1938 - October

 Action Comics #5, October 1938

Cover: 

• The cover shows a man in tan pants, black boots, and a shredded white shirt on top of a sand dune. In his right hand, the man is holding a revolver by its barrel. Ascending the sand dune are several stereotypically dressed desert residents, in robes and ghutras, holding aloft scimitars.
• The cover boasts "64 Pages of Thrills!"
• The cover has no apparent connection to any of the interior content.
• The cover is signed by Leo E. O’Mealia, with both the “E” and apostrophe intact.
• There is no mention of Superman on the cover.

Story: 

• “Untitled” - 9 pages, credited to “Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster”
• First story in the anthology-style book

Fabulous Firsts:

• First time Superman’s chest emblem has a definite red border
• First time Clark and Lois compete for a news story
• First time Superman and Lois kiss, albeit off-panel
• First time Lois professes love for Superman
• First use of “flat” Superman logo with a somewhat stylized “S”

Origin:

• This story contains no mention of Superman’s origins.

Costume:

• The costume is essentially the same as it was in the previous story (blue suit, blue boots, red shorts, red cape, belt (which appears to be blue in this story)).
• The chest emblem is triangular, but has a definite red border now.
• The “S” starts off yellow, but is red by the end of the story.

Powers:

• Super-Strength - he cracks a “huge mountain peak”, perhaps his greatest feat of strength yet
• Super-Speed
• Leaping Ability

Characterization:

• Superman is very focused on saving people.
• Superman is taken aback by Lois’ advances.
• Clark continues to act shy and unsure of himself, even after he has already filed his story.
• Lois is bold and assertive, sending Clark on a “wild goose chase” so that she can pursue the Valleyho Dam story. We don’t see her reaction to Clark beating her to the story.
• The Daily Star editor is portrayed as a hothead.
  

Supporting Cast:

• Unnamed Daily Star Editor
• Lois Lane
• Unnamed Nurse
• Unnamed Train Passengers
• Unnamed Train Attendants
• Unnamed Taxicab Driver

Synopsis:

     Because of great rainfall, the Valleyho Dam is in danger of bursting, which would bring great devastation to the nearby community. The editor of the Daily Star wants Clark Kent to cover the story, but he is nowhere to be found. Lois offers to go, but the editor’s misogyny does not allow it.

  Lois finds Clark outside and sends him to the hospital to cover a fake story about the birth of septuplets, while she takes the last train towards Valleyho. Once Clark learns that he has been bamboozled by Lois and fired by his editor, he heads out to Valleyho as Superman. Along the way, Superman saves Lois’s train from a damaged bridge.

     Superman tries to hold the dam together as the residents flee, but it eventually bursts. Superman causes an avalanche that causes rocks and debris to block and divert the flood waters from the town of Valleyho.

     In the midst of all this, Lois manages to drive a car right into the flood waters. Superman saves her and receives a kiss from Lois as a reward. Although she pleads for him to not go, Superman leaves so that Clark Kent can file his story with the Daily Star and get his job back.

Favorite Quotes:

• “Another astounding adventure of the strongest man on Earth!!”
• “Lady! – Please – ! …Wow! – What a kiss!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• This is the first Superman story to not be 13 pages.
• This story also seems to set the template for many Superman stories to come. There is an imminent threat that the newspaper needs to cover. Both Clark and Lois attempt to get the story. Lois gets in trouble. Superman saves the day (and Lois). Superman brushes off Lois’s advances. Clark gets the story. Lois ends up disgusted by Clark and smitten by Superman. All that is missing is Clark Kent breaking the “fourth wall” with a wink.
• I also get the feeling that either Mario Puzo or other writers of Superman: The Movie took inspiration from this story as there are some very similar scenes, particularly with the dam and with the train rescue.
• I appreciate the panel where the train attendants talk about alerting other trains to the collapsed bridge. I guess Superman was too busy to think about future potential danger.
• I have also been noticing how often trains appear in these early Superman stories. (All but one so far?)
• It is interesting that the kiss happens between panels. I guess this is family entertainment.
• Although the panels still have the numbering system like the previous stories, I feel that this story was primarily made with the comic book format in mind, given the preponderance of differently-sized panels.
• There is no new installment of Superman’s “Acquiring Super-Strength” course.

