All-Star Comics #28

In the distant future of 11,946, in the city of Nu Yuk, the Justice Society warns against opening mysterious jars that hold a perilous secret. A parchment recounts how Nels Farrow, a man with a grudge, discovered the jars and learned that the paints within are alive—capable of bringing to life anything he paints, for either good or evil. As Farrow lies dying, he shares his tale with the JSA, who now race to protect the five men he once vowed to destroy.

In "The Paintings That Walked the Earth! Chapter 1," archaeologist Hank Kavanaugh uncovers an ancient gold platter linked to lost Atlantean secrets, only to see the moonlight awaken monstrous figures from a mysterious painting. When Hawkman arrives and finds himself powerless against the living art, he devises a desperate plan—sealing the canvas in a tank of gold polish and using it as bait to lure the creatures into following him into the sky.

In "The Paintings That Walked the Earth! Chapter 2," Green Lantern teams up with African hunter Elbert Jenkins to secure a mysterious painting with dangerous powers, racing against the setting sun to prevent its ancient magic from unleashing living figures. As shadows lengthen and secrets stir, the duo must outwit unseen rivals who’ve learned the painting’s deadly truth—before the moon rises and the artwork claims its next victims.

In "The Paintings That Walked the Earth! Chapter 3," Dr. Mid-Nite races to the frozen north to warn Greg Scallop about his mysterious painting of armored knights—only to find the moonlight has already awakened them. With the mine’s elevator cables severed and the spectral knights on the move, Mid-Nite holds them off while the cable is repaired, then makes a desperate dash to the surface. As he grabs the empty canvas and skis down the slope, the painted figures pursue him through the snow, their armor gleaming under the cold northern light.

In "The Paintings That Walked the Earth! Chapter 4," Johnny finds himself aboard the S.S. Headliner, whisked away by the Thunderbolt to warn the ship’s Captain about the dangerous painting he’s inherited. When moonlight touches the artwork, the figures within come alive and unleash chaos among the passengers, leaving Johnny and the Thunderbolt scrambling to contain the madness. With the painted beings riding flying seahorses in pursuit, the duo must think fast as they flee across the storm-lit sea.

In "The Paintings That Walked the Earth! Chapter 5," Jo Cassidy revels in his new Farrow painting—until the Atom arrives with a warning: the figures within are about to come alive. As the canvas shifts and the painted beings step into the real world, they turn toward Cassidy’s oil fields, unleashing chaos. With the Atom powerless against their fiery resistance, he grabs the canvas and flees, hoping to lead the living paintings away before they reach their target.

In "The Paintings That Walked the Earth! Chapter 6," Flash races to stop a living painting from unleashing prehistoric horrors on the circus arena, while circus owner Josh Mason keeps the crowd in the dark with a bold performance. With the beasts on the loose and the show turning deadly real, Flash must outwit the painted creatures by luring them away with the empty canvas—just as the painted world begins to move beyond the frame.

In the final pages of "The Paintings That Walked the Earth! Conclusion," the Justice Society of America confronts the lingering aftermath of sentient art, gathering at their headquarters with empty canvases to reclaim the painted entities. As the creatures return to their origins, the heroes carefully scrape the remnants into sealed jars, leaving a warning for future generations—whose descendants, reading the parchment, choose not to open the jars, respecting the power they can’t yet understand.