Superman #12
(September-October 1941)

DC, 1939 Series
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Price
0.10 USD
Pages
68
Indicia Frequency
bi-monthly
On-sale Date
1941-07-02
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Superman Inc.
Brand
A DC Publication
Editing
Whitney Ellsworth (uncredited); Murray Boltinoff (assistant editor, uncredited); Mort Weisinger (assistant editor, uncredited)

Issue Notes

On-sale date from ad in Action Comics #39 and copyright registration.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Superman / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Fred Ray
Inks
Fred Ray
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
World's greatest adventure-strip character!
Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Clark Kent]
Reprints
Keywords
Army; Navy; sailor; Veteran's Day

Indexer Notes

Art credits verified by Fred Ray.

Johnny Was "Treed Like a Coon" (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Gillette Bicycle Tires / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[Peril on Pogo Island] (Table of Contents: 2)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script
Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils
Joe Shuster (layouts) (signed); Leo Nowak (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks
Leo Nowak (signed as Joe Shuster)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; Perry White; Niles Grant; Nan Wilson; Carl Bogart (villain, introduction)
Synopsis
For doing such a great job, Lois and Clark are given a cruise vacation aboard the "Grenodier", where they meet Nan Wilson, who has inherited Pogo Island, and she invites the two to visit her island. But the superstitious natives believe that Nan is a witch and several attempts are made on her life. Superman, however, discovers that the island is being used as a base for submarines belonging to a foreign nation which prey on merchant marine vessels in neutral waters.
Reprints

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3)

Supermen of America / text article / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Joe Shuster (spot illustration)
Inks
Paul Cassidy (spot illustration)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Greetings again, Members! There are many things that guide us in the practice of our daily lives and one of these is Responsibility.
Characters
Superman [Clark Kent]
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Superman discusses "responsibility" with his club members, there is Superman Secret Code message in Code Mars No. 3, and a coupon available for readers to join the Supermen of America.

Big News! (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

Baby Ruth / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[The Suicide Murders] (Table of Contents: 5)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script
Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils
Leo Nowak (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks
Leo Nowak (signed as Joe Shuster)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Clark Kent]; Perry White; Lois Lane; Sgt. Casey; Thomas Corday (cameo, death); Daniel Steele (cameo, death); Robert Starbuck (cameo, death); Eugene Starbuck; Burton Steele; Senator McPhail; Max Binder; Malford; Bryson; "The Boss" (villain, introduction); Chips (villain, death)
Synopsis
After investigating three mysterious deaths, Clark Kent writes an article on the deaths, which he believes are actually murders, carried out by the same man, a man of unusual criminal intelligence. When Superman investigates, he discovers the case is much more complex than he first thought, but proves his theory to be correct.
Reprints

Free Valuable Gifts (Table of Contents: 6) (Expand) /

Little Orphan Annie; Quaker / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[Men of Iron and Clear for Action!] (Table of Contents: 7)

Books Worth Reading / text article / 1 page (report information)

Script
Josette Frank (credited)
Pencils
Cliff Young (signed)
Inks
Cliff Young (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

Genre
non-fiction
Synopsis
Frank reviews "Men of Iron" by Howard Pyle and "Clear for Action" by Stephen W. Meader.
Reprints
Keywords
book review

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 8)

Gags / cartoon / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
Ray McGill
Pencils
Ray McGill
Inks
Ray McGill
Colors
?
Letters
Ray McGill

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Hey, police!
Genre
humor
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Consists of three non-related cartoons. Credits added by Craig Delich.

Fast Seller! (Table of Contents: 9) (Expand) /

Batman / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.25 page (report information)

8 of Your Favorites (Table of Contents: 10) (Expand) /

All-Star Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.25 page (report information)

[The Grotak Bund] (Table of Contents: 11)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script
Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils
Leo Nowak (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks
John Sikela (signed as Joe Shuster)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; Perry White; Sgt. Casey; Stanley Pelham; Sam Spencer; Calvin Denby (villain, introduction); The Grotak Bund (villains, introduction)
Synopsis
After a series of explosions at American defense industries, Superman rounds up members of the Grotak Bund, an organization that has orders to destroy certain American factories to seriously slow down U.S. defense operations.
Reprints

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12)

Kid Stuff / cartoon / 0.67 page (report information)

Script
Henry Boltinoff (signed)
Pencils
Henry Boltinoff (signed)
Inks
Henry Boltinoff (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
Henry Boltinoff (signed)

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Caddy, lady?
Genre
humor
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Comprised of four separate gag cartoons.

