Volume: 2
Price: 0.10 USD
Pages: 68
On-sale Date: 1939-07-24
Editing: Vin Sullivan (credited as Vincent A. Sullivan) (Editor)
Cover Thumbnail for Action Comics (DC, 1938 series) #16 Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents)

cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
    Genre:adventure
Reprints (7)

Issue Data

  • Indicia / Colophon Publisher: Detective Comics Inc.
  • Indicia Frequency: monthly
  • Printer: [none printed]

Indexer Notes

On sale date from the publication date and volume number found at the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, New Series, Volume 34, 1939, Number 3. Class B periodical. Copyright number