Along with The Spectre stories, I've been reading Fox's Hour-Man, which he was also writing for Bernard Baily, and one thing he does seem to be tapping into, if with admittedly often uninteresting results, is a "play-along" factor aimed at a juvenile audience. Puppets, cartoons, magic act kits, marionettes, radios, boys' clubs, things that might be part of a little boy's life that he can then use to act out the stories he's read. Even the "invisible ghost" plays to this angle, where a kid can imagine the unseen Spectre is beside him manipulating this toy soldier, or Hour-Man is awaiting his call on the short-wave radio transmitter. I don't know if it's intentional, or if I'm being generous in picturing an imagination-stirring reaction, but it does seem to me that these kinds of stories could be a lot more stimulating to a kid inclined toward "make-believe" than, say, Steel Sterling foiling factory saboteurs.
You've got to wonder why Fox even bothered inserting The Spectre into that JSA story if he didn't do anything but spout a couple of lines of generic dialog at the end. Maybe there was editorial pressure to keep a percentage of the DC characters in the line-up even as All Star was heading into the temporary split between DC and All-American that would eject the characters from Adventure Comics and More Fun a few issues from now.

The Spectre was in the original pages for both issues 25 and 26 of All-Star Comics, both of which were prepared before the DC/AA split. A new issue was whipped up for issue 24 which would return Green Lantern and The Flash to the team, who could then be pasted over the figures of Starman and The Spectre, respectively, in order to rescue (by eliminating the DC-owned characters of Starman and Spectre) the stories that were postponed to issues 25 and 26. Might I suggest you cover those installments as "lost" Spectre stories? It says a lot about how watered down the character had become--or how generic the scripting was--that he could be substituted over so easily with a few lettering changes and paste-overs. It's at least worth looking at to see the few panels that still convey a "Spectre vibe", such as the splash of the Flash chapter in #25. It's also interesting to note that The Spectre would have lingered in All-Star past his More Fun expiration date, just as Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Black Canary bowed out of the Golden Age in a JSA adventure.
The popularity question interests me, too. DC/AA was paring down its stock of superheroes in the latter half of the 40's, stabilizing to a few headliners and selected, steady back-ups--I don't think they'd be introducing any more new ones from here on out--so presumably none of the abandoned heroes were missed that much (although readers of the time may not have known of any avenues through which to express their disappointment at these disappearances). Maybe the reduced page count was the primary motivation in cutting some of the publishers' roster, but I wouldn't blame readers for giving up faith in characters like The Spectre and Dr. Fate (who had devolved even worse than his stablemate The Spectre had; he ended his run not as an awesome mystic, but as a crime-busting actual M.D. who happened to have the power of flight...well, of running through the air, anyway).

All-Star Comics #22 (Fall 1944) "The Test of Time!"




Synopsis: Troubled by an attack he witnessed upon a young boy spearheaded by some kids angry that their target "goes to a different church from us", Doctor Mid-Nite introduces the boy to his team-mates. If Mid-Nite is hoping that his fellow comrades will lift the boy's spirits through expressions of optimism and hope, he is sadly mistaken for as Hawkman remarks, "No one bothers to understand! That's why we have race riots and persecutions!" Adding to the feeling of dismay, Starman states that "It all seems so hopeless, we - we've got to help - but how?"

In response to their despair over the pervasive but seemingly unfightable threat of bigotry and hatred, an astral figure in the form of a young female takes note:

"Somewhere, the sorrowing thoughts of men are beating thru the dimensions that separate us -- their concentrated thoughts are calling me! I must go to them at once! They grieve that man is unkind to his fellow man! They are ready to abandon hope! -It is time I appeared before them!"

Materializing in JSA headquarters, the cosmic being offers the team the chance to "make men understand their fellows" but the opportunity comes at a price.

"The knowledge I bring must be earned by you! ...It will not be easy! I will send you into the past, where you lose all knowledge that history and science has gathered thru the centuries! As men of the Stone Age or Medieval Europe, you will face and perhaps share the prejudices of those days!"

