1939 - February

 Action Comics #9, February 1939

Cover: 

• A racecar and its driver are crashing into what appears to have been a fence.
• The cover boasts “64 Pages of Thrills!”
• The cover image has no apparent connection to any of the interior content.
• The cover is signed by Fred Guardineer.
• A text blurb shares, “In this issue: Another Thrilling Adventure of SUPERMAN!”

Story: 

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

Fabulous Firsts:

• It’s the second time Superman is mentioned on the cover, but the first time he is mentioned on a cover that does not feature him.
• First time in Superman stories that "Jerome" Siegel is identified as "Jerry" Siegel.

Origin:

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

Costume:

• Superman’s costume is pretty consistent throughout this story and with what readers would come to expect.
• The “S” on the chest emblem consistently appears as red.
• The chest emblem does not have a red border.

Powers:

• “Lifting tremendous weights”
• “Jumping stupendous heights”
• “Running faster than a bullet”
• “Rending steel with his bare hands”

Characterization:

• Superman is very confident in his abilities.
• Clark allows himself to be bullied by the visiting policeman.
• Clark also sullenly walks away when Lois rejects him, only to break out in laughter when he is alone.

Supporting Cast:

• Unnamed Police Chief, presumably Chief Burke from the previous story
• Unnamed Newspaper Reporters
• Detective Captain Reilly, dick from Chicago
• Lois Lane
• Mortimer Snoop, amateur detective
• Saunders, escaped mental patient
• Unnamed Nurse
• Unnamed Doctor
• Unnamed Daily Star Editor
• Unnamed Police Officers
• Unnamed Hospital Orderlies
• Unnamed Door Attendant at Duncan Party
• Unnamed Party Attendee

Synopsis:

Continuing from last issue’s story, the police are out to capture Superman for the act of destroying the slums. The Police Chief hires Detective Captain Reilly from Chicago because he has a 100% success rate. Reilly yells at Clark for his whispering about Reilly’s arrogance, which gets back to Lois. Lois rejects Clark’s request for a date and admits that she is interested in Superman. Clark’s moping about Lois turns into laughter when he is alone as he enjoys the humor of the situation.

Meanwhile, Reilly decides to post a $5,000 reward for anyone who can find and capture Superman. This intrigues Mortimer Snoop, a private eye, who just happens to catch Clark in the act of changing to Superman. Even though he does not recognize Clark, Snoop calls Reilly with this information. Based on an invitation in Clark’s left-behind clothing, they determine that Superman is going to be at a party at the Duncan residence that evening.

The two show up at the party and proceed to examine everyone in attendance, making Clark nervous as he is wearing his Superman gear underneath his evening suit. Reilly begins to remove Snoop from the investigation, so Snoop responds by shutting off the lights, which allows Clark to change to Superman. Reilly and Snoop charge at Superman and are knocked unconscious by Superman’s “tough skin”. Reilly gives up his pursuit of  Superman and returns to Chicago, however now with a 99% success rate.

Favorite Quotes:

• “I absolutely loathe you, you contemptible weakling! – Don’t you dare even to talk to me any more!”
• “Clark! It’s you! Ok, I’ve never been happier to see anyone in all my life!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• The first “splash” panel shows Superman lifting and smashing a tank, somewhat reminiscent of the cover of Action Comics #1. The panel seems to have no connection to the story itself, unless it is previously unseen event from the military’s unsuccessful attempt to apprehend Superman in the previous issue’s story.
• This is the second time that a Superman story continues the narrative from the previous issue’s story. (The first time being the stories from Action Comics #1 and Action Comics #2.)
• Although there are many newspapers represented by the reporters, the Daily Star is the only one mentioned by name.
• I am still a bit bothered by the police’s and reporters’ attitude towards Superman’s actions from the previous issue. Chief Burke says, Superman “has torn down a slum area, causing modern apartments to replace crowded tenements” and goes on to say that he personally approves of Superman’s actions. The characterization of what happened sort of supports my cautionary wondering in the previous post. If the apartments are not crowded, as the tenements were, that makes me think that it is not the same people living in the new structures that had lived in the slums. At the very least, it’s not all of the same people. It seems that Superman has increased homelessness in the city, and everyone thinks it’s a great idea!
  
• The scene with Lois and Clark where Clark sadly leaves but then erupts in laughter when alone reminds of a similar scene in Action Comics #424 from June 1973.
• Wouldn’t people at the party, or at least Lois, realize that Clark is also gone after Superman appeared and left?
• I am curious to see if the police continue to try to hunt down Superman in upcoming stories. My guess is that the answer is, “No.”
• There is no “Acquiring Super-Strength” lesson in this issue.
• The last panel reads, "Further Adventures of Superman are to be Found Only in Action Comics - Don't Miss an Issue!"

Apropos of Nothing:

• Both Tex Thomson and Zatara seem to spend a lot of time in Asia.

