Issue Description

Christmas `Round the World (Superman)An Old Fashioned Girl (Hayfoot Henry)Daffy & DoodleDesert CunningWay Down East (Vigilante)JasperShortyMagic of Music (Zatara)

Superman: One of the more cringeworthy entries in the Action catalogue, but considering it was the first Christmas after the end of World War II, it can be forgiven.

Lois and Clark are visiting a refugee children's home in Metropolis just before Christmas, and many of the children are sad that they must spend Christmas away from their parents and their homelands. So Superman decides to play Santa Claus and do a round-the-world tour to reunite the children with their lands and parents.

Superman borrows some gliders from the US Air Force and tows the children, along with loads of presents, to various countries around the world. His first stop is in Alaska, where he saves some men delivering presents when they get caught in a blizzard. Next, it's on to China, where a Chinese refugee girl is reunited with her mother (although Chinese Christmas customs are described, these would more likely be celebrated at Chinese New Year, which is in February, but hey, it's just a story).

Next, it's on to Russia, where Superman contributes to festivities by setting up a large Christmas tree decorated with radium (it was a less health-and-safety conscious age) to make it glow in the dark.

Then to Holland, where Superman dresses up as Santa Claus to distribute presents, and then to Norway, where Superman's offer to take a boy back to Metropolis to be with his father is turned down, with the boy saying he would rather spend Christmas in Norway with his friends.

Finally, Superman rolls up a huge snowball and carries it in the stratosphere to Venezuela, where he causes it to snow for the first time.

Upon his return to Metropolis, Superman discovers that the Norwegian boy has stowed away, and that he only said he didn't want to meet his father since all his friends in Norway had lost their fathers in the war and he didn't want to make them feel bad.

The story ends with Superman standing under some mistletoe and Lois trying to seize her chance to kiss Superman, but Superman does a quick change to Clark so Clark finally gets a kiss from Lois.

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