Issue Description

The Case of the Crimeless Crimes (Superman - First appearance of the Prankster)Captain Arthur Wermuth, One Man Army (Supermen of the U.S. Army)Guns, Gold, and Glory (Vigilante)Silly WillyThe Valley of the Vultures (Three Aces)The Framer (Mr. America)Some Must FightRollin' StoneCongo Bill Joins the Flying Tigers (Congo Bill)ShortyJerry the JitterbugThe Case of the Coconut Crimes (Zatara)

Superman:

As Lois and Clark visit a bowling alley, some thugs burst in to rob the manager. Clark foils the robbery and as the thugs try to escape in a car, he changes to Superman and races after them. However, when he catches up to the car, the thugs vanish, seemingly into thin air, but in fact they have hidden under false floorboards in the car.

The thugs work for the Prankster, and over the next few days he stages several raids on banks. Rather than robbing the banks, however, he actually gives increasingly large amounts of money to the managers. Both Superman and the police capture the Prankster's gang, but as he hasn't committed any crime more serious than being a nuisance, they have to let him go.

Finally, the Prankster shows up at the Metropolitan National Bank and donates more than $60,000 to the manager, but this time he insists on placing it in the vault personally. The Prankster's plan is now revealed - by giving money to banks he gained the trust of the managers and thus gained entry to the final bank's vault, which contains millions in cash and jewels.

Capturing Lois as a hostage, he and his thugs return to his headquarters, where he betrays his henchmen by sealing them (and Lois) in a room that fills with poison gas.

Superman arrives to save them, but in the confusion the Prankster escapes, only to find that Superman had switched his loot for blank paper.

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)

Please first Sign In before leaving a review.

Status: Not in Collection