Apropos of Nothing::

• Sheldon Moldoff draws a one-page feature on Hollywood celebrities. Moldoff, who also contributed a similar one-pager to Action Comics #1, would later become one of the most prolific (perhaps the most prolific) Bob Kane “ghosts” on Batman features in the 1950s and 1960s.

All comic-related images are the copyright of DC Entertainment.

1938 - September

 Action Comics #4, September 1938

Cover: 

• The cover shows a dark wooded area where a person who is dressed as a member of the Canadian Mounted Police, while looking at a man cowering on the ground, is about to pull a gun out of its holster.
• The cover has no apparent connection to any of the interior content.
• The cover is signed by Leo O’Mealia, this time without the middle initial of “E”.
• There is no mention of Superman on the cover.

Story: 

• “Untitled” - 13 pages, credited to “Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster”
• First story in the anthology-style book

Fabulous Firsts: 

• First time Superman uses grease-paint to impersonate someone else
• First appearance of Clark Kent’s apartment
• First appearance in a story of a red “S” on Superman’s chest (in one panel)

Origin:

• This story contains no mention of Superman’s origins.

Costume:

• The costume is essentially the same as it was in the previous story (blue suit, blue boots, red shorts, red cape, yellow belt (unseen in this story), triangular yellow emblem with yellow “S” on the chest, although in one panel the emblem looks shield-shaped with a red “S”).

Powers:

• Super-Strength
• Super-Speed
• “Great” Leaping Ability

Characterization:

• Superman behaves erratically in this story.
• From ignoring the innocent bystander injured in a hit-and-run situation, to jumping into a train for no apparent reason, to drugging a perfectly innocent individual just so he could impersonate him, Superman’s actions are irresponsibly all over the place.
• Superman is called the “champion of the weak and helpless,” but seems bent on stopping and punishing injustice at the expense of those who are victimized.
• Superman is concerned about a speeding train killing him.

Supporting Cast:

• Unnamed Drunken Irresponsible Driver
• Unnamed Hit-Skip Victim
• Members of a Swiftly-Gathered Crowd
• Unnamed Train Engineer
• Unnamed Train Attendant
• Coach Randall, football coach at Dale University
• Professional Thugs
• Tommy Burke, Cordell University football player
• Mary, Tommy’s girlfriend
• Various Cordell University Football Players, mostly unnamed, but four are called Stevens, Burns, Lewiston, and Ray Martin
• Oliver Stanley, football coach at Cordell University
• Unnamed Cordell University Assistant Football Coach
• Unnamed Sports Editor of the “News”
• Excited Unnamed Football Radio Announcer
• Wallace Dodd, Tennis Champion

Synopsis:

After witnessing a hit-and-run incident, Superman chases down the perpetrator whose car has stalled in front of an oncoming train. After initially saving the perpetrator (who then promptly dies of a heart attack), Superman sneaks onto the train and overhears a plan by the football coach of Dale University to hire two thugs to play on his team in order to “take out” the best players on the Cordell University team.

Superman decides to stop these nefarious acts by drugging Tommy Burke, a Cordell bench player who had recently been dumped by his girlfriend, and using makeup to impersonate Burke. Superman (as Burke) wows the Cordell coach, starts in the big game, and promptly scores many touchdowns. In the meantime, the real Burke has been kidnapped and tied up, from which he escapes. At the game, the real Burke hears that his ex-girlfriend is impressed with “his” performance on the field, which leads them to get back together. Burke quits football and the Dale coach resigns.

Favorite Quotes:

• “You needn’t worry. You’re just rendered passive by a drug.”
• “Go away! – You bother me!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• Where to begin? This is a very odd story, and quite possibly the worst ever Superman story (with all due respect to Mr. Siegel and Mr. Shuster).
• Superman does not attend to the victim of the hit-and-run. He doesn’t rush him to the hospital or offer any life-saving care. Instead, he races a train so that he can catch up with the driver of the car.
• I am not sure how long it took Superman to catch up to the car. It is clearly daytime when the accident takes place and clearly nighttime when he makes it to the car.
  
