Action Comics #44

(January 1942)

Superman Krypto-Raygun (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Superman Krypto-Raygun / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[The Caveman Criminal] (Table of Contents: 2)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Jerry Siegel (signed)

Pencils

Leo Nowak (signed as Joe Shuster)

Inks

Ed Dobrotka

Colors

?

Letters

?

Feature Logo

Superman [classic design, angled u bottom]

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superman [Clark Kent]; Perry White; Lois Lane; Dr. Kemper (death); The Dawn Man (introduction, death); Professor Steffens (villain); Duke Brady (villain); Pugsy (villain, death)

Synopsis

A scientist revives a prehestoric man he had discovered in Alaska and attempts to frame him for murder.

Reprints

• in Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #3 ([October] 2001)
• in The Superman Chronicles (DC, 2006 series) #8 ([June] 2010)
• in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #2 ([September] 2016)
• in Superman: The Golden Age (DC, 2016 series) #4 ([July] 2018)

Indexer Notes

Ed Dobrotka not credited in The Archives volume.

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

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

Energy to Do Big Things (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

Baby Ruth / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Galloping Gold! (Table of Contents: 5)

Vigilante / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Mort Weisinger

Pencils

Mort Meskin (signed)

Inks

Mort Meskin (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Can you solve the fascinating riddle of...

Genre

superhero; western-frontier

Characters

The Vigilante [Greg Sanders]; The Shade (villain); Betty Stuart

Keywords

Coney Island

Indexer Notes

Two-page splash.

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

Morrow Coaster Brake / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

The "Big 7" Is Now the "Big 8" (Table of Contents: 7) (Expand) /

Sensation Comics; Wonder Woman / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page (report information)

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

advertisement / 0.17 page (report information)

[The Diamond Mines] (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Chad Grothkopf

Inks

Chad Grothkopf

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

From America to the equatorial heat of Central Africa, the...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Three Aces [Fog Fortune; Gunner Bill; Whistler Will]; Harry Norris; Jim Hart

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 10)

Good Books for Christmas / text article / 0.67 page (report information)

Script

Josette Frank (credited)

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Every year, just before Christmas, a great many...

Editorial Advisory Board of the Superman DC Comics! (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

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

[The Circus Saboteurs] (Table of Contents: 12)

Mr. America and Fat Man / 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

A city waits in dread--human bodies tumble...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Mr. America [Tex Thomson]; Fatman [Bob Daley]

Keywords

Powderville

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

Curios / cartoon / 0.67 page (report information)

Script

Henry Boltinoff ?

Pencils

Henry Boltinoff ?

Inks

Henry Boltinoff ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

2,000,000 gallons of super-fuel...

Genre

non-fiction

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 14) (Expand) /

Chemcraft / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

Reprisal (Table of Contents: 15)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Edgar Weston (credited)

Pencils

Cliff Young (signed as Cliff) (spot illo)

Inks

Cliff Young (signed as Cliff) (spot illo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

From her refuge across the channel, his Queen had...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Pieter van der Meer; Capt. Oberst

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

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

Script

Fred Ray

Pencils

Fred Ray (signed as F Ray)

Inks

Fred Ray (signed as F Ray)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Across the Atlantic from South America come Yankee-built planes...

Genre

jungle; adventure

Characters

Congo Bill; Sheila Hanlen; James Kent; Major Joyce; Dick McCarthy; Colonel Hettz

Synopsis

Bill and his pilot friend, Dick McCarthy, break up a German operation that was capturing and destroying Lend-Lease planes.

Keywords

airplanes; British Army; British Royal Air Force; Cairo; Egypt; Freetown; Lend-Lease program; World War II

America's Favorite! (Table of Contents: 17) (Expand) /

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

World's Finest Buy! (Table of Contents: 18) (Expand) /

World's Finest Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

[Theft by Rocket] (Table of Contents: 19)

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

Among the rock deposits of southern Utah is...

Feature Logo

Zatara the Master Magician

Genre

adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero

Characters

Zatara

Keywords

aluminum; Utah

Now on Sale (Table of Contents: 20) (Expand) /

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 21) (Expand) /

National Radio Institute / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

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

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