Action Comics #13

(June 1939)

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

Johnson Smith & Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[Superman vs. the Cab Protective League] (Table of Contents: 2)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Jerry Siegel (credited)

Pencils

Paul Cassidy (ghosted for Joe Shuster)

Inks

Paul Cassidy (ghosted for Joe Shuster)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The cab in which Clark Kent...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superman [Clark Kent]; Carlyle; Reynolds (villain); Ultra-Humanite (villain, introduction); Pete

Synopsis

Superman decides to wage war against the Cab Protective League, a firm trying to victimize the independent cab companies. But when he thinks the situation has been resolved, he comes to face a new threat: the Ultra-Humanite, a foe who gained from a scientific experiment the most agile and learned brain on Earth...a foe who seeks to dominate the world!

Reprints

• in Aventures (Sage - Sagédition, 1936 series) #11/1941, #12/1941, #13/1941, #14/1941, #15/1941
• in Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #1 (1997 [February 1998])
• in Clásicos DC (NORMA Editorial, 2004 series) #6 - Los Archivos de Superman en Action Comics Volumen 1 (Marzo 2005)
• in The Superman Chronicles (DC, 2006 series) #1 ([April] 2006)
• in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #1 ([August] 2013)
• in Superman: The Golden Age (DC, 2016 series) #1 ([May] 2016)

Indexer Notes

The "S" symbol first appears on Superman's cape. Oddity: Superman is overcome by a sheet of flame and states that he nearly perished in a burning cabin. Some notes & synopsis added by Craig Delich.

Paul Cassidy is credited with adding the "S" symbol to the cape (but it only appears in some panels and not others), and the pencils and inks here look like his work. Note in particular the odd flying poses of Superman in panels one and five of the final page, which are characteristic of Cassidy. He claimed that Siegel and Shuster gave both he and Wayne Boring free reign to interpret the scripts as they liked.

[The Ibor Jewel Curse] (Table of Contents: 3)

Scoop Scanlon, Five Star Reporter / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)

Inks

Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)

Colors

? (red tones)

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Rusty, the inactivity in this town has been terrific here of late...

Genre

adventure; crime

Characters

Scoop Scanlon; Rusty; George Hawking (dead body); William Davis

Synopsis

Scoop and Rusty are driving around hoping to find a story, when they spot a dead body on the steps of a house. William Davis exits the house and tells them that the dead man was a member of a party which found the Ibor jewels in India. Since that time tragedy has befallen all four of the members. Scoop eventually solves the all-too-human mystery.

Indexer Notes

Printed in red, black and white. Last appearance.

[The Journey Home, Part 1] (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Fred Guardineer (credited as Gene Baxter)

Inks

Fred Guardineer (credited as Gene Baxter)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Goodbye, mi amigo...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Pep Morgan; Captain Sindra; Killer Dunn

Synopsis

Pep boards a boat leaving south America to journey home. Captain Sindra escapes jail and spies his old mate Dunn on the docks. Under a false name Sindra signs on as a crew member. During the voyage he and Dunn plan a mutiny, but Pep overhears them and thwarts their plans.

Indexer Notes

Continued in next issue. Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

Test Flight (Table of Contents: 5)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Lieutenant Cummings (credited)

Pencils

Fred Guardineer

Inks

Fred Guardineer

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The large twin-motored plane, sleek and fresh from...

Genre

adventure; aviation

Characters

Barry Smith; Brick Denton; Johnson

Indexer Notes

Text story with illustrations.

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

The Adventures of Marco Polo / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Sven Elven (credited)

Inks

Sven Elven (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

Sven Elven

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The Polo's [sic] are captured by a band of slavers...

Genre

adventure; historical

Characters

Marco Polo; Maffeo Polo; Nicola Polo; Abu el-Kaf

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich.

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

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

[The Ace of Spades] (Table of Contents: 8)

"Tex" Thomson / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Ken Fitch ?

Pencils

Bernard Baily (credited)

Inks

Bernard Baily (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

Bernard Baily

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Having left the interior of China...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Tex Thomson; Bob Daley; Ace of Spades (villain); Colonel Rushmore

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich.

[On a Malay Tiger Hunt] (Table of Contents: 9)

Stamp Action / text article / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The Malay Peninsula is famous for the fierce striped beasts that...

Indexer Notes

Pages includes several small ads from stamps dealers.

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

"Chuck" Dawson / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Homer Fleming (signed as H. FLEMING [currved H])

Inks

Homer Fleming (signed as H. FLEMING [currved H])

Colors

? (red tones)

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Chuck has succeeded in locating the cave...

Genre

adventure; western-frontier

Characters

Chuck Dawson; Virginia; Pedro; Zebe; Wolf

Indexer Notes

Printed in red, black and white.

The Swamp of Satan (Table of Contents: 11)

Zatara, the Master Magician / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Fred Guardineer (credited)

Inks

Fred Guardineer (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Zatara and Tong are traveling to the Carolinas in response to...

Genre

adventure; superhero

Characters

Zatara [Giovani "John" Zatara]; Tong; Eleanor Hodges; Fred Hodges; Uncle Karl; Jon; Martha

[Everett Horton, Sam Hinds] (Table of Contents: 12)

Off the Set / comic story / 0.75 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Gill Fox (signed)

Inks

Gill Fox (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Some slice, eh?

Genre

non-fiction

Characters

Edward Everett Horton; Sam Hinds

Indexer Notes

No feature logo or banner.

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

Rosati Accordions / advertisement / 0.25 page (report information)

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

All-American Comics; Movie Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

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

Spencer Fireworks Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)