All-American Comics #53 is an issue of the series All-American Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1943.
Synopsis for Green Lantern: "The Mail Goes Through"
Sheltering from the rain in an old abandoned house, a falling tree reveals a mail pouch hidden in the walls to Alan Scott and Doiby Dickles. Deciding the post office is spread awfully thin those days, Alan takes it upon himself to deliver the 86-year-old letters as Green Lantern. He inspires a few folks, then when he goes to deliver a letter to explorer "Steel-Nerves" Thomas, finds the man under attack by gangsters come to rob his house of valuable treasures from his adventures. Thomas admits to the heroes he's nothing but a fraud, who makes up overblown stories to impress people. One of the gangsters regains consciousness and shoots out the hull of an old wooden ship from the ceiling so it drops on Green Lantern. Soon regaining consciousness himself, Green Lantern uses his ring to turn invisible so that when Thomas fights back, it seems like he knocks out all the gangsters by himself, and gives him the confidence of a brave explorer ancestor of his.
Next Green Lantern delivers a letter to recently released safe-cracker Pete Blake, who realizes he's descended from "the great statesman Henry Cl---", news Green Lantern hopes will hope him go straight. The emerald crusader also proposes Pete attend a party held by the USA Society, people descended from great Americans. Pete meets and gets a date offer from a beautiful blonde named Dorothy, only for some more gangsters to rob the party and lock most of the attendees inside a vault. Green Lantern shows up but is forced to let them go when they threaten to shoot Dorothy. Pete proves himself to her by using his safe-cracking expertise to save everyone from the vault before they suffocate. While he was doing that, Green Lantern rounded up the thieves.
Doiby marvels at how delivering those letters late did more good than it would've if they'd arrived on time.
Appearing in Green Lantern: "The Mail Goes Through"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Lifter
- Soapy
- 3rd thug
- four more thugs
Other Characters:
- "Steel Nerves" Thomas, explorer
- Pete Blake, parolee
- U.S.A.Society (club for descendants of great Americans)
- Roger Cartwright
- Dorothy Cartwright
Locations: Items:
- Green Lantern's Power Ring
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Atom: "Colors and Crime"
In attempting to invent a cure for hay fever, Al Pratt's friend Wilmer crates a chemical that turns human skin blue. Some crooks steal it and try to blackmail a theater company by threatening to turn them blue before a performance. The Atom intervenes, but the crooks escape. They threaten Wilmer to mail them more of the blue chemical, but at the Atom's direction he mails them a package of sneezing powder instead, allowing Atom to spring his trap and capture them easily. Wilmer creates another formula to cure hay fever, but this one explodes and turns his face an amusing color again. This time, black with ash.
Appearing in Atom: "Colors and Crime"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gus Morello
- Fats
- Shive
Other Characters:
- Wilmer, inventor
- Rodney Garrick
- his Shakespearean Players
Locations:
- Calvin City, Connecticut
- Bijou Theater
- Post Office
- Calvin College
- Science Laboratory
- Science Laboratory
Synopsis for Dr. Mid-Nite: "Caught by Coincidence"
Hans, a Nazi spy, disguises himself as a hobo to meet with his stateside contacts. Meanwhile, some blue bloods decide to pull a prank on Mrs. Van Kollem by dressing up a hobo as a millionaire and seeing if she can even tell the difference. The mark they pick is Hans, who goes along with it, thinking he's made contact with his associates. At the party, "Peter Dwight the Third" sneaks away and makes to rob the house's safe, which he thinks is where plans for a new bomber are hidden. Fortunately, Dr. McNider's a guest at the party, and in his heroic guise catches the spy.
Appearing in Dr. Mid-Nite: "Caught by Coincidence"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hans, demolition diver, as "Peter Dwight the Third, Australian steel magnate"
- saboteur gang
Other Characters:
- Archie, young playboy
- Roger, young playboy
- Mrs. van Kollem
- hobos
- society swells
- Sen. van Kollem
Locations:
- Keystone City area
- hobo jungle
- Van Kollem Mansion
- power house
Items:
- Dr. Mid-Nite's Blackout Bombs
Vehicles:
- Nazi Submarine
Synopsis for Scribbly and the Red Tornado: "Red Tornado Now on Despatch Staff"
Appearing in Scribbly and the Red Tornado: "Red Tornado Now on Despatch Staff"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Greasy
- his pal
Other Characters:
- Macklin, ex-editor (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- New York City
- Vine Street, Hunkel's Grocery
- Morning Despatch Newspaper Office
Synopsis for Red, White, and Blue: "Trouble is Its Own Reward"
Appearing in Red, White, and Blue: "Trouble is Its Own Reward"
Featured Characters:
- Red, White, and Blue
- Red Dugan, USMC
- Whitey Smith, USA
- Blooey Blue, USN
Supporting Characters:
- Doris West, G2
Antagonists:
- Gustav von Richter as Frederico San Angelo (fake)
Other Characters:
- Frederico San Angelo, South American Envoy (Dies)
- Motorcycle Cop
- many more cops
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Passenger Steamship
Synopsis for Hop Harrigan: "Crash"
Appearing in Hop Harrigan: "Crash"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Hippity
- Mayan Pararompers
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Mayan Chieftains and Medicine Men
- Mayan Tribespeople
- Quimexo, God of Blood and Vengeance (in the guise of many savage orphan children)
Locations:
- South America
- Mayan Pyramid
- Secret Japanese Airbase
Vehicles:
- 100 Japanese Bombers
Notes
- Published monthly except May, August, November, and February by J.R. Publishing Company.
- Green Lantern begins using the modern version of the charging oath in this issue of this series.
- Hop Harrigan is head-konked unconscious with a rifle-butt.
- Hippity recruits his first cadre of Pararompers and Paratots from a mob of Mayan refugee children.
- The Red Tornado and the Cyclone Kids are still being called the "Terrific Trio" in this story, by characters and captions alike.
- In Red, White and Blue, Red Dugan gets head-konked unconscious with a blackjack.
- Also appearing in this issue of All-American Comics were:
- Mutt & Jeff (newspaper strip reprints) by Bud Fisher
- Cicero's Cat (newspaper strip reprints) by Bud Fisher
- Good Books Worth Reading: "Shadow In The Pines (by Stephen W. Meader)" (text article) by Josette Frank
- 1/2 page advertisement for Comic Cavalcade #4, and 1/2 page advertisement for Green Lantern #8
- Full-page advertisement for Wonder Woman #6, Mutt & Jeff #10, All-Flash #11, and All-Star Comics #18
See Also