Issue Description

Cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson."Invader Go Home!" written by Leo Dorfman, penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Murphy Anderson."The Boy Who Begged to Die!" written by Cary Bates, penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Murphy Anderson."Varsity Vic" gag strip by Henry Boltinoff.

1. "Invader Go Home!" (Part 1). While Clark is covering the centenary of an area in the U.S. southwest becoming American territory, a band of Navarro Indians attack the festival train with arrows. Switching to Superman, he discovers that the train wasn't in real danger, but the stunt was pulled by the Navarros to draw attention to their impoverished way of life, and their claim to the surrounding land. In particular, one area of sacred land is being used to build a rocket-testing site. Superman talks to the construction company's boss, Frank Haldane, offering to build the site somewhere else if Haldane will return the land to the Navarros, but Haldane refuses, claiming the weather conditions are right only at the current location. The Navarros' shaman tries to scare Haldane away by casting spells to bring disasters down on the site. The disasters mysteriously appear, but of course they are caused by Superman. However, just as success is in their grasp, the shaman has a heart-attack and dies, so Haldane thinks the magic dies with him. The Navarros' chief, Red Hawk, casts a new spell using Superman's symbol and a red jewel which removes Superman's powers so the Navarros can take him hostage. Their plan is to trade him for their sacred land. (Concluded in Action Comics #402).

2. "The Boy Who Begged to Die!" A mysterious meteorite lands in the town of Masonville. When Superman investigates he tries to discover its composition with his X-ray vision, but this causes the unstable elements in the meteorite to ignite, threatening a huge explosion that will destroy the town if Superman lets go of the rock. He shouts out that everyone has to evacuate the town, but just as he thinks everyone is gone and is about to drop the rock, a boy on crutches appears. At this point Superman discovers that if he delays detonating the rock much longer, the intensity of the blast will be larger than he thought so that it will encompass the evacuated townsfolk. However, if he drops the rock now, the boy dies. The boy tries to convince Superman to sacrifice him to save the rest of the town and Superman is torn as to what to do. Finally the boy takes Superman's cape in order to use it (in some unspecified way) to kill himself. However, Superman uses his super-breath to wrap the cape around the boy to shield him from the blast, thus saving everyone.

Action Comics (1938)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

In the early days of comics books, it was not the convention to name comics after specific characters. Rather comics bore generic names such as this one. Although this series featured Superman throughout, it thus bore this name, one which it has become famous for (and the name was kept after the launch of The New 52.) It was the fourth DC Comics title, and the first new one produced after Detective Comics spread beyond the one title (this was after it purchased More Fun Comics and New Adventure Comics.)

Starring: Lex Luthor (starting #890) until #900.

Second Feature: Captain Atom (#879-#889), Superboy (#892), Jimmy Olsen (#893-#896)

(Issues #601-642 are filed under Action Comics Weekly)

Collected EditionsSuperman: The Golden Age Omnibus vol. 1 (#1-31)Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane vol. 1 (#539-541, 545, 546 & #551-554)Superman vs. Darkseid (#586)They Saved Luthor's Brain (#600, #668, #670-673, #676-678 )Panic in the Sky (#674-675)Death of Superman (#683-684)World Without Superman (#685-686)Superman: Funeral For A Friend (#685-686)Superman: Reign of the Supermen (#687-688)The Trial of Superman (#716-717)Transformed! (#729 & 732)DC Comics Presents: Superman #4 (#768, #771-773)Superman: Emperor Joker (#769-770)President Lex (#773)Superman: Our Worlds At War, Book One (#780-781)Superman: Our Worlds At War, Book Two (#782)Superman: Ending Battle (#795-796)DC Comics Presents: Superman #2 (#798)Godfall (Action Comics #812- 813, Adventures of Superman #625- 626 and Superman #202- 203)Superman: The Wrath of Gog (#814-819; backups #812-813)Superman: Sacrifice (Action Comics #829, Superman #218-220, Adventures of Superman #642-643 and Wonder Woman #219-220)Superman: Up, Up and Away! (#837-840)Superman: Back In Action (#841-843, plus stories from DC Comics Presents #4, #17 and #24)Superman: Last Son (#844-846, #851 and Action Comics Annual #11)The Third Kryptonian (Superman #668-670, Action Comics #847, Superman Annual #13)Redemption (Superman #659&666, Action Comics #848-849)3-2-1 Action (Superman #665, Action Comics #852-854, Legends of the DC Universe #14)Superman: Escape From Bizarro World (#855-857)Superman And The Legion of Super-Heroes (#858-863)Superman: Brainiac (#866-870)Superman: New Krypton Vol. 1 (#871)Superman: New Krypton Vol. 2 (#872-873)Superman: Nightwing And Flamebird Vol. 1 (#875-879 and Action Comics Annual #12)Superman: Codename Patriot (#880)Superman: Nightwing And Flamebird Vol. 2 (#883-889, Superman #696 and Adventure Comics #8-10)Superman: The Black Ring Vol. 1 (#890-895)Superman: The Black Ring Vol. 2 (#896-900; Action Comics Annual #13; Secret Six #29)Secret Six: Caution To the Wind (#897)Superman: Reign of Doomsday (#900-904)For Post-Flashpoint refer to Action Comics (Vol. 2)

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