comics #86 to Flash Comics #91 (January, 1948) were reprinted in The Black Canary Archives #1 along with the rest of her Golden Age tales and more!


So, Johnny was helped out by his friends!

Red Tornado

Last, but never least is the stories of Ma Hunkel, who first appeared in All-American Comics #3 (June, 1939), as a neighbor of Scribbly (a boy cartoonist, based on Sheldon Mayer, who wrote and drew the Scribbly feature).



With All-American Comics #20 (November, 1940) by Sheldon Mayer, Ma realized she needed to adopt a super-heroic identity to help her kids, and put on longjohns and a pot, and became...the Red Tornado!

Ma's first five tales as the Red Tornado were reprinted (along with Golden Age Superman, Batman and Plastic Man tales) in "A Smithsonian Book of Comic Book Comics" in 1981.

Ma's first five tales as the Red Tornado, from All-American Comics #20 to All-American Comics #24 (March, 1941) were also reprinted in the JSA All-Stars Archives #1 of 2007 along with those of Dr. Mid-Nite, Hourman, the Atom, Mr. Terrific, Wildcat and Johnny Thunder.

Would that there be more Archives of these delightful tales!