Action Comics (DC, 1938 series) #53

Price: 0.10 USD

Pages: 68

On-sale Date: 1942-08-15

Editing: Whitney Ellsworth (editor); Murray Boltinoff (assistant editor, uncredited); Mort Weisinger (assistant editor, uncredited)

Cover Thumbnail for Action Comics (DC, 1938 series) #53

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[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents)

Superman / cover / 1 page

Pencils:	Jack Burnley
Inks:	Jack Burnley
Colors:	?

Genre:superhero

Keywords:flamethrowers; Wehrmacht

Characters:

Superman

Reprints (5)

Issue Data

Publisher's Brand: A Superman DC Publication
Indicia / Colophon Publisher: Detective Comics Inc.
Indicia Frequency: monthly
Printer: ?

Indexer Notes

On-sale date from copyright registration.

Editorial Advisory Board

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 2)

Good Books Worth Reading / in-house column / 0.67 page

The Man Who Put out the Sun!

(Table of Contents: 3)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages

Script:	Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils:	John Sikela (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks:	George Roussos
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:superhero

Characters:

Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; Perry White; Sgt. Casey; The Night Owl (villain, introduction); Kelly (villain)

Synopsis:: Superman must battle a renegade scientist who has mastered the ability to control darkness in order to subject Metrolpolis to a crime wave.; in Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #4 ([July] 2005)
in The Superman Chronicles (DC, 2006 series) #10 ([November] 2012)
in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2013 series) #3 (2016 [February 2017])
in Superman: The Golden Age (DC, 2016 series) #5 ([June] 2020)

Indexer Notes

Inks credit from Bob Hughes.

The last panel of the story promotes the story, "Superman, Matinee Idol," found in the pages of Superman #19 on sale September 4th.

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Supermen of America / in-house column / 1 page

He Blasted Tokyo!

(Table of Contents: 5)

Supermen of the U.S. Army / cartoon / 1 page

Script:	?
Pencils:	Cliff Young ?
Inks:	Cliff Young ?
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:non-fiction; war; biography; military

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 6)

Gags / cartoon / 0.5 page

Script:	Henry Boltinoff
Pencils:	Henry Boltinoff
Inks:	Henry Boltinoff
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:humor

First Line of Dialogue or Text:I want to open a bank account...

Indexer Notes

3 gags.

Boy! Is Clark Kent in Trouble!!!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

Superman / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

The Blackout Blues!

(Table of Contents: 8)

Vigilante / comic story / 12 pages

Script:	?
Pencils:	Mort Meskin (signed)
Inks:	George Roussos
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:superhero; western-frontier

Characters:

The Vigilante [Greg Sanders]; The Rainbow Man (villain)

Energy to Get There!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

Baby Ruth / advertisement / 1 page

Wings Over the Pacific

(Table of Contents: 10)

Three Aces / comic story / 6 pages

Script:	Gardner Fox
Pencils:	Louis Cazeneuve
Inks:	Louis Cazeneuve
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:adventure; aviation

Characters:

Three Aces [Fog Fortune; Gunner Bill; Whistler Will]

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

Americommando and the Cinema Saboteur

(Table of Contents: 11)

Americommando / comic story / 8 pages

Script:	Joseph Greene (signed)
Pencils:	Bernard Baily (signed)
Inks:	Bernard Baily (signed)
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:war; superhero

Characters:

Americommando [Tex Thomson]; Fatman [Bob Daley]

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Jerry Bails via Craig Delich.

A Simple Job

(Table of Contents: 12)

text story / 2 pages

Script:	Norman Goss (credited)
Letters:	typeset

Genre:adventure

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 13)

Private Pete / comic story / 0.5 page

Script:	Henry Boltinoff
Pencils:	Henry Boltinoff
Inks:	Henry Boltinoff
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:humor; military

First Line of Dialogue or Text:Gosh! I never thought of those things...

