On January 25, 1942: Five All-Stars (Cdr Steel, Firebrand, Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle, and Robotman) catch a ride on Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane, from Virginia to New York City, where she drops them off, literally, at Robert Crane's laboratory, in Queens. Diana then flies back to Washington DC to visit Steve Trevor at a military hospital there. At Crane's lab, the team meets Dr. Bob Grayson and his fiancée Joan Carter. Joan considers Robotman a hero, because of an earlier rescue; Joan is also formerly the fiancée of the late Dr. Robert Crane, and does not know his secret identity.
Their get-together is interrupted by an arriving platoon of police, and Robotman is arrested, at the behest of shady lawyer Sam Slattery, who is claiming to represent the heirs of the late Dr. Crane, and according to whom, Robotman is the property of Robert Crane's estate. The other four All-Stars have followed Robotman out to confront the police; Johnny and Brandy both start fighting the police, and Liberty Belle has to pull rank on them to restore order. Robotman trades his cooperation for a free pass for Firebrand and Quick, but at this point the cops are really mad and none too fond of the All-Stars. Robotman is wrapped in chains and marched away. The All-Stars bicker about what to do next, and Johnny Quick zooms away in a huff. Also in the background, Joan seems to be getting some glimmering of an inking of an idea about who Robotman reminds her of.
The next day, public opinion is widely divided about Robotman's status and nature. Sam Slattery meanwhile is hiring sleazy witnesses, cash up front, to do some slanderous perjury at the upcoming trial.
That night in his jail cell, Robotman pulls his “Paul Dennis” disguise out of his chest cavity, puts it on, bends some cell bars, and casually walks out of the cell block. He sprints across town and meets with Chuck Grayson, his attorney Jefferson Smith, and three All-Stars (Brandy, Libby, and Steel). Everybody here now knows his secret identity, and Smith is preparing a defense, including a parade of character witnesses: Capt. Trevor, Prof. Napier, Libby Lawrence, etc. Robotman makes a few strong suggestions, then surreptitiously returns to his cell.
At least another day goes by. On the night before the trial opens, Johnny Chambers and Tubby Watts are in a bar, hearing Libby Lawrence on the radio, making her pitch for Robotman's case. Some robot-hating laborers are in the bar; remarks get made; a very quick brawl ensues. Afterward, Johnny makes a decision: he'll go to the trial after all, and if it doesn't go well, he'll personally abduct Robotman himself!
On 4 Feb 1942 (at the earliest), the trial begins. Firebrand, Liberty Belle, and Cdr. Steel testify in person, and affidavits are presented from Superman, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and many costumed adventurers. All of their testimony is ruled inadmissible, due to the anonymity of the heroes. Johnny Chambers sits there the whole time, doing a slow boil. Eventually Chuck Grayson takes the stand and tells the complete story of Robotman's origin, revealing Crane's real identity in the process. After that, the judge has Robotman sworn in, and listens to his eloquent testimony, while Johnny Quick quietly slips out of the courtroom.
At that moment, as fate would have it, the overcrowded courthouse shakes and starts to collapse, Cdr. Steel gets knocked out by a random falling object, and Robotman snaps his chains then rescues everyone, including Slattery, who has a heart attack right in the middle of all this. Robotman whisks him to a hospital in time to save his life, then returns to the shattered courthouse. Soon they're in another courtroom, and the judge rules Robotman to be human.
A post-trial conversation among the All-Stars reveals that Liberty Belle has deduced that Johnny Quick, acting at invisible speed, was behind the courtroom's sudden and very convenient collapse. As the team adjourns itself, the Squadron is approached by Dr Henry King, the Brain Wave, who secretly intends the kill them all, along with the JSA. They curtly brush him off, and he doesn't take it well.
ISSUE #18 SYNOPSIS:
Circa 30 Jan 1942, almost a week after their previous adventure, Liberty Belle calls for Johnny Quick to meet up at JSA HQ. Outside the hotel, in the bad light of an upcoming thunderstorm, Johnny thinks he sees the Sandman, in his distinctive gold and purple costume plus his old cape, acrobatically almost entering the building at its top floor, until a sudden wind gust knocks him loose from his climbing line. Johnny rescues the falling figure with an updraft, but before he reaches street level, the caped mystery-man shoots another swinging line, and swings into a 2nd-story window. A roving newsman (Bailey) for WKNY Radio News is on hand to report all this, much to Johnny's chagrin. And watching all of this, from another rooftop, is the massive figure of a new super villain.
Johnny misdirects the rival news-hound, leaves, then doubles back to zoom up the far side of the building and into the 9th floor meeting rooms. Already present are Cdr Steel, Firebrand, Liberty Belle, Robotman, and a new guy, the Tarantula, wearing a near-exact copy of the Sandman's costume. Tarantula is extremely agile and can walk on the ceiling. Liberty Belle presents their problem: the seven individual enlisted members of the Justice Society, plus Wonder Woman, have each disappeared from their military units. This information comes to them from Hawkgirl, who has now traveled to the West Coast to check into it, while the All-Stars are waiting for a phone call from FDR. While they wait, Tarantula divulges his secret identity and recounts his origin story. It turns out that Tarantula's costume actually is based on a design that Dian Belmont had worked up, a design originally rejected by the Sandman. Also Jon Law has definitely figured out Wes Dodd's secret identity, and says so.
One day last June, when Wes was out of town, Dian had disguised herself in Sandman's old, business-suit-style costume, and weapons, and involved herself in a dockside emergency, caused by some Nazi saboteurs. There was some pistol-shooting, and Dian got badly injured in a car crash. Seemingly from nowhere, the Tarantula leapt into the fight, and punched out several Nazis, while several others fled. One of the runners got snagged by Tarantula's Webgun. Some of the first few knocked-out Nazis recovered and got ready to shoot Tarantula when, seemingly from nowhere, the Sandman leapt into the fight; three punches later all three remaining Nazis were knocked out. Tarantula and Sandman pulled Dian Belmont out of the wrecked roadster, and she was injured so badly that they both believed she was dead.
A couple of nights later, Dian had been buried, and Sandman and Tarantula met and conversed at her grave on Long Island. Sandman had by this time figured out Tarantula's real identity and said so. There was no friction about the near-identical costumes, but Tarantula made up his mind to change to a new one anyway.
As Tarantula finished his story, on the roof of the hotel, Fairy Tales Fenton, calling himself “Thor” and wielding a super-powered ball-headed hammer, smashes his way into the building. “Thor” is seeking revenge against the Sandman, for his ignominious defeat in an earlier encounter. A destructive melee ensues; ceilings, walls, and furniture are smashed; Robotman, Steel, Quick, and Firebrand are all taken down quickly. “Thor”'s hammer returns to his hand whenever he throws it, it slashes through the webbing from Tarantula's webgun, and it emits powerful electric sparks. Tarantula maneuvers Fenton into punching a wall, right where some electrical wiring is embedded, and the feedback knocks the hulking villain unconscious.
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