• Superman fears that the train will kill him. Does he not yet know the extent of his invulnerability?
• Superman saves the driver from the train, but the driver almost immediately dies of a heart attack. This isn’t so strange, but Superman apparently just leaves the dead driver on the side of the road as he goes onto his next “adventure.”
• Again, instead of racing back to check on the struck pedestrian back in the city, Superman, for no apparent reason, decides to sneak onto the train through a window.
• It is almost as if there should be another page of story between the heart attack panel and the getting-on-the-train panel. There is no narrative flow here at all.
• Once Superman has heard the coach’s plan, why doesn’t he stop them there and then? Why not tail the hired thugs and make it so they don’t join the Dale team? That would have been a much better plan than what he did.
• And what he did is this: Superman stabs an innocent man with a hypodermic needle filled with some drug to make a person sick and lethargic for days! Superman seems to think it’s no big deal, as he simply takes Tommy Burke’s place on the Cordell football team.
  
  I feel that if the Superman of this era had heard of someone else doing this, he would have tracked down the perpetrator and beaten the snot out of him.
• This is Tommy Burke’s seventh year on the Cordell University football team. He must be on the Tommy Boy college plan.
• Superman witnesses the thugs tie up and kidnap Tommy, but does nothing to stop it. Yes, this is the same Superman who is called the “champion of the weak and helpless” on the first page of the story.
• Just before the game, we learn that this is for the championship. You’d think that would have been mentioned before. That also means that the Dale coach must have had a pretty good season, so why is he in danger of being fired if he loses?
• Although Clark is described as being a newspaper reporter, there is no mention of the name of the newspaper.
• This is the first Superman story where Clark’s editor does not appear.
• Lois Lane does not appear in this story.
• They had to wait an extra month, but readers finally get lesson one in “Acquiring Super-Strength”. However, Superman is not part of the mini-feature.

Apropos of Nothing:

• Cover artist Leo E. O’Mealia illustrates an “Inspector Donald and Bobby” feature in this issue.

All comic-related images are the copyright of DC Entertainment.

1938 - August

 Action Comics #3, August 1938

Cover: 

• The cover shows a man dressed in a white maritime military uniform. He is lifting a sword behind his head while yelling. He appears to be on the shore of an island or some other tropical locale. In the immediate background there are individuals dressed in stereotypical “native” garb holding shields. It is unknown if the man in white knows the others are there. In the far background there is a destroyed sailing ship sinking in the water.
• The cover has no apparent connection to any of the interior content.
• The cover is signed by Leo E. OMealia, this time without an apostrophe in the last name.
• There is no mention of Superman on the cover.

Story: 

• “Untitled” - 13 pages, credited to “Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster”
• First story in the anthology-style book

Fabulous Firsts: 

• First time Lois Lane does not appear in a Superman story
• First use of “Great Scott” in a Superman story (uttered by Thornton Blakely)

Origin:

• This story contains no mention of Superman’s origins.

Costume:

• The costume is essentially the same as it was in the previous story (blue suit, blue boots, red shorts, red cape, yellow belt, triangular yellow emblem with yellow “S” on the chest, although the “S” is not discernible in this story).
• Oddly, Superman appears in costume in only one panel this entire story.

Powers:

• Superman runs at a “pace that not even the fastest auto or airplane could duplicate!”
• Superman’s physical structure leaves him unaffected by poison gas that affects others.
• Superman continues to exhibit super-strength, including picking up five people at once, at several points in the story

Characterization:

• Superman continues to defend the marginalized and downtrodden, showing little regard for criminals or those who abuse power and privilege. For example, Superman intentionally caves-in the mine while the attendees of Blakely’s party are in it.

Supporting Cast:

• Stanislaw Kober, trapped miner
• Unnamed Telegraph Operator
• Unnamed Editor (called “Chief”)
• Unnamed Disaster On-looker
• Unnamed Police Officer
• Various Unnamed Miners
• Thornton Blakely, owner of the mine
• Two Unnamed Blakely Security Guards
• George, Blakely party attendee
• Other Various Unnamed Blakely Party Attendees

Synopsis:

Superman, dressed as a miner, saves a miner trapped in a cave-in at Blakely’s Mine. Later, Clark Kent learns from the miner that demands to make the mine safe had been ignored. Kent speaks with Thornton Blakely, who assumes no responsibility for the accident.

Superman, dressed as a miner again, crashes a late night party that Blakely is holding at his home. After insulting both Superman and his party guests, Blakely suggests that the party move to his mine, to show his guests something different. While in the mine, Superman intentionally breaks supports in order to cause a cave-in, trapping all the party guests. 

Blakely realizes that all the safety features that were supposed to be in the mine are antiquated. Satisfied that Blakely has learned his lesson, Superman clears the way for rescuers to make it to the trapped party. Afterwards, Blakely pledges to Clark Kent that he will make his mines safe and that he will treat his workers well.

Favorite Quotes:

• ‘Golly! - His condition is pretty serious!”
• “He was referring to us!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• Although Lois Lane does not appear in this story, as previously mentioned, one of the Party Attendees looks an awful lot like her.
• Also as previously mentioned, Superman wears his Superman outfit for only one panel in this story, opting often for his miner-guise (which does contain a lot of blue and red). I wonder if the editors were still wary of how the public would accept a costumed adventurer.
• Clark Kent characterizes his place of work as “a very powerful newspaper.” There is no indication if the newspaper is called the Daily Star (as it was in the first story) or the Evening News in Cleveland (as it was in the second story).
• One of the party attendees references Elsa Maxwell, a celebrity party hostess known for including scavenger hunts and other games in her events. Mostly known in Europe, this reference predates by several years Elsa Maxwell’s U.S. radio program and gossip column.
• It was Blakely’s idea for the party to go down into the mine. What would Superman have done if Blakely didn’t suggest this? It is unclear as to what Superman's plan was after crashing the party.
• Again, Superman intentionally causes a cave-in, endangering several innocent people.
• While speaking to Blakely at the end of the story, Clark Kent thinks to himself that if Blakely steps out of line again, he can “expect another visit from Superman!” However, Blakely has no idea that he has already had a visit from Superman, since he never appeared to Blakely in costume and did all his super-feats while no one was looking.
• There is no mention anywhere in this issue of Superman’s course in “Acquiring Super-Strength”, which was advertised in the previous issue.

Apropos of Nothing:

• In his feature, Pep Morgan is holding an issue of Action Comics.
• Looking at the one-eyed antagonist in the “Tex Thomson” feature gives me a headache.

All comic-related images are the copyright of DC Entertainment.

1938 - July

 Action Comics #2, July 1938

Cover: 

• A man is falling through the sky, apparently with a parachute on (we only see the chords). The man is wearing a suit and tie with a pistol in his right hand, while his left arm is holding a woman in a red dress. A yellow bi-plane is flying their way while another, smoking bi-plane is falling.
• The cover is signed by Leo E. O’Mealia.
• The cover image has no apparent connection to any stories within the book.
• There is no mention of Superman on the cover.

Story: 

• “Untitled” - 13 pages, credited to “Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster”
• First story in the anthology-style book

Fabulous Firsts: 

• First appearance of the Evening News, Cleveland, Ohio
• First use of Lois’ last name of Lane
• “First time in all history, a man battles an airplane single-handed!”
• First advertisement for “Superman’s own course in: ‘Acquiring Super-Strength!’”, beginning next issue

Origin:

• This story contains no mention of Superman’s origins.

Costume:

• The costume is essentially the same as it was in the previous story (blue suit, blue boots, red shorts, red cape, yellow belt, triangular yellow emblem with yellow “S” on the chest)
• In some panels, the belt is either not visible or colored red
• In some panels, the chest emblem is missing
• In at least one panel, the “S” on the emblem is all black.
• In at least one panel, the cape is missing.

Powers:

• 
  Superman leaps (apparently enough to get to the top of the Washington Monument
• Machine gun bullets bounce off of Superman
• Superman bends an iron bar
  
• Superman outswims a steamship (first appearance of super-speed?)
• Superman runs “faster than the eye can follow”
• Superman tosses a man like he would a javelin
• An airplane’s propeller shatters on Superman’s skin

Characterization:

• Superman is very brash in this story, often threatening his opponents with violence. For example, Superman tells Emil Norvell that if Norvell is not heading to San Monte the next morning, he will "tear out your cruel heart with my bare hands!"
• Lois begins asking questions of Superman, to which Superman remains very aloof, abruptly telling Lois to save her questions and that she may never see him again.
• However, Superman does take time on the ocean trip to enjoy the moonlight. Perhaps he is a romantic after all!

