Action Comics
#48
(May 1942)
DC,
1938 Series
- Price
- 0.10 USD
- Pages
- 68
- Indicia Frequency
- monthly
- On-sale Date
- 1942-03-14
- Indicia / Colophon Publisher
- Detective Comics Inc.
- Brand
-
A Superman DC Publication
- Editing
- Whitney Ellsworth (editor, uncredited); Mort Weisinger (assistant editor, uncredited); Murray Boltinoff (assistant editor, uncredited)
Issue Notes
No issue number or date in indicia. On-sale date from copyright registration.
[no title indexed]
Superman / cover / 1 page
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Superman [Clark Kent]
- Reprints
-
in Superman in Action Comics (Abbeville Press, 1993 series) #1 (1993) - in Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #3 ([October] 2001)
- in The Superman Chronicles (DC, 2006 series) #9 ([August] 2011)
- in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #3 (2016 [February 2017])
- in Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War (Fantagraphics, 2017 series) (2017)
- in Superman: The Golden Age (DC, 2016 series) #5 ([June] 2020)
-
- Keywords
- aircraft carriers; fighter planes; stereotyping of the Japanese
Indexer Notes
Art credits verified by Fred Ray.
Editorial Advisory Board
promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page
Indexer Notes
Inside front cover. A listing of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Superman DC Comic Magazines and a list of those magazines and their frequencies.
[no title indexed]
Good Books Worth Reading / text article / 0.67 page
- Script
- Josette Frank
- Letters
- typeset
Indexer Notes
Inside front cover. Review of Young Settler by Phil Stong, pictures by Kurt Wiese. Page includes Superman's Secret Message and the indicia.
The Adventure of the Merchant of Murder
Superman / comic story / 13 pages
- 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]; Perry White; Lois Lane; The Top [Jefferson Smith] (villain, introduction); Sid Speed (villain)
- Synopsis
- Clark Kent crusades against The Top, an avaricious owner of a second-hand auto business who deliberately and knowingly sells cars in seriously bad condition.
- Reprints
- in Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #3 ([October] 2001)
- in The Superman Chronicles (DC, 2006 series) #9 ([August] 2011)
- in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #3 (2016 [February 2017])
- in Superman: The Golden Age (DC, 2016 series) #5 ([June] 2020)
-
[no title indexed]
Supermen of America / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- Hello again, Members! This time I want to talk to you about Loyalty.
Crime's Caravan!
Vigilante / comic story / 12 pages
- Script
- ?
- Pencils
- Mort Meskin (signed)
- Inks
- Mort Meskin (signed)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- The Vigilante [Greg Sanders]; The Lash (villain)
Action and More Action!
Supeerman / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page
- Genre
- superhero
Indexer Notes
House ad for Superman (DC, 1939 series) #16, including cover repro.
World's Finest Value
World's Finest Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page
- Genre
- superhero
Indexer Notes
House ad for World's Finest Comics (DC, 1941 series) #5, with cover repro.
[no title indexed]
After School / comic story / 1 page
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- Awful kind of ya ta let me smell ya nice fresh hair cut, Cricket!
- Genre
- humor; children
Indexer Notes
Art identification by Steven Rowe.
Your 5 Favorite Features "Go to Town" Again!
Leading Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page
- Genre
- superhero
Indexer Notes
House ad for Leading Comics (DC, 1941 series) #2, with cover repro.
The Adventure of the Secret Submarine
3 Aces / comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- adventure
- Characters
- Three Aces [Fog Fortune; Gunner Bill; Whistler Will]
Indexer Notes
Script credit from Craig Delich.
The Pied Piper of Doom
Mr. America and Fatman / comic story / 8 pages
- Script
- Ken Fitch
- Pencils
- Bernard Baily (signed)
- Inks
- Bernard Baily (signed)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- Genre
- superhero
- Characters
- Mr. America [Tex Thomson]; The Queen Bee (villain); Fatman [Bob Daley] (villain)
Indexer Notes
Script credit from Jerry Bails via Craig Delich.
[no title indexed]
The Flying Jeeps / comic story / 2 pages
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- If you're going to photograph the Axis position...
- Genre
- humor; war
[no title indexed]
Congo Bill / comic story / 6 pages
- Script
- Fred Ray (signed as F Ray)
- Pencils
- Fred Ray (signed as F Ray)
- Inks
- Fred Ray (signed as F Ray)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- From the halls of Montezuma...
- Genre
- jungle; adventure
- Characters
- Congo Bill; Lieutenant Barlow
- Synopsis
- Bill escapes from a Japanese outpost in the East Indies and makes his way to an American outpost on Webb Island. He then helps the marines there defend the island against a Japanese assault.
- Keywords
- anti-aircraft guns; bi-planes; British Royal Air Force; East Indies; Japanese Imperial Army; Japanese Imperial Navy; Pacific Ocean; United States flag; United States Marine Corps; United States Navy; Webb Island; World War II
The Case of the Maddening Music!
Zatara / comic story / 9 pages
- Script
- Gardner Fox
- Pencils
- Joe Sulman (signed)
- Inks
- Joe Sulman (signed)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- ?
- Genre
- adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero
- Characters
- Zatara
Now on Sale
promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page
Indexer Notes
House ad for "Superman DC Publications" Batman (DC, 1940 series) #10, Green Lantern (DC, 1941 series) #3, Leading Comics (DC, 1941 series) #2, All-Star Comics (DC, 1940 series) #10, All-Flash (DC, 1941 series) #4, and Mutt & Jeff (DC, 1939 series) #4.
Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
-
0.
[no title indexed]
Superman -
1.
Editorial Advisory Board
-
2.
[no title indexed]
Good Books Worth Reading -
3.
The Adventure of the Merchant of Murder
Superman -
4.
["Hello again, Members! This time I want to talk to you about Loyalty."]
Supermen of America -
5.
Crime's Caravan!
Vigilante -
6.
Action and More Action!
Supeerman -
7.
World's Finest Value
World's Finest Comics -
8.
["Awful kind of ya ta let me smell ya nice fresh hair cut, Cricket!"]
After School -
9.
[no title indexed]
Morrow Coaster Brake -
10.
Your 5 Favorite Features "Go to Town" Again!
Leading Comics -
11.
The Adventure of the Secret Submarine
3 Aces -
12.
The Pied Piper of Doom
Mr. America and Fatman -
13.
["If you're going to photograph the Axis position..."]
The Flying Jeeps -
14.
The Dummox
-
15.
[no title indexed]
-
16.
Superman's Radio Show Covers the Continent!
The Adventures of Superman -
17.
[no title indexed]
Star Spangled Comics -
18.
["From the halls of Montezuma..."]
Congo Bill -
19.
The Case of the Maddening Music!
Zatara -
20.
Now on Sale
-
21.
[no title indexed]
Daisy Air Rifles -
22.
Energy to Protect Your Welfare
Baby Ruth
This issue was modified by, among others
- Katie
- Keith Chandler
- Craig Delich
- Matthew Head
- Bob Hughes
- Edgar Loftin
- Tony R. Rose
- Per Sandell
- Ramon Schenk
- Daniel Thingvold
- Jim Van Dore
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