Action Comics #17

(October 1939)

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

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

[The Return of the Ultra-Humanite] (Table of Contents: 2)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Jerry Siegel (signed)

Pencils

Joe Shuster (signed)

Inks

Paul Cassidy ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Frantically the wireless operator of the steamship...

Feature Logo

Superman [over-lapping P, fat letters]

Genre

superhero

Characters

Superman [Clark Kent]; George Taylor (unnamed); Ultra-Humanite

Synopsis

Superman struggles to keep the Ultra-Humanite from his campaign to terrorize and blackmail Deering Lines or sabotage every steamer of their company.

Reprints

• in Aventures (Sage - Sagédition, 1936 series) #31/1941, #32/1941, #33/1941, #34/1941, #35/1941
• 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) #2 ([April] 2007)
• in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #1 ([August] 2013)
• in Superman: The Golden Age (DC, 2016 series) #1 ([May] 2016)

Keywords

Clarion (steamship)

Indexer Notes

The last panel of the story was an illustrated ad for New York World's Fair Comics for 1939. Synopsis added by Craig Delich.

Superman's Special Message to the Superman of America (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

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

A Second Big Book of Superman! (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

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

[On the Ranch] (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Fred Guardineer (signed as Gene Baxter)

Inks

Fred Guardineer (signed as Gene Baxter)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Well, Pep, we've been working pretty hard lately!

Genre

adventure

Characters

Pep Morgan; Mary Smith; Mr. Smith; Buck; Pedro (villain)

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

[The Mysterious Rescue] (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

Marco Polo is about to succumb to his...

Feature Logo

The Adventures of Marco Polo

Genre

adventure; historical

Characters

Marco Polo; Kargan; Abu El Kaf (villain)

Synopsis

Kargan helps Marco escape from the clutches of Abu El Kaf.

Indexer Notes

Story title from next issue blurb in previous issue. Letterer credit added by Craig Delich.

[The Cult of the Tiger, Part 1] (Table of Contents: 7)

Clip Carson / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Finger

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Far away in the east, lies the vast...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Clip Carson; Japur Chunda; Jaffeer; Panjore; The Cult of the Tiger (villains)

Keywords

Bay of Bengal; India

A Lion's Share (Table of Contents: 8)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Vin Sullivan (credited as Captain Frank Thomas)

Pencils

? (spot illos)

Inks

? (spot illos)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Through the tall grass of the African veldt strode...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Bill; Tom

Keywords

Africa; lion

[The Return of the Gorrah, Part 1] (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Script

Ken Fitch ?

Pencils

Bernard Baily (credited) (signed as Bernard Baily)

Inks

Bernard Baily (credited) (signed as Bernard Baily)

Colors

?

Letters

Bernard Baily

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Continuing their adventures, we find Tex Thomson, Bob Daley and...

Genre

adventure; detective-mystery

Characters

Tex Thomson; The Gorrah (villain); Bob Daley; Gargantua T. Potts; Ali-Baba

Keywords

Constantinople

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich. Signed by Bernard Baily on story page 10.

[The Horse That Breathes Through His Neck!] (Table of Contents: 10)

Sportettes / cartoon / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Sheldon Moldoff (signed)

Inks

Sheldon Moldoff (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Peter Song, 5-year-old trotter had trouble with...

Genre

non-fiction; sports

Characters

Peter Song (a horse); George Varoff

Keywords

horses

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

Crowell Publishing Company Magazines / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

[Royal Academy Commemorated] (Table of Contents: 12)

Action Stamp Page / text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, observed its...

Genre

non-fiction

Characters

Jons Jacob Berzelius; King George VI; Pope Pius XII

Keywords

Algeria; Vatican City

Indexer Notes

Includes several small ads from stamps dealers.

[The Stage Hold-Up] (Table of Contents: 13)

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

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

After long hours of riding...

Genre

adventure; western-frontier

Characters

Chuck Dawson; gun-hawks (villains); Ham; Blacky (horse)

Synopsis

Chuck stops a stagecoach robbery.

[Autographs of Adam and Eve and of Judas Iscariot] (Table of Contents: 14)

Fantastic Facts / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

George Papp (signed as GEP)

Inks

George Papp (signed as GEP)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Sell them to ze judge

Genre

non-fiction

Characters

John Wilkes Booth

Synopsis

Includes the autographs of Adam & Eve and Judas Iscariot; an unmarked grave; a strange beast; and the elephant.

Keywords

elephants

The Peril of Ophir (Table of Contents: 15)

Zatara / comic story / 11 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Fred Guardineer (credited)

Inks

Fred Guardineer (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Zatara is taking his yearly vacation to Europe.

Feature Logo

Zatara the Master Magician

Genre

adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero

Characters

Zatara [Giovanni "John" Zatara]; Beth Jordan; John Jordan; Setap (villain)

Keywords

Hotel Lorraine; Le Havre; Ophir

Superman at the World's Fair! (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

New York World's Fair Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 17) (Expand) /

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

Be a Frontiersman (Table of Contents: 18) (Expand) /

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