Action Comics #39

(August 1941)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

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

[The Radioactive Man] (Table of Contents: 2)

Superman / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Jerry Siegel (signed)

Pencils

Leo Nowak (signed as Joe Shuster)

Inks

Siegel and Shuster Studio

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Terrorizing the city, committing daring robberies -- the forces of the...

Feature Logo

Superman [classic design, angled u bottom]

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; Sgt. Casey; Perry White; District Attorney Tom Spaulding; May Bryson; The Ghost [Brett Bryson] (villain, introduction, death); Frank Chalmers (villain); Davis (villain)

Synopsis

A disaster at Chalmers Laboratories involving radium kills Brett Bryson. His bosses are tried for negligence but acquitted. A hooded figure later robs a jewelry store, leaving a watchman dead of radium burns. Superman is implicated, and he must clear his name before Sgt. Casey arrests him.

Reprints

• in Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #3 ([October] 2001)
• in The Superman Chronicles (DC, 2006 series) #6 ([April] 2009)
• in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #2 ([September] 2016)
• in Superman: The Golden Age (DC, 2016 series) #3 ([August] 2017)

Indexer Notes

Superman is called the Man of Tomorrow. Inks credited to Leo Nowak in Archives.

Supermen of America (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

Gags / cartoon / 0.5 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

How d'ya like the soup?

Genre

humor

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

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

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

It's True / cartoon / 0.5 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

Commercial horticulturists now use tear gas...

Genre

non-fiction

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

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

Yank and Doodle; Prize Comics / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

[The Jailed Star] (Table of Contents: 8)

Pep Morgan / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

George Papp (signed as Geo Papp)

Inks

George Papp (signed as Geo Papp)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

That was a beautiful drop, Pep.

Genre

adventure

Characters

Pep Morgan; Jerry Hope; "Odds" Renaldi (villain); Monk (villain)

Synopsis

When Midwest College's baseball team loses their pitcher, Jerry Hope, to a strain, Pep must stand in to pitch the game without any relief. Seeing an opportunity, "Odds" Renaldi and Monk, gamblers, make a plan to fix the game.

Keywords

baseball; Midwest College

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9)

Laff Lines / cartoon / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Carney (signed)

Inks

Bill Carney (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Take off the fur coat, Jack...

Genre

humor

Characters

Jack

The Winning Team! (Table of Contents: 10) (Expand) /

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

[Escape from the Palace] (Table of Contents: 11)

The Black Pirate / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Sheldon Moldoff (signed)

Inks

Sheldon Moldoff (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Jon Valor, posing as Noah Scott, trader, has been...

Genre

historical

Characters

The Black Pirate [Jon Valor]; Bonnie; Captain Don De Avila (villain)

Synopsis

Jon Valor, posing as Noah Scott, trader, has been invited to attend the royal ball as a guest of his friend, Captain Don De Avila. Unknown to the Black Pirate, De Avila has laid a trap to capture him once inside the palace walls, and so regain the favor of the King of Spain.

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

Quiz / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Pencils

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Inks

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

1. What food do we get from the trunk of a palm tree?

Genre

non-fiction

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

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

Facts / cartoon / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Pencils

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Inks

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

90% of the world's iodine comes from Chile!

Genre

non-fiction

Keywords

iodine; walnut trees

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

A Peach of a Pair! (Table of Contents: 14) (Expand) /

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

[The Medicine Thief] (Table of Contents: 15)

Three Aces / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Chad Grothkopf (signed as Chad)

Inks

Chad Grothkopf (signed as Chad)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Must be the serum sled bound for...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Three Aces [Fog Fortune; Gunner Bill; Whistler Will]; Douglas MacLean; Pierre La Salle (villain)

Synopsis

Flying overhead, the Aces see the serum sled bound for Glencarren to help with an epidemic. As they pass, the sled-driver, Angus, is shot. In Glencarren, at Douglas MacLean's the Three Aces learn of the death and decide to intervene.

