Action Comics #71

(April 1944)

Editorial Advisory Board (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.67 page (report information)

Valentine Villainy! (Table of Contents: 3)

Superman / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Don C. Cameron (signed as Jerry Siegel)

Pencils

Ira Yarbrough (signed as Joe Shuster)

Inks

George Roussos (signed as Joe Shuster)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Dan Cupid draws a bead on Jimmy Olsen...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; Jimmy Olsen; Betty Roxmore; the Count; Spike; Leek; Paddy

Synopsis

Superman and Jimmy have much the same problem: what to buy their respective girlfriends for Valentine's Day.

Reprints

• in Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #5 ([May] 2007)
• in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #4 ([July] 2017)

Keywords

Valentine's Day

Indexer Notes

Credits from Siegel's records: Siegel and Shuster v. National Comics Publications, Inc. et al., case no. 1099 (Westchester Cty. Sup. Ct. 1947). Blue S on cape.

The Cave's Secret (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

Adventures of "R. C." and Quickie; Royal Crown Cola / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

Clancy the Cop / comic story / 1 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

That's the bank's alarm!

Genre

humor

Characters

Clancy the Cop

Alias Mr. Sunshine! (Table of Contents: 6)

Vigilante / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Joe Samachson

Pencils

Mort Meskin

Inks

George Roussos ?; ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

You never knew The Rainbow Man had a helpful streak...

Genre

adventure; superhero; western-frontier

Characters

The Vigilante [Greg Sanders]; Stuff, the Chinatown Kid; The Rainbow Man [Count Fogge] (introduction, villain); Shakes (introduction, villain); Dictionary (introduction, villain); Wilkins; Mrs. Lukers; Mrs. Vandervan

Synopsis

The Rainbow Man escapes from jail and creates a Count persona for himself. Mingling in society he chooses his next victims, deciding on a we-fix-it agency. One of his men walks the dogs of a Society dame, and steals her valuable jewels. The Vigilante and Stuff pursue the villains and are captured. The Dummy substitutes forgeries for priceless paintings. Finally they run down the gang and return them to behind bars.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7) (Expand) /

Wheaties / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

The Weird and Eerie Mystery of Ghastly Gables (Table of Contents: 8)

Super-Sleuth McFooey / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Farr

Pencils

Jack Farr

Inks

Jack Farr

Colors

?

Letters

Jack Farr

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Well, - Shut my big ol' mouth...

Genre

humor; detective-mystery

Characters

Super Sleuth McFooey

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich.

Be a Magician! Turn Waste Paper into War Weapons! (Table of Contents: 9)

Superman / public service announcement / 1 page (report information)

Script

Jack Schiff ?

Pencils

George Roussos

Inks

George Roussos

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

advocacy; superhero

Characters

Superman [Clark Kent]

Synopsis

Superman puts on a special show with 100 pounds of waste paper as the admission price to demonstrate to the kids how that much waste paper can be transformed into 115 cardboard boxes which can hold ten 20mm shells.

Keywords

paper salvage; waste paper

Indexer Notes

Paper drive feature, art identification by Jerry Bails.

Desert Danger! (Table of Contents: 10)

Congo Bill / comic story / 5.67 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Ed Smalle

Inks

Ed Smalle

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The violent, suffocating blasts of a scorching desert storm!

Genre

adventure; drama; jungle

Characters

Congo Bill; Hitchins; Lightning (cheetah); Askut; Ben Azaar; Ali Habeel

Synopsis

Bill helps his Egyptologist friend Hitchins get a ancient Egyptian anklet out of the midst of feuding clans.

Keywords

cheetahs; dogs; Egyptology; El Honda oasis; El Jabu oasis; jewelry; Nile River; sandstorms

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

World's Finest Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page (report information)

Mission for Freedom! (Table of Contents: 12)

Americommando / comic story / 7.67 pages (report information)

Script

Joseph Greene

Pencils

Bernard Baily (signed)

Inks

Bernard Baily (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

A daring American submarine rests quietly and watchfully at the bottom of Tokyo Bay!

Genre

adventure; war

Characters

Americommando [Tex Thomson]

Synopsis

As they are about to be executed, Americommando frees a group of American servicemen from a Tokyo prison camp.

Indexer Notes

Writer credit by Jerry Bails.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13)

public service announcement / 0.33 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

We have friends in America...

Genre

advocacy

Keywords

War Bonds

Best in the House (Table of Contents: 14)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Ted Udall (signed)

Letters

typeset

Genre

adventure

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 15)

Clancy the Cop / comic story / 0.75 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

This new uniform just set me back sixty dollars...

Genre

humor

Characters

Clancy the Cop

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

Superman's Secret Message (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

Supermen of America / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.25 page (report information)

The Idol on the Island! (Table of Contents: 17)

Zatara / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Joe Sulman

Inks

Joe Sulman

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

On a sunny island an old stone image stands...

Genre

adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero

Characters

Zatara [Giovanni "John" Zatara]; Taos; Grog; Big Hank Hope (crook)

Synopsis

Zatara is on an unknown island where site a statue of the god Meke-Meke. Local pearl divers come to pray for a good harvest of pearls, but among them Grog seems always to find the greatest haul. In fact, in collusion with Big Hank Hope, Grog gets his pearls from a chest in a chamber below the statue. Zatara magically brings the statue to life and frightens the villains into a confession.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 18) (Expand) /

The Crowell-Collier Publishing Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

How Joe's Body Brought Him Fame Instead of Shame (Table of Contents: 19) (Expand) /

Charles Atlas / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 20) (Expand) /

Baby Ruth / advertisement / 1 page (report information)