Dates
- Cover date
- August-September 1947
- On sale
- June 23, 1947
- Pages
- 52
Editions and covers
- Original editionSource ↗
Creators
Stories
- All-Star Comics Prologue · 3 pages
Calvin Stymes invites five lifelong friends and fraternity brothers out to a western ranch, and, as they sit around the campfire, he recounts the legend of the dried-out stream-bed they were camping in. Called Koehaha, or "Stream of Ruthlessness," it runs once every 100 years. Strangely, those who "drown" in it don't really die, but neither do they come back to life, for the water washes away a man's better nature and replaces it with a ruthless nature. Each man explains what he might do with a criminal nature, then they all go to bed. Stymes moves onto the river bank while the others drown.
- 5 Drowned Men! [Introduction] · 4 pages
Three days later, the JSA meets in emergency session due to a rash of strange and explosive new crimes, but they discover that two of their members, the Atom and Johnny Thunder, can't participate. Johnny asks JSA honorary member, Superman, to take his place, and the Batman has just come from the bedside of injured Al Pratt. Wonder Woman reads an anonymous letter to the members stating that the crimes have been committed by five respected professionals. While GL sets out to find Stymes, the others will try to locate the others.
- 5 Drowned Men! Chapter 1 · 5 pages
Batman heads for the town of Zenith, where Ed Findley lives and who has been hired at the Ardman party to protect Mrs. Ardman's set of matched black pearls. When the Grim Marauder appears and snatches the pearls, Wayne changes to Batman and chases after the villain to his office, where Batman is captured. But he frees himself, rushes upstairs, and catches Findley at his desk and captures him, only to get a mental radio message from Wonder Woman to bring Findley with him back to JSA HQ.
- 5 Drowned Men! Chapter 2 · 5 pages
At a political rally in Snow City, home of reporter Mat Matwell, pictures are being shown of Governor-candidate Rex Gardin when suddenly, a picture comes up, showing Gardin posing with an executed murderer. Later, Gardin gets a blackmail call, telling him to bring $10,000 to Snow Mountain. The Flash follows him, is briefly captured with Gardin by Mr. X, then captures the villain. Just then, Flash receives a mental message from Wonder Woman, explaining how the situation has changed and to bring Mr. X, Mat Matwell, back to JSA HQ.
- 5 Drowned Men! Chapter 3 · 5 pages
Professor Doty, having just uncovered the Temple of Tlaloc of the ancient Aztecs, is set upon by the Black Rider, who gets the location of the temple, and he and his gang go to loot it. Hawkman comes on the scene, and, after a brief battle, is knocked out by the Rider, and he and the professor are tied to a sacrifice table, but manage to escape. Hawkman goes after the Rider, comes face to face with Archie Erdner with a gun, but overpowers him. As Hawkman tries to figure out what to do, he receives a mental message from Wonder Woman, asking him to bring Erdner back to HQ with him.
- 5 Drowned Men! Chapter 4 · 4 pages
In an eastern bank, a bank teller is amazed to see bags of gold floating out of the vault and out the window! Dr. Mid-Nite is informed of the strange event and two others like it by the bank officials, who think an invisible gang is at work. But Mid-Nite thinks otherwise and asks to borrow a gold coin to use as bait for a future crime. The coin suddenly begins to fly away, but Dr. Mid-Nite holds on for dear life and follows it to Philpotts's lab. A stuttering man saves Dr. Mid-Nite, who then receives a mental message from Wonder Woman, and he takes Philpotts back to JSA HQ.
- 5 Drowned Men! Chapter 5 · 4 pages
Superman heads to Centropolis to try and stop the mysterious Wrecker from blowing up one of Ben Stanley's famous skyscrapers, fails, and then rebuilds it in the blink of an eye. Stymes appears and gives Superman a note and says the building's architect is responsible for the explosion. The Man of Tomorrow locates Stanley lighting some dynamite, which Superman puts out. The Wrecker and his thugs then attack the Man of Steel, before Superman subdues them. Then, Superman gets a mental message from Wonder Woman to report back to JSA HQ with his captive.
- 5 Drowned Men! Interlude · 1 pages
Superman brings in Stanley, at Wonder Woman's request, and he is ushered together with the other four men brought in by the other JSA members. Locking them into a room, Wonder Woman announces that all five of them are in terrible danger due to what Green Lantern discovered, that discovery leading the Amazon Princess to change the plans the JSA had originally made. So, as the members sit around their meeting table, G.L. begins to tell the story of his search for the sixth man of the hunting party, whose body was never recovered: Calvin Stymes!
- No Help Wanted · 2 pages
- 5 Drowned Men! Chapter 6 · 4 pages
In Milville, home of Calvin Stymes, GL sees someone taking mail from Styme's mailbox, and follows him. G.L. enters an isolated log cabin, and a mysterious figure hits him over the head with a club. As Green Lantern recovers, he finds himself tied in front of a fireplace, with a shotgun aimed at him by Stymes, who tells him the story of why he hates the other five so much. After patiently listening to the story, G.L. uses his ring to melt the shotgun and free himself, but not before Stymes makes his escape...so he reports to Hawkman, who now knows the identity of the stuttering man.
- 5 Drowned Men! Conclusion · 3 pages
The JSA enters the locked room in which Wonder Woman had locked the five friends of Stymes, only to discover they had escaped through a window. Knowing that Stymes is loose and is out to kill them, Wonder Woman vows that the JSA must find them. GL's Power Ring traces the men to Koehaha, to which they must return to drink from, and where Stymes plans to kill them. He sets off dynamite, but the JSA saves them, but the explosion costs Stymes his life. Then Superman uses his strength to push a giant mountain of rock into the stream so that it will never run again.
Reprinted in
DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest (1980), All Star Comics Archives (1991)