Issue Description

Hocus and Pocus... Magicians by Accident(Superman) -- 2. Custom Tailored Crime (Hayfoot Henry) -- 3. Wild Horses (Congo Bill) -- 4. In the Soup -- 5. The Boners -- 6. A Fortune for a Fossil (Vigilante) -- 7. The Innocent Thief (Zatara).

On cover: [Red Cross] needs your support! 

Superman:  Amateur magicians Doc and his thick sidekick Flannelhead are getting desperate for money as their street shows continually go wrong and nobody will pay to see them. Then an amazing series of coincidences makes Doc believe he really does have magical powers. Every spell he casts seems to come true, although they are merely the result of some other events conspiring to fulfill his wishes, rather than actual magic. 
When a piano being hoisted into an upper floor of an apartment building breaks its ropes and falls, Doc casts a spell to send the piano back up to the room. Fortunately, Superman is passing and moving so fast that nobody can see him, grabs the piano and carries it up to the room, making it look like Doc's spell worked.  
Among the amazed bystanders is one of Hijack Dorley's henchmen, who approaches Doc with a proposition. Dorley wants to rob a mansion and wants Doc to cast a spell to ensure the job goes without any problems. Although Doc is opposed to crime, he agrees because he always fancied being an elegant thief for a night, and because he believes he can use his magic to restore the stolen goods to their owner. 
When the thugs and Doc hit the mansion that night, a silent alarm is tripped notifying the police. Superman hears of the robbery and goes to the mansion. After dealing with Dorley's men, he is about to apprehend Doc and Flannelhead when Doc casts a spell trying to get rid of Superman. Just at that moment, Superman spies a woman about to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, so rushes off to save her, making Doc believe it was his spell that caused Superman to leave. 
Back at Dorley's hideout, Doc tells Dorley he wants to give up crime, but of course Dorley won't hear of it and ties up Doc and Flannelhead. Superman discovers the connection between Doc and Dorley and decides to have some fun by freeing Doc and then arranging for all his spells to come true. Doc casts a variety of hexes on Dorley and his men with Superman causing objects to fly around and knock out the thugs. After Dorley's gang has been dealt with, Superman is about to tell Doc the truth, but Doc is so convinced his powers are genuine that he and Flannelhead set off to set up their own detective agency.

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