Action Comics Vol 1 23

From Hey Kids Comics


Action Comics Vol 1 23.jpg
Published
Released
February 22, 1940
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Quote1.png With scientific miracles at my fingertips, I'm preparing to make myself supreme master of th' world! Quote2.png
-- Luthor

Appearing in Superman: "Europe at War (Part II)"Edit

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Adversaries:

Other Characters:

  • None

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

Synopsis for Superman: "Europe at War (Part II)"Edit

Continuing to cover the ongoing war between Galonia and Toran, Clark Kent interviews the leader of Galonia, General Lupo, who informs Kent that a temporary truce has been called in order to negotiate. When that truce is broken by the Galonians, Lupo claims it was an accident. Suspecting otherwise, Kent follows Lupo as Superman.

In a hidden cave, Lupo communicates with an unseen leader, Luthor. Superman learns of a plan to attack a neutral country and confronts Lupo. Before the general can expose his unseen boss, green rays strike and kill him. Superman stops the attack on the neutral country, and as Kent, he reveals his information to the warring countries.

Worried by Kent’s knowledge of his involvement, Luthor captures Kent’s partner, Lois Lane. Lois gets a message to Clark, bringing Superman to Luthor’s dirigible base to rescue her. Superman is subjected to Luthor’s green ray, which weakens him. The Man of Steel is able to escape however, and to destroy the dirigible. Only he and Lois appear to escape when it crashes to Earth.

With Luthor out of the picture, the warring countries declare an armistice. Clark delivers the story to the Daily Planet and returns home with Lois.

Appearing in Pep Morgan: "Trouble at the Mine"Edit

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Jim Bradley (Single appearance)[1]

Adversaries:

  • "Bull" Lock (Single appearance)[1]

Other Characters:

  • Bill (Single appearance)[1]

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

  • None

Synopsis for Pep Morgan: "Trouble at the Mine"Edit

Jim Bradley, manager of the Digby Mines, phones his old friend Pep Morgan for help. One of the miners, "Bull" Lock, is trying to force a strike by using his imposing figure to bully the others. Pep was never a fan of bullies, and agrees to help bring this agitator down. Believing that every bully is secretly a coward, Pep calls Bull down to the woods for a man-on-man fight. It doesn't take long after for Pep to send Bull tumbling to the ground, the big brute begging Pep not to hit him again. Pep tells him to leave town and not come back.

It's quiet the next day, the miners happily return to work, forgetting all about the strike that was forced upon them. But some among the men weren't very happy. Bull's boys hadn't heard from their boss all night, so they took it upon themselves to cause trouble. Stealing some sticks of dynamite, they sneak into the mine after hours and plant some "surprises" for the others to find next morning. Pep notices the watchman was missing from the mine's entrance and goes inside to investigate. With the help of a large stick he finds on the floor, Pep fights off Bull's cronies, loading them into the mine cart as they fall. He marks the location of each dynamite stick for safe removal and heads back up to the entrance with his cart full of bad guys...

Appearing in Black Pirate: "Dead Men Tell No Tales"Edit

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • None

Adversaries:

  • Captain Ruff (First appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Unnamed Maiden (Only appearance; dies)

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

Synopsis for Black Pirate: "Dead Men Tell No Tales"Edit

A ship sinks into the sea, having been scuttled by the dreaded Captain Ruff. Jon Valor, the Black Pirate, swoops down from the mast of the fearsome captain's ship, to save the damsel being forced to walk the plank. He fights of the pirates as they attack, but in her fear, the girl jumps into the sea. Valor dives in after her, but he is unable to find her in the depths. The ship takes off, fortunately Jon is able to grab hold before she goes full sail. Late the next day, the ship comes to a small island. Captain Ruff orders his men to bury the treasure they stole off the other ship, so that they may come back to it later. The Black Pirate drops from his hiding place, landing on the island just as the ship departs. He finds the spot where the gold was buried, and waits. Captain Ruff will be back, and he'll be here to greet him...

Appearing in Three Aces: "The Lost City of Gold"Edit

Featured Characters:

  • Three Aces
    • Gunner Bill
    • Fog Fortune
    • Whistler Will

Supporting Characters:

  • None

Adversaries:

  • Quetzal (Only appearance; dies)
    • Quetzal's Zombies (Single appearance)[1]

Other Characters:

  • None

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

  • The Aces' Planes
  • Zombies Planes

Synopsis for Three Aces: "The Lost City of Gold"Edit

The Three Aces, Gunner, Fog, and Whistler, fly over the Mexican Sierra Madre in search of a long lost Aztec treasure. As they get closer to the site where the treasure supposedly lies, they are beset by enemy aircraft. Strangely, the pilots seem completely unaffected by their bullets. Soon, Fog and Whistler are both forced down while Gunner temporarily retreats, planning on rescuing his friends once he's clear.

