You don't go far enough. Suppose we give the world a chance to see what these youngsters can do! 
- — Hawkman
All-Star Comics #27 is an issue of the series All-Star Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1945.
Synopsis for Justice Society of America: "A Place in the World"
Fred Monday contacts the Justice Society with a special request. As a former football star, he had always felt sorry for his brother Jimmy, who was confined to a wheelchair. Later, Fred lost his arm after in combat at the European front. Recovering in the hospital, Fred came to understand how Jimmy felt when people pitied him. Thus Fred asks the JSA to seek out some of Jimmy's friends with different disabilities to help them prove they can be competent and productive citizens. Hawkman suggests that every member of the Society team up with a child with disabilities and stop a crime in their area to show what the children are capable of.
Hawkman teams up with Edouard Laviere whose legs are paralyzed. He uses his knowledge of the boy's treatment (swimming and rowing) to go after the Water Robbers, a gang that evades police by hiding in the bayous. Ed uses his knowledge of the area to help Hawkman track the robbers and Hawkman pretends to have a hard time fighting off the gang, prompting the boy to swim to the police station to get help. When the police arrive, Hawkman gives Ed the credit and he is honored by the mayor and given a job as a high school swim instructor.
Doctor Mid-Nite finds Hal Porowski, a blind boy ready to kill himself because of constant teasing. Dr. Mid-Nite stops Hal and suggests they take on the men who've been setting fires in the timberland run by Hal's father. Using the boy's hearing and knowledge of the forest, they track the men and stop them from dynamiting a bridge. Later, Dr. Mid-Nite and Hal find the men setting fires. Using Dr. Mid-Nite's blackout bombs, they defeat the entire group of thugs. Hal earns his father's respect and decides to become a braille teacher.
Green Lantern recruits Sven Lindquist, who lost his arm in an accident, to track down a spirit that has been demanding tribute from the locals. They find the spirit setting fire to a house that didn't pay tribute. Engaging them, Sven rips some feathers of the spirit's costume, but Green Lantern is knocked out on a wood beam. Sven sees that the feathers are obvious fakes, which convinces the town that spirits are not behind the crimes. Sven uses his knowledge of the local ruins to lead Green Lantern directly to the crook's hideout and traps the crooks. Later, Sven is honored at the town plaza and offered a job at the museum.
Wildcat tracks down Anthony Cellini, a boy who is teased because people think his is stupid. What people don't realize is that he is deaf. Wildcat asks for Anthony's help breaking up a gang of racketeers; Anthony refuses because he doesn't think he can help. What Anthony does not know, however, is that his after school job “running errands” is really smuggling loot for the racketeers. When Wildcat tries again to convince the boy to help him, the racketeers see and shoot at them. Anthony is spurred into action! He uses his ability to lip read to figure out the gang's plans, which he and Wildcat then prevent. Later, Wildcat holds a school assembly and tells everyone about Antony's deafness, and his heroics.
Johnny Thunder works with Tommy O'Leary, a cowboy who stutters, to track the Bad Buttes gang. While chasing the gang on horseback, Johnny's inexperience riding causes him to injure his lip, preventing him from calling his Thunderbolt. Tommy uses his talents with animals to call wild horses and surround the gang. The Thunderbolt decides to help anyway and holds the gang until the posse arrives. Tommy uses his reward to go to a speech clinic and enroll in college.
Flash teams up with Billy Yancy, a young mystery writer with cerebral palsy. Billy has not been able to sell any stories, but Flash notices a remarkable similarity between his stories and recent crimes. Following his latest story, a break-in at a movie studio, Flash follows the gang and catches them in the act. The movie studio then offers Billy a job as a writer.
Fred and his brother Jimmy meet the JSA later; Jimmy is moved to tears by their stories. He proposes that, with all of the disabled veterans returning from World War II, the Justice Society drafts a pledge to treat people with disabilities as equals. The pledge appears on the last page of the story along with a panel depicting the JSA members saluting disabled veterans.
Appearing in Justice Society of America: "A Place in the World"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- the Thunderbolt
Antagonists:
- Bad Buttes Gang
- Bog Logan
- Mr. Logan
- Ox Morgan
- Shu-Lu-Wit-Si
- Water Robbers
Other Characters:
- Anthony Cellini
- Edouard Laviere
- Fred Monday
- Hal Porowski
- Jimmy Monday
- Sven Lindquist
- Tommy O'Leary
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- Bayous of Louisiana
- Big City
- JSA Headquarters, Civic City
- New Mexico
- Pacific Northwest
- Reality Studios, Hollywood
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Wildcat takes the place of the Atom in this issue. No explanation why is given in the story. It is the second of only two issues of the original All-Star Comics in which Wildcat appears.
- A future issue of Wonder Woman's own series - Wonder Woman #243, published in the 1970s but set on Earth-II during this time period (in keeping with her television show of the time) - follows up on this story to show why Wonder Woman did not help any handicapped children.
- An exact copy of the pledge appears at the end of "The Case of the Disabled Justice League!", Justice League of America, #36. The artwork is similar, with the JLA members' pictures replacing those of the JSA members. In the JLA adventure, the Flash references the JSA adventure.
- Although the lesson of the story - that disabled people are not helpless or useless - is commendable, it is nevertheless a questionable tactic for the JSA members to involve children in their crime-fighting missions.
- Reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives Vol. 6.
Trivia
- This is the first time in which Thunderbolt helps Johnny Thunder without the latter saying the magic word "Cei-U".
See Also