Everybody's Wearing Superman Moccasins (Table of Contents: 13) (Expand) /

Superman Moccasins / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

Safe Job (Table of Contents: 14)

text story / 1.5 pages (report information)

Script
Roger Forrest (credited)
Pencils
? (large illustration)
Inks
? (large illustration)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

Genre
crime
Characters
James Crewe (villain); Ames; Smith (a detective)
Synopsis
Old Ames, bookkeeper for the Chalmers Real Estate Company, was puzzled about a robbery made by two armed thugs, and the reason for that puzzlement could only mean one thing: the robbery was an inside job!
Reprints

Yank and Doodle (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

Yank and Doodle; Prize Comics / advertisement / 0.2 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

advertisement / 0.3 page (report information)

"Our Country, Right or Wrong!" (Table of Contents: 17)

Famous American Words / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
Fred Ray ? (signed as FRay)
Pencils
Fred Ray (signed as FRay)
Inks
Fred Ray (signed as FRay)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
non-fiction
Characters
Stephen Decatur
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Profile of Stephen Decatur's famous words, "Our Country, Right or Wrong!" given as a toast.

A Peach of a Pair! (Table of Contents: 18) (Expand) /

All-Flash Quarterly; Mutt & Jeff / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 19)

Some Fun / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script
Ray McGill (signed)
Pencils
Ray McGill (signed)
Inks
Ray McGill (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
Ray McGill (signed)

First Line of Dialogue or Text
At least we're lucky to run out of gas so near this nice big filling station!
Genre
humor
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Comprised of six one-panel gag cartoons.

[The Beasts of Luthor] (Table of Contents: 20)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script
Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils
John Sikela (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks
John Sikela (signed as Joe Shuster)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; Perry White; Dudley Barnes (death); Allen Masters (villain, death); Stephen Cardine (villain, reforms, death); Lex Luthor (villain); Bill Grimes (villain, reforms, death); von Harbitz (villain, reforms, death)
Synopsis
Lois and Clark excitedly listen to a story by a scientist, who tells them of a forced visit he made to Baracoda Island, where giant animals were artifically being breeded. However, when he discovered that he had become part of a plot to use the animals to conquer the world and set up a scientific dictatorship, he wanted no part of it and escaped to warn the outside world.
Reprints

Superman Plus! (Table of Contents: 21) (Expand) /

Action Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

Hear Superman on the Radio! (Table of Contents: 22) (Expand) /

Superman / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

At the Top of the Field! (Table of Contents: 23) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 24) (Expand) /

Johnson Smith & Company / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 25) (Expand) /

Daisy Air Rifles / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. ["World's greatest adventure-strip character!"]
    Superman
  2. 1. Johnny Was "Treed Like a Coon"
    Gillette Bicycle Tires
  3. 2. [Peril on Pogo Island]
    Superman
  4. 3. ["Greetings again, Members! There are many things that guide us in the practice of our daily lives and one of these is Responsibility."]
    Supermen of America
  5. 4. Big News!
    Baby Ruth
  6. 5. [The Suicide Murders]
    Superman
  7. 6. Free Valuable Gifts
    Little Orphan Annie; Quaker
  8. 7. [Men of Iron and Clear for Action!]
    Books Worth Reading
  9. 8. ["Hey, police!"]
    Gags
  10. 9. Fast Seller!
    Batman
  11. 10. 8 of Your Favorites
    All-Star Comics
  12. 11. [The Grotak Bund]
    Superman
  13. 12. ["Caddy, lady?"]
    Kid Stuff
  14. 13. Everybody's Wearing Superman Moccasins
    Superman Moccasins
  15. 14. Safe Job
  16. 15. Yank and Doodle
    Yank and Doodle; Prize Comics
  17. 16. [no title indexed]
  18. 17. "Our Country, Right or Wrong!"
    Famous American Words
  19. 18. A Peach of a Pair!
    All-Flash Quarterly; Mutt & Jeff
  20. 19. ["At least we're lucky to run out of gas so near this nice big filling station!"]
    Some Fun
  21. 20. [The Beasts of Luthor]
    Superman
  22. 21. Superman Plus!
    Action Comics
  23. 22. Hear Superman on the Radio!
    Superman
  24. 23. At the Top of the Field!
  25. 24. [no title indexed]
    Johnson Smith & Company
  26. 25. [no title indexed]
    Daisy Air Rifles
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Ray Bottorff Jr
  • Steve Dasinger
  • Craig Delich
  • Lionel English
  • Matthew Head
  • Bob Hughes
  • Per Sandell
  • Daniel Thingvold
  • Jim Van Dore