Gunner Bill returns to the fight, this time focusing his aim on the other planes' engines instead of their pilots. It pays off, the planes crash and Gunner is free to begin searching for his friends. Their planes are found, but with no sign of them, meaning they've been taken somewhere. Gunner comes across the remnants of an old Aztec city, within which zombies were lurking, which answers the question of why the pilots didn't die when they were shot. The zombies notice Gunner and chase him over the wall. On the other side, he falls into a garden where Fog and Whistler are kept tied up, reporting they were being held prisoner by the wicked Quetzal, an evil native who planned on adding them to his collection of undead soldiers. Gunner isn't going to have it! He helps them undo their bindings, handing over their guns which he has brought along.

Quetzal is resting in his chambers when the Aces come upon him. He tries threatening them with talk of turning them into zombies, but a few shots out of their gats, and the wicked one is fallen. He pulls on a lever just before he dies, opening a trap door beneath the trio! They fall into a room filled with Aztec gold! Gunner discovers an underground river that possibly leads out, and after Fog takes a small, solid gold statue, they follow it. Luckily, Gunner's hunch is correct. The river opens up to the outside in an area not far from where he landed. They all ride out in Gunner's plane, and Fog tells them he plans on selling the statue to pay for their adventure.

Appearing in Tex Thomson: "The Man with the Rubber Face"Edit

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Adversaries:

Other Characters:

  • Delores Clark (First appearance)

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

  • Tex's Plane

Synopsis for Tex Thomson: "The Man with the Rubber Face"Edit

Tex takes Bob and Gargantua up in his plane, searching for the next adventure. They have to make an emergency landing when a problem with the gas line is detected. Fortunately, they spot a house not too far from where they land and go to ask for help. A hideous figure, Enak, looms out of the home, inviting the trio in. He introduces them to his master. The house, it turns out, is the secret headquarters of a mad scientist whose body is made of a synthetic rubber of his own design. He throws them in the dungeon to be dealt with later. Tex and crew meet Delores Clark, a young woman, who was being held for ransom.

The horrible henchman returns to check on Tex and gang, and they take this opportunity to escape the cell! Tex knocks out the henchman and heads to the lab. The mad scientist is there with a gun. But he forgets to turn the safety off, so Tex rushes him, knocking the scientist into the vat of deadly chemicals!

With the adventure over and done with, Tex grabs a canister of gasoline from the lab to refuel his plane. The gang fly off together, Tex promising Delores to take her home.

Appearing in Clip Carson: "Revolution in Verdania (Part 1)"Edit

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • None

Adversaries:

  • Revolutionists (First appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Lt. Diaz (First appearance)
  • Lt. Calle (Single appearance)[1]

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

  • Plane
  • a small boat

Synopsis for Clip Carson: "Revolution in Verdania (Part 1)"Edit

Clip finds another adventure in the country of Verdanna, in South America. He is asked to deliver supplies to the garrison of soldiers, currently under siege by a team of revolutionaries.

Appearing in Zatara: "The Treasure Tower"Edit

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Kay (Single appearance)[1]

Adversaries:

Other Characters:

  • Rick Evans (Single appearance)[1]

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

  • Zatara's Car
  • Tigress' Roadster
  • Plane

Synopsis for Zatara: "The Treasure Tower"Edit

Zatara meets up with an old childhood friend who asks his help in locating a famed treasure. A tower built by a man named Kartzoff is said to hold an emperor's fortune, if one could only get past the traps. Zatara, of course, was more than eager to try. But he is not the only treasure seeker, as his old foe, the Tigress also has her eye on the prize...

NotesEdit

  • This is the first chronological appearance of Luthor; he also appears in the first story of Superman #4 which went on sale shorty before this story, but is clearly intended to take place afterward.
  • Unlike later versions of the character, Luthor has red hair in this story. He appears to die in a dirigible crash, but obviously he survived to later encounter Superman.
  • Clark Kent now works for the Daily Planet. No explanation for the name change is given. The change to the Daily Planet was first published about a week earlier than this issue in the release of Superman #4.
  • Europe at War Part II is continued in part from the first story of Action Comics #22.
  • Europe at War Part II was originally not titled.
  • The Man with the Rubber Face: The unnamed mad scientist had discovered a process for making synthetic flesh, and used it on himself, replacing his own flesh and bones with synthetic rubber. He survived that process. But he apparently was killed when he fell into a vat of synthetic flesh.
  • Aside from the stories above, this issue contains:
    • "Spy's Return" by Jack Anthony (text story)


TriviaEdit

  • No trivia.

See Also[edit source]


  • None.


  • None.
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks