Page "Psycho-Pirate" Paragraph 1

Charles Halstead is a minor character who first appears in All-Star Comics # 23, created by Gardner Fox and Joe Gallagher.

He was originally a linotyper for the Daily Courier who became jealous of his boss's success, later he becomes a criminal mastermind under the name Psycho-Pirate.

He plans crimes based on emotions, hoping to ruin his boss.

Nothing is known of the life of Charles Halstead before he became a linotyper at the Daily Courier.

A long-time employee, Halstead was a friend and favorite of publisher Rex Morgan.

Secretly, however, Halstead was frustrated with his lack of advancement at the paper and at some point, snapped.

He resolved to take what he had never been able to earn and his first target was the paper itself.

He began to stage a series of crimes based on emotions ( hate, greed, etc.

), cluing the Courier with leads to his crimes.

As time passed, Halstead, as the Psycho-Pirate, became bolder.

He penned a letter to the Courier, challenging the Justice Society to stop a new wave of crimes based on a variety of emotions.

For example, he engendered fear into the inhabitants of a city where he threatened to unleash a deadly plague until his plan was halted by Dr. Mid-Nite.

Each JSAer was given an emotion and a task to solve.

With the JSA dispersed and only the Atom to guard Halstead, the Psycho-Pirate began a campaign to demoralize the publisher with constant news of despair: business failure, divorce, foreclosure-a series of lies designed to crush the spirit of his employer.

To remove the Atom, he convinced the hero that the JSA had been captured and sent the Mighty Mite to rescue them.

The Atom discovered the ruse and defeated the criminal's henchmen disguised as JSAers.

In doing so, the Atom discovered the true identity of the Psycho-Pirate, who shot him to preserve his secrecy.

Wounded, the Atom made it to the Courier just as the JSA returned and exposed Halstead as the Psycho-Pirate.

Halstead was subsequently sentenced to a lengthy prison term after the Justice Society of America captures and puts him in jail.

He escapes by playing on the emotions of a guard, but the JSA hears of his plans from his cellmate and are able to recapture him.

He continues to research the mysticism of emotions until his death sometime in the 1960s.