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

Good Movies and Books / text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

Josette Frank (credited)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Here's a British spy picture that has everything: Plot and counter...

[Vs. the Fifth Columnists] (Table of Contents: 17)

Mr. America / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Ken Fitch

Pencils

Bernard Baily (signed)

Inks

Bernard Baily (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Through the night, a powerful, alert figure...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Mr. America [Tex Thomson]; Ed Blake; Doris Dare; The Leader (villain)

Synopsis

While on patrol, Mr. America spots some thugs kidnapping a man and stops them, although he is distracted by an explosion at the Mains Aircraft Factory. He manages to tear a piece of a thug's jacket away that bears an insignia. The man was Ed Blake, photographer, planted by the Globe newspaper at a spy camp but discovered. Mr. America decides to use the insignia to infiltrate the spy camp. There he meets Doris Dare, a reporter, who tells him that they must stop a package from being mailed.

Indexer Notes

No Bob Daley in this story.

Get Your Man! (Table of Contents: 18)

text story / 1.75 pages (report information)

Script

Fred Hart (credited)

Pencils

Cliff Young (signed as Cliff) (spot illustrations)

Inks

Cliff Young (signed as Cliff) (spot illustrations)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

"He's a dangerous man," said U.S. Marshal Craig Nolan to...

Genre

western-frontier

Characters

U.S. Marshal Craig Nolan; Deputy Marshall Claw Custer; Ed (villain)

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

Baby Ruth / advertisement / 0.25 page (report information)

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

Silly Willy / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Pencils

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Inks

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

-A-hunting we will go!

Genre

humor

Characters

Silly Willy

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

Different? Sure! (Table of Contents: 21) (Expand) /

Starman; Adventure Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 22)

Congo Bill / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

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

The u-boat! -- deadly undersea raider --

Genre

jungle; adventure

Characters

Congo Bill; Joe Kent; un-named German captain (villain); an un-named British officer

Synopsis

In Cairo, Congo Bill consults with a British officer about a hidden submarine base from which u-boats are operating. The officer needs Congo Bill to help locate the base along the north African coast.

Keywords

bomber planes; British; British Army; British Corps of Royal Marines; British Royal Air Force; Cairo; Egypt; fighter planes; German Kriegsmarine; machine guns; submarines; Supermarine Spitfire; u-boats; World War II

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 23)

Famous American Words / cartoon / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Fred Ray (signed as F Ray)

Inks

Fred Ray (signed as F Ray)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I've Not Yet Begun to Fight!

Genre

non-fiction; history

Characters

John Paul Jones

Synopsis

Captain John Paul Jones replies to the British: "I've not yet begun to fight!"

Hear Superman on the Radio! (Table of Contents: 24) (Expand) /

The Adventures of Superman / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

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

Facts / cartoon / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Pencils

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Inks

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

3/5th's of a second is the amount of time...

Genre

non-fiction

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

The Justice Society of America Presents All Star Comics No. 6! (Table of Contents: 26) (Expand) /

All-Star Comics; The Justice Society of America / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

[The Zin Diamond] (Table of Contents: 27)

Zatara / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Joe Sulman (signed)

Inks

Joe Sulman (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

How does he do it - pulling hundreds of...

Feature Logo

Zatara the Master Magician

Genre

adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero

Characters

Zatara; Queen of Patona; Ben (villain); Ab (villain); Captain Mulgram

Synopsis

Zatara performs in Patona, a far-off kingdom, winning the Queen's confidence. She asks him to help her get the Zin Diamond to the Capital Bank of America. Bem, an international jewel thief, plans to get rid of Zatara and steal the diamond.

At the Top of the Field! (Table of Contents: 28) (Expand) /

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 29) (Expand) /

Metro Publications / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Bike Tires Built Like Planes (Table of Contents: 30) (Expand) /

United States Rubber Company / advertisement / 1 page (report information)