Issue Description

Tommy Gets a Zero (Superman)The Sign that Wasn't There (Hayfoot Henry)Jackals of the Jungle (Congo Bill)ShortyDark GuiltThree's a Crowd (Vigilante)Day of Wishes (Zatara)

On the cover: Superman in roller skates barely jumping over a long line of barrels.

Superman:

One Friday in school, the teacher, Miss Mentor, gives out a homework assignment which requires each pupil to write a report on what happens to them on the following day. Tommy Allen is up early on the Saturday and takes a walk near his home, but can't find anything exciting to write about. Suddenly, he spots some robbers in Kimberley's jewellery store and decides to run for help. He dashes in front of an oncoming car and is saved by Superman, whom he tells about the robbery. Superman rounds up three of the thieves but both he and Tommy fail to notice a fourth thug escape.

As Tommy is writing his report, a gust of wind blows the paper away where the fourth thug picks it up and, believing it is some official report for the FBI, decides to kidnap Tommy and take him to his boss, Dapper.

Dapper realizes the report is only for a school competition, but also realizes he can't kill Tommy or let him go without drawing attention to the gang. So he pretends to be an FBI agent who is investigating the gang and gets Tommy to promise to keep quiet.

He then tells Tommy that the FBI plans to intercept a robbery that night at the docks, and that Tommy should come along to watch the final arrests and get even more material for his report. In reality they plan to kill him in the confusion of the robbery and thus dispose of a witness.

Later, Clark talks to Tommy to get material for a Planet story and Tommy lets slip that he can't write his composition yet because 'they' told him not to, but won't say any more. Clark gets suspicious and keeps an eye on Tommy that evening. As Superman, he spots Tommy sneaking out of his house and follows him to the docks, where he foils the murder plan and gets the full story from Tommy. Superman is then able to round up the rest of the gang.

When Tommy writes up the full story for his class, Miss Mentor thinks he just made the whole thing up. gives him a zero and sends him to the principal. The principal, however, has read the newspaper that day and knows Tommy's story is true, so we have a happy ending.

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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