Eric Knowles was a master craftsman and toymaker, who came to prominence in Gotham City on Earth-Two. While appearing to be a reputable businessman in public, even appearing on radio announcer Alan Scott's WXYZ program, Knowles was secretly the costumed criminal known as the Tin Soldier.
His counterpart on Earth-One was given the alias Key-Man #1 by his master, the Key... a recurring adversary of the Justice League of America. When Key and his Key-Man threatened the safety of Saint Louis, Missouri, the Justice League assembled. This included Green Lantern, though not the one who was their teammate!
The initial confrontation between Alan's alter ego Green Lantern and Tin Soldier ended with Scott being knocked unconscious by an exlarged yo-yo lauched from Knowle's hand. Before Hal Jordan could join his League teammates, he slipped on a bar of soap and was knocked unconscious. His power ring recruited one of Jordan's two backups, architect John Stewart, to substitute as the Green Lantern for this adventure.
Both John and Alan faced off against their tenacious foes, as Key-Man #1 sent Tin Soldier robots to deal with Stewart and the Red Tornado, while other gimmicks of the Key preoccupied the other Leaguers. Similiarly, Alan had a rematch with his Tin Solder, which once more saw his foe gain the upper hand.
Thankfully, both the Tin Soldiers' master and Tin Soldier himself were defeated. Key-Man #1 had been secretly replaced by honorary Leaguer known as the Phantom Stranger, who saved the lives of his teammates. And Green Lantern Alan Scott eacaped Tin Soldier's tornado top and turned his automated minions against him.
The Key escaped the grasp of his Justice League adversaries, who turned his scheme of destroying a part of St. Louis into an opportunity to rebuild the city's dilapidated domiciles, with help from John Stewart's power ring coupled with his brilliant architectural mind. As for the Key of Earth-Two, he had no known connection to the Tin Soldier, and faced Green Lantern Alan Scott and the Justice Society members during their last case in 1951.
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