This part's a little confusing, you see All American and National Periodical were sister companies, sharing some of the same owners and...well...even sharing the same characters. By 1945 (still in the thick of the Golden Age) they officially merged, so for the duration of my "slight history" I will be referring to them as one and the same. Only some lawyers pen separaes them anyway.
All-American Comics hit the stands in April 1939. Another great anthology book of the periiod, sporting lots of different types of features, it's first anchor strip was "Gary Concord, the Ultra Man"!
Don't let the title fool you, Gary Concord was just another Buck Rodgers knock-off, and the "Ultra Man" subtitles was a little ploy to capture the new Superman crowd. The first real and lasting star of the book was "The Green Lantern"!
NOT the Green Lantern that is soon to be hitting movie screens, that's the silver age Green Lantern, I'm talkiing about the original power ring wearer, Alan Scott!
Created in 1940 by Bill Finger and Martin Nordell, he would wear the ring all throughout the golden age (and even a little beyond).
I've hit on this Green Lantern once before and even posted his origina story from All American #16 here. This Green Lantern's power ring, was just like his better known successor, powered by the wearers will power. Alan Scott's ring was more magical in nature than the sci-fi version of years to come. With it Scott could walk through walls, read people's' minds and all sorts of stuff.
He was ably assisted for a good chunk of his carreer, not by a kid costumed side-kick like so many of his contemporaries, but by a street-tough Gotham City cab driver named "Doiby" Dickles. Why he had a Brooklyn accent in Gotham I can only guess.
"Doiby" was dumb as a stump but loyal and true as all get out.
And here's a little Green Lantern story highlighting our forgotten helper of the golden age of comics, from "All American Comics" #46.
Enjoy!
Talk to you soon.
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