Characters:

Pvt. Pete

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

Biggest and Best!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

World's Finest Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

The Man Who Played King

(Table of Contents: 15)

Congo Bill / comic story / 6 pages

Script:	Fred Ray
Pencils:	Fred Ray
Inks:	Fred Ray
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:jungle; adventure

Keywords:armor; Congo Bill's Trading Post; crocodiles; crowns; drowning; fireworks; gold; machine guns; prison breaks; prisons; whips

Characters:

Congo Bill; Snake-eyes

Synopsis:: A gangster on the lam comes to Bill's jungle and sets himself up as a king.

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 16)

Clancy the Cop / comic story / 0.25 page

Script:	Henry Boltinoff (signed)
Pencils:	Henry Boltinoff (signed)
Inks:	Henry Boltinoff (signed)
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:humor

First Line of Dialogue or Text:Say, bub - this guy was hit by an auto...

Characters:

Clancy

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 17)

advertisement / 0.25 page

Slam! Bang! Boom! Crash!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 18)

More Fun Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 19)

Careful Chester / comic story / 1 page

Script:	?
Pencils:	?
Inks:	?
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:humor

First Line of Dialogue or Text:At last! The railroad station!

Characters:

Chester

Crooks -- Handle with Care!

(Table of Contents: 20)

Zatara / comic story / 9 pages

Script:	Gardner Fox
Pencils:	Joe Sulman
Inks:	Joe Sulman
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero

Characters:

Zatara

Now on Sale

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 21)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 22)

Muscle Power Equipment / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 23)

Webster's Comprehensive Encyclopedic Dictionary / advertisement / 1 page

Table of Contents ToC

Table of Contents

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Superman / cover / 1 page

Issue Data

Indexer Notes

Editorial Advisory Board (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 2)

Good Books Worth Reading / in-house column / 0.67 page

The Man Who Put out the Sun! (Table of Contents: 3)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages

Indexer Notes

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Supermen of America / in-house column / 1 page

He Blasted Tokyo! (Table of Contents: 5)

Supermen of the U.S. Army / cartoon / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

Gags / cartoon / 0.5 page

Indexer Notes

Boy! Is Clark Kent in Trouble!!! (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

Superman / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

The Blackout Blues! (Table of Contents: 8)

Vigilante / comic story / 12 pages

Energy to Get There! (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

Baby Ruth / advertisement / 1 page

Wings Over the Pacific (Table of Contents: 10)

Three Aces / comic story / 6 pages

Indexer Notes

Americommando and the Cinema Saboteur (Table of Contents: 11)

Americommando / comic story / 8 pages

Indexer Notes

A Simple Job (Table of Contents: 12)

text story / 2 pages

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13)

Private Pete / comic story / 0.5 page

Indexer Notes

Biggest and Best! (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

World's Finest Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

The Man Who Played King (Table of Contents: 15)

Congo Bill / comic story / 6 pages

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16)

Clancy the Cop / comic story / 0.25 page

Indexer Notes

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 17)

advertisement / 0.25 page

Slam! Bang! Boom! Crash! (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 18)

More Fun Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 19)

Careful Chester / comic story / 1 page

Crooks -- Handle with Care! (Table of Contents: 20)

Zatara / comic story / 9 pages

Now on Sale (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 21)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 22)

Muscle Power Equipment / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 23)

Webster's Comprehensive Encyclopedic Dictionary / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents)

Editorial Advisory Board

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 2)

The Man Who Put out the Sun!

(Table of Contents: 3)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

He Blasted Tokyo!

(Table of Contents: 5)

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 6)

Boy! Is Clark Kent in Trouble!!!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

The Blackout Blues!

(Table of Contents: 8)

Energy to Get There!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

Wings Over the Pacific

(Table of Contents: 10)

Americommando and the Cinema Saboteur

(Table of Contents: 11)

A Simple Job

(Table of Contents: 12)

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 13)

Biggest and Best!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

The Man Who Played King

(Table of Contents: 15)

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 16)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 17)

Slam! Bang! Boom! Crash!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 18)

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 19)

Crooks -- Handle with Care!

(Table of Contents: 20)

Now on Sale

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 21)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 22)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 23)