Issue Description

The Million-Dollar Marathon (Superman) -- 2. The Bard of Banditry (Vigilante) -- 3. Jitters Jeep -- 4. Storm over the Bering (Congo Bill) -- 5. Private Pete -- 6. Schickelgruber's Nightmare (Americommando) -- 7. Fifth Columnist -- 8. Hank the Yank -- 9. The Riddle of the Tired Thespians (Zatara)

Superman: Rich rogue Truman Treadwell is on his deathbed and trying to decide what to do with his $3 million fortune. Treadwell has two sons: Brandon, a rogue himself with links to organized crime, and Roger, a doctor doing research into children's diseases. Roger wants the inheritance so he can use it all in his research, so Treadwell proposes that Roger can have $2 million provided he can spend the other million within 24 hours. The condition is that he can spend no more than $1000 in any single purchase. If Roger should fail to spend the entire million, the inheritance goes to Brandon instead.

Lois gets Superman to help Roger spend the money, while Brandon enlists the aid of mobster Tug Moxton to prevent him.

Superman and Roger start out by doing various good deeds, but don't make much of a dent in the million. Then Moxton stages a mugging on Roger and steals $144,000 of the cash.

Roger decides to get Superman to build a research ship which can be used to visit the Mediterranean in search of new materials that can be used in medicine, in the hope this will use up a lot of the cash. As the purchases for the ship are made, Superman builds it at super-speed. Just as it's finished, one of Moxton's gang blows it up, but this just gives Roger and Superman the chance to spend more money to build a replacement.

Finally, Roger attends an auction at an art gallery and attempts to get rid of more money by bidding huge amounts for worthless items. Moxton's gang shows up again but Superman foils their attempts to interfere, and as a bonus manages to get back the $144,000 they stole earlier.

As the 24 hour deadline approaches, Roger discovers he still hasn't spent the entire million, so Superman submits a bill for his services (@ $100 a minute), which he then donates to charity. Roger secures the inheritance and Brandon and Moxton's gang go to jail.

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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