Adding that while each member will retain their physical forms, their memories will be limited to whatever memories a person from the era to which they shall be sent would have. "The hates and fears of the past will be your hate, and fears to overcome!"

And with that, each hero is sent to a different period in time. Hawkman, for instance, to the early days of The Stone Age where the winged warrior thinks of himself as nothing more than a hunter. When attacked by a nearby tribe who have mistaken him for a large bird which will feed them "for many days", the hero fights back and while acknowledging that through his demonstration of his skills he has been accepted into the group, he also realises that had the tribe had their way, they would have killed him. From the experience, Hawkman (or 'Ga' as he calls himself) learns not to share in the tribe's hatred of an artist whose depictions of various beasts he has seen (namely, Wooly Mammoths) has lead them to believe that the young cave-dweller has somehow found a way to summon these creatures through his art. Overcoming the prejudices of this early period in human history, Hawkman returns to his own time. He is not, however, the only member of the team to be so tested, which brings us to...

The Spectre who finds himself in the year 1815. Though arriving with nothing more than the knowledge that he is a spirit, The Spectre nonetheless resumes his normal injustice battling activities when he hears the shouts of an angry mob. Their target? Stephen Hare, an inventor who proclaims that his tiny motors can and will power the machines which run the factories upon which the economy of this town thrives. Though skeptical that electricity can even be harnessed in the manner Hare claims, the workers of this town fear that should his invention work, they'll be out of jobs. Hence their anger; hence their coming to the attention of The Spectre.

Though Hare tries to explain that his invention will actually have the opposite effect of what they fear - namely, that by increasing the production resulting from this invention, costs will go down and demand will rise thus creating more jobs - the inventor is overpowered by the mob and rescued only by the timely arrival of our superpowered stranger to these parts. Despite The Spectre's intervention however, Hare decides that he will give into the mob's demands and stop working on his new device. Hearing this, The Spectre responds "Let me tell you something! Whenever a man discovers something new and different he is made the object of suspicion and hatred! Some people fear that he will harm their business, while others think he's just plain crazy! Jeers and sneers have always hailed the discovery or invention of something new. Columbus had the same trouble when he said the world was round and Gallileo (sic), too, met only abuse when he said the earth revolved around the sun! In those days, folks thought Columbus and Galileo were crazy. But we now know those two men were right. That's why I say don't quit! Someday..."



Hare interrupts the inspiring speech to accept The Spectre's challenge and vows to continue his work and promotion of his motor. Aware of his intentions, the townspeople once again turn their aggression towards Hare and hire some thugs on the waterfront to beat the inventor up. A fellow inventor seemingly new to the town, overhears their plans, and literally bumps into The Spectre who has also been keeping an eye on the mob. When Spec beats up the hired thugs when they attack Hare, the stranger introduces himself to Hare while offering these words: "Young man, no matter what the odds are against you, have belief in yourself and your work. Then someday, the public will believe in you, too". The stranger's name? Robert Fulton - engineer and pioneer who revolutionized the steamboat industry though his ship The Claremont. With Hare agreeing to persevere, The Spectre is swept away back to the present year of 1944.

The comic ends with each member of the team having proved themselves capable of overcoming the prejudices of their respective eras and the magical being responsible for their travels introducing herself as 'The Conscience of Man'. With the understanding that each JSAer now has, she promises to guide humanity as best she can while they do the same. With that, the team appears at the school of the young man who inspired this adventure to reaffirm their allegiance to the flag of the USA and to the notion of Liberty and Justice for All as Wonder Woman reminds the assembled mass that "'Liberty and Justice for all" [means] regardless of race, color, or religion".

