All-Star Comics #18

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Introduction," Chairman Hawkman presents a wax exhibit of a miniature insect world to the JSA, revealing a new threat: a madman using insect hormones to breed super-powered insect men for criminal purposes. Johnny Thunder’s late arrival—walking on the ceiling and buzzing like a fly—drives home the urgency of stopping this menace before it spreads.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 1," Abner Mason pleads with Hawkman to rescue his son, kidnapped by a gang of termite men hiding in the abandoned Cartwheel house. The criminals, using a sticky, gummy substance to subdue guards, have been robbing banks and now trap the Feathered Fury in a fiery trap—only for the heat to melt their trap and set Hawkman free to pursue them.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 2," Sandman investigates a bizarre theft when plant-based rubber inventor Serge Astrakoff reports that giant snail-like men emerged from beneath his lab and stole his formula. With the help of his wits and a clever gas trap, the Sandman tracks down the borer-men and brings them to justice—before the next strange crime strikes.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 3," the Spectre takes on the Water Bug, a former Olympic swimmer turned criminal after being recruited by the King Bee. As the Ghostly Guardian tracks down the insect-themed gang, he finds unexpected cooperation from a man whose athletic past now fuels his redemption.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 4," a hijacked airliner crashes in a remote area, leaving its passengers stranded—only to be discovered by Dr. Fate, who’s passing through. When the Hasher, a member of King Bee’s gang, spots him, the villainous hornet men are sent to eliminate the sorcerer, but Fate quickly turns the tide. With the gang captured and a trail of incriminating paperwork in hand, Fate sets off to confront the elusive King Bee, determined to stop the insect-themed crime wave before it spreads further.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 5," Fred Norman confronts his long-standing terror of spiders when human-like spider-men invade a bank where he's working late—reminding him of the traumatic death of his friend Jim years before. With Dr. Mid-Nite's guidance, Fred must face his phobia head-on, using his wits and courage to stand his ground against the insectoid criminals.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 6," the city trembles under the assault of ant-men—brute, towering figures capable of crushing cars with ease—hired by the King Bee’s gang to pull off bank heists. When the Astral Avenger arrives, he’s forced to confront the moral dilemma of stopping them without taking lives, until Starman uncovers the truth: the ants are controlled by a microphone linked to their antennas.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 7," the emerald Green Glacier recounts its theft from Carteret's House of Jewels by a gang of Grasshopper Men. The Atom arrives on the scene, using clever tactics to lure the insect-like criminals into a field of grain before subduing the human accomplices and securing the precious gem.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Chapter 8," Johnny, still reeling from the fly hormone’s effects, finds himself back at the diner—only this time, the soup’s no better than the bologna, and the wings he’s given aren’t for flying away. With just enough clarity to suggest a plan, he rallies the Thunderbolt to outwit the hive mind, and together they set off toward the King Bee’s lair.

In "Insects Turn to Crime! Conclusion," lowly bug exterminator Elmer Pane finally turns his lifelong obsession into power—using crystallized insect hormones to command a hive of mind-controlled minions. As the Justice Society of America closes in on the King Bee’s lair, they face not just a villain’s scheme, but the desperate, twisted genius behind it, all while racing to find the antidote before the transformation becomes permanent.