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

1939 - January

 Action Comics #8, January 1939

Cover: 

• A colonial-era dressed soldier, perhaps European, is grappling with a traditionally-dressed Native American.
• The cover is supposedly an homage to a picture about James Fenimore Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans”.
• The cover boasts “64 Pages of Thrills!”
• The cover has no apparent connection to any of the interior content.
• The cover is signed by Zatara artist Fred Guardineer.
• 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:

• Possible first use of Super-Hearing (see Powers and the 1938 - June post)
• First time Superman is described as “The Iron Man”

Origin:

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

Costume:

• Superman’s boots are back to red after a one-story use of yellow boots.
• Superman’s chest emblem is entirely yellow throughout this story, except for the panels where it is mysteriously missing.

Powers:

• “Leaping over towering buildings”
• “Rending steel in his bare hands”
• “LIfting incredible weights high overhead”
• “Impervious to bullets because of an unbelievably tough skin”
• “Racing at a speed hitherto unwitnessed by mortal eyes”
• “Though Clark is seated far across the room, his sensitive ears catch the boys’ remarks.”

Characterization:

• Superman understands the boys’ situation beyond their criminal behavior and exhibits empathy as he considers their living conditions.
• Superman also understands the position of the authorities as they attempt to stop him.
• However, Superman behaves as if it is all right to rescue people apprehended by the police. He also expresses not much faith in “the court of law.”
• This is another story where Superman behaves somewhat erratically and exhibits questionable judgment.
  

Supporting Cast:

• Unnamed Judge
• Frankie Marello, juvenile delinquent
• Mrs. Marello, Frankie’s mother
• Box-Ears, Frankie’s friend
• Pinky, Frankie’s friend
• Nick, Frankie’s friend
• Unnamed fourth friend of Frankie
• Gimpy, “loathsome corrupter of youth”
• Unnamed Police Officers
• Unnamed Shouting News-Boy
• Unnamed Slum Residents
• Unnamed Firefighters
• Unnamed National Guardsmen
• Unnamed Bomber Pilot
• Police Chief Burke

Synopsis:

     After a judge sentences a juvenile to two years of reform school, Superman decides to help out other troubled youth by stopping them from committing robberies, rescuing them from police custody, punishing the crook who has “corrupted” them, and destroying their tenement housing..

     Because of Superman’s destruction of the slum, the U.S. military is called in to eliminate him, but Superman escapes. In the weeks to come, new, better housing is built to replace the old buildings Superman had destroyed. Later, the Chief of Police confides in Clark Kent that while publicly he is calling for Superman’s arrest, he thinks Superman “did a splendid thing.”

Favorite Quotes:

• “Shoot if you must – But after you’ve had your fun, go away before I get annoyed!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• In Action Comics #1, Superman is able to hear clearly a conversation inside a building while he is outside by a closed window. I believe this to be his first use of Super-Hearing. However, in this story Clark is described as “seated far across the room” but is able to hear the boys’ conversation because of his “sensitive ears”. It is not explicitly called Super-Hearing, but the ability is clear.
  
• Panel 7 on Page 2 reminds me of George Reeves jumping out of windows in the Adventures of Superman television program of the 1950s.
• I like how Superman face-palms Gimpy, causing Gimpy to fall to the floor.
• Superman really lays into Gimpy. Next, Superman punches Gimpy, causing him to flip upside-down as he smashes into a china cabinet.
• Superman then dumps Gimpy headfirst into a barrel of tar. Why there is a barrel of tar in Gimpy’s home is never explained.
• Superman grabbing Box-Ears before the police do is one thing, but picking up a squad car with one hand and with the other hand dragging out the apprehended Nick is something else. Superman is really interfering with police business here, aiding and abetting felons.
• I feel bad for the kid with the red hat; he never gets a name.
• Notice that when Gimpy happens upon Superman and the boys, he looks completely fine. There is no evidence that not too long beforehand (an hour, maybe?) Superman beat the crap out of him. There are no remnants of tar on his clothes, either.
• I love that Shuster took three panels to show Superman outracing a bullet.
• After unsuccessfully trying to scare the boys straight, using many of the same tactics he used against Alex Greer in Action Comics #1, Superman is at a loss as to how to help them. That is until he makes the rash and morally questionable decision to just destroy their homes. The Superman of the 1950s might have done a similar thing, but he definitely would have been the one to rebuild the homes, too. Superman of the 1930s does not consider these things and leaves that work for others to do.
• However, I can’t help but to wonder if the former tenants were able to afford the new housing. Did Superman just make worse the city’s homelessness problem?
  
• Things really escalate rather quickly in this story. It starts with Superman defying the police and then engaging in wanton destruction. But it continues with the National Guard being called in, along with “a squadron of aerial-bombers”. Does the National Guard have bombers? Or is this the full on U.S. Army coming in and dropping bombs on the city to stop Superman? Is it actually Zack Snyder who wrote this story?
• There is no mention of the Daily Star or Clark’s editor in this story, but Superman is seen reading a copy of News-Press.
• In many panels, Superman has a tuft of hair coming down his forehead, somewhat like the iconic curl that many artists will use on the character.
• Lois Lane is not in this story.
• But, “Acquiring Super-Strength” is back! In this installment, kids are encouraged to glance at objects of differing distances, like faraway telephone poles and pencils in hand,  in order to acquire “Super-Vision”. First of all, I’m not sure this works, but it is interesting that this lesson comes before Superman has exhibited any vision powers of his own. Maybe this is how he got them!