Thoughts: The inclusion of a brief synopsis of the Hawkman entry in this review was meant to illustrate not only how that opening tale plays by the rules 'The Conscience of Man' establishes at the start of this adventure, but to demonstrate why Fox's set-up is such an ingenious one. There's a palpable sense of danger in the idea of sending someone back in time but removing whatever safeguards exist against that individual being absorbed into the prejudices and hatreds of the period itself. By removing each team-member's sense of identity, Fox is forced to convince us that The JSAers are heroes in the truest sense of the word - individuals whose greatest strength lays in their moral compass and not within the wings upon their backs or power rings upon their fingers. As 'Ga', Hawkman is able to observe the tribe which accosts him as he enters The Stone Age, consider their offer of a partnership, weigh the benefits of such a bargain against his empathy for any poor soul who wouldn't have been capable of surviving their attack long enough to earn the same offer, and proceed accordingly. There is a well-crafted arc in place here which serves as a nice reminder of the choices a hero must make when bereft of anything but the scantest pieces of information at his disposal. It was a great opening to this issue, but unfortunately, Fox couldn't maintain the pace when it came to The Spectre.

Though arriving in 1815 without his memory, The Spectre at no point is forced to question the right way to proceed when faced with an angry mob threatening a lone inventor. He's still the same guy, same personality, knows he's a ghost - somehow "lose all knowledge... perhaps share the prejudices of those days" has, in The Spectre installment, become "You'll remain identical to who you are now, but you won't remember your name".

Throw me into The Stone Age, remove my memories, present me with a situation where a cave-painter seems to be summoning up monsters through his artwork, and to be honest with you, I'm not certain that the superstitious part of my brain won't override my empathetic side. Toss me into the year 1815 with the same conditions however, and I'm certain that I'm not going to be siding with a violently angry mob as they assault a peaceful inventor. In other words, things are too easy for The Spectre here since the restrictions Fox placed on him theoretically at the start of this story, have been forgotten or dismissed by the time we get around to his chapter. So how does the story work as an adventure piece...

eh. The Spectre teaches a lesson we already know - people are afraid of things they don't understand. Even on those terms, Fox (or The Spectre) slips up. "Columbus had the same trouble when he said the world was round" - not the case, that's a myth Washington Irving came up with when he published The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1828. So much for not remembering details humanity learned after the time period each team member arrives in since in 1815, The Spectre should never have learned this misconception. The Spectre also refers to Galileo as "Gallileo" at one point which isn't a massive mistake, but falling fast on the heels of his Columbus boner, it doesn't inspire much confidence in The Spectre's ability to prove a point.

Was Robert Fulton a recognizable name back in 1944? Would the surprise revelation at the end of this piece that the fellow inventor offering his words of encouragement to Hare is none other than the creator of The Claremont blown kids minds back then? Genuine question - perhaps back then he would have, I really don't know. Actually, I don't even know if it meant anything to Hare since we don't see his reaction to Fulton's introduction once it's been made. Just once I'd like to see one of these "Perhaps you've heard of me..." moments end with "No, I haven't". Then The Spectre could explain, "You know - Robert Fulton? The Claremont? He sailed on it to prove to skeptics that the ocean wasn't filled with elves and that clouds weren't made of marshmallows which everyone in your time believes?"



So, I don't know, not a bad story, but it reads like a coloring book

And on another note, the artwork looks quite different from what we're used to in these pages. Rounder, looser lines provide a cartoonier look for The Spectre feature - it isn't bad, but just different in an inoffensive way. Our hero looks a little more barrel chested than usual, but I wouldn't say that an attempt is being made to make him look more superheroish or anything. Just thought I'd mention it though it doesn't really affect me one way or the other.

Yes, I think American kids in 1944 were taught about Robert Fulton and the steamboat, along with other landmark inventors who Made America Great - Eli Whitney, Elias Howe, Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. I was taught about all of them in the 60s. Has the teaching of American history changed?

I learned about Eli Whitney and Henry Ford. I don't recall learning about the others from school.

Not really. I'm a few years younger than what I assume your age range might be, but in school, we learned about every person you mentioned. Of course, that was not the case on a state-by-state basis, so that would explain the differences in what was taught.