Supporting Cast:

• Alex Greer, slick lobbyist from previous story
• Emil Norvell, munitions magnate
• Emil Norvell’s “Boys”
• Lois Lane
• Unnamed “Sullen-Faced Toughs”
• Lola Cortez, woman of mystery
• Unnamed Puzzled Sentries
• Unnamed Enemy General & Soldiers
• Unnamed Postal Clerk
• Unnamed Hotel Manager
• Unnamed Judge
• Unnamed Torturer
• Unnamed Torturer’s Captives
• Unnamed Blood-Thirsty Aviator
• Unnamed Army Commander
• Unnamed Editor

Synopsis:

Picking up from where the story in Action Comics #1 left off, Superman safely lands with a terrified Alex Greer, a warmongering Washington lobbyist. Greer gives Superman the name of one munitions magnate, Emil Norvell, allegedly behind “the threatening war.” Superman finds Norvell and convinces him to take the steamship Baronta to San Monte in order to experience war first hand. While boarding the ship, Clark finds Lois as their editor has decided that coverage of the war needs her “distinctive feminine touch.”

That evening on the ship, Superman surprises Norvell, but Superman is soon cornered by a group of “toughs” who force Superman to fall overboard. Superman outswims the boat to San Monte and promptly takes care of the “toughs” upon the ship’s arrival at port.

Both Norvell and Superman enlist in the San Monte army as Superman wants to both teach Norvell a lesson and get photographs of the war. He achieves the latter first and promptly sends the photographs to the Evening News in Cleveland, Ohio.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel where everyone is staying, a mysterious woman plants an incriminating document in Lois’s room. After the document is found by the military, Lois is arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to immediate execution by firing squad. Superman shows up just in time to save Lois.

Superman then breaks up a tortuous inquisition, sends Lois home, downs an airplane and its pilot, convinces Norvell to stop manufacturing weapons, rounds up the leaders of both sides of the war, and convinces them that they should stop their fighting, especially since neither knows exactly why they are fighting.

Back home, Clark and his editor discuss the likelihood of Superman making another appearance.

Favorite Quotes:

• “You see how effortlessly I crush this bar of iron in my hand? – That bar could just as easily be your neck!”
• “Who knows? Perhaps tomorrow – perhaps never!’
• “We’re not angry at each other!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• This story was originally conceived as a daily newspaper strip, as evidenced by the numbers in the lower corners of the panels. I believe because of that, these early Superman stories do not show the full talent of Joe Shuster. Some of his layouts in his earlier comics work like Spy and Federal Men (both also with Jerry Siegel), are really creative, showing some perspective and fluidity that a daily sequential strip would not allow for. I believe that if circumstances had been different, Joe Shuster would be considered on par with other great innovators of the Golden Age of comics such as Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, and Jack Cole.
• Superman appears quite confident that a barrage of bullets will not harm him as he stands confidently against the thugs with machine guns. I wonder how he learned this?
• Superman’s costume also seems to be bulletproof since there is no indication of any damage to it, including no holes in the cape (which was in the direct line of fire when he saves Lois from the firing squad!)
• I cannot ever imagine the Superman I grew up with threatening to snap anyone’s neck.
• There is no indication from which port the steamship Baronta departs. I would assume that it is close to Washington, DC, where all the action of the story has taken place thus far, but why would Lois be taking this boat? How and when did she get to DC?
• A disproportionate amount of time is spent on Lola Cortez, based upon her overall impact on the story. I feel we should have gotten to know more about her. Who is she really? Is she a spy? Why does she frame Lois? None of these questions are answered.
• It is clear in this story that Superman possesses super-speed. On at least three occasions he appears to be moving with superhuman quickness.
• There is never any explanation as to what connection the previous story’s discussion of a war in Europe has to do with the war in San Monte, unless Greer and Norvell and the rest were involved in several wars around the globe.
• It is also not made clear as to who the two different sides of the war are, or which side was going to execute Lois, or who was doing the torturing.
• Instead of sending the war pictures to the Daily Star, Clark sends them to the Evening News, a newspaper in Cleveland. Obviously, the creators had yet to solidify where Superman was from and for whom Clark Kent worked. Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel first met in high school in Cleveland.
• Clark’s discussion with his editor at the end of the story seems odd. Did Clark not report on Superman’s activities in San Monte? Did no other media outlets? It would seem that way since the editor talks about no recent Superman activity.
• The announcement of the “Acquiring Super-Strength” course that is supposedly coming next issue is very interesting. It appears in the bottom ⅓ of the last page of the story and shows a shirtless Superman flexing his arm muscles. There is also an image of an issue of Action Comics that appears to have a Superman cover. Superman will next appear on the cover of Action Comics with issue #7, still several months away.

Apropos of Nothing:

• Zatara gets a mustache in his feature!

All comic-related images are the copyright of DC Entertainment.