Apropos of Nothing:

• The inside back cover includes a gag feature called Oscar the Gumshoe drawn by Bob Kane. Of course, in a few months, Kane will be credited with the creation of the other focus of this blog: The Bat-Man (as he was often called in the early days)!!

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

1938 - December

 Action Comics #7, December 1938

Cover: 

• Superman is in mid-air, high above city streets while holding another man upside down by his foot.
• The cover boasts “64 Pages of Thrills!”
• Aside from showing Superman who appears inside, the cover image does not reflect an event that occurs within the book itself.
• This is only the second cover appearance of Superman.
• The cover reads, “Superman Appearing In This Issue And In Every Issue”.

Story: 

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

Fabulous Firsts:

• First appearance of Superman’s yellow boots
• First use of “The Man of Steel” (previous story used “Mystery Man of Steel”)
• First appearance of Curly
• First time Superman is identified by name on a cover

Origin:

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

Notice the boot!

Costume:

• There are no significant changes to Superman’s costume in this story except for the fact that Superman’s boots are yellow throughout the story. They are red on the cover.
• The chest emblem is mostly the same, although the border is yellow and the “S” fluctuates between yellow and red, depending on the panel. The “S” is red on the cover.

Powers:

• “Strength of a dozen Samsons!”
• “Lifting and rending gigantics weights”
• “Vaulting over skyscrapers”
• “Racing a bullet”
• “Skin impenetrable to even steel”

Characterization:

• Not much unexpected in this story.
• Superman defends the less fortunate.
• Lois is impetuous, and not a full reporter yet as she is described as a “sob sister”, probably meaning she is still writing the “Lonely Hearts” column of the newspaper.

Supporting Cast:

• Curly, employee at the Daily Star
• Lois Lane
• Unnamed Daily Star Worker
• Unnamed Editor of the Daily Star
• Derek Niles, gangster
• Mr. Jordan, circus owner
• Unnamed Circus Clown
• Unnamed Circus Strongman
• Unnamed Circus Ticket Taker
• Trigger, Niles’ hireling
• Unnamed Circus Attendees
• Unnamed Circus Ring-Master
• Unnamed Drunk in Circus Audience
• Unnamed Circus Security Guard
• Crax, circus watchdog
• Unnamed Circus Lion
• Unnamed Circus Trapeze Artist

Synopsis:

     Before going out on a Daily Star assignment at a local circus, Clark gets teased by a colleague named Curly. While at the circus, Clark overhears Derek Niles, apparently some kind of gangster, threatening Mr. Jordan, the circus owner. Jordan must either pay back loans to Niles or make Niles a partner. After witnessing low circus attendance, Clark decides to help Jordan out by having Superman join the circus as a strongman in order to increase interest, attendance, and revenue.

     Superman wows the audiences, potentially making it possible for Jordan to pay back Niles. Niles sends Trigger to sabotage the circus. Trigger does so, but also ends up kidnapping a snooping Lois Lane. Superman saves the circus from a loose lion and a collapsing big-top, finds Lois in Niles’ office, and is able to convince authorities that Niles and Trigger belong in jail. The circus becomes a big success.

Back at the office, Clark is able to secretly embarrass Curly.

Favorite Quotes:

• “Take that, you nosey mutt!” (decades before Scooby-Doo, Where are You?)
• “Those bullets are as harmless to me as peas!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• Curly seems to be a precursor to Steve Lombard of the 1970s Superman comics.
• I am surprised how long we have gone without a name for the Daily Star editor.
• Shaking down circuses seems to be a common plot element in comic books. I wonder how often things like this actually happened.
• I also often wonder why gangsters want to “take over” failing circuses. There is obviously not a lot of money in it. I guess I should re-watch some episodes of The Sopranos because those guys were always moving in on failing businesses, too.
• Instead of going after the loan shark directly, Superman devises a strange plan to join the circus. It is kind of like the plot of the Supergirl movie from 1984 where Supergirl is sent from Argo City to save it, but instead of actively searching for the villain, she adopts a secret identity enrolls in a school, and makes friends.
• The circus becomes a success, but did it die down again after Superman was no longer the strongman?
• I wonder if the yellow boots were intentional or a colorist’s error. Probably the latter since Superman is sporting red boots on the cover.
• We are led to believe that Clark uses his Superman powers to disrobe Curly, however it is not explicitly stated. Perhaps there is a ghostly hand roaming about the halls of the Daily Star?
• There is no strength training lesson in this issue.

Apropos of Nothing:

• In these early issues of Action Comics, Zatara gets the second greatest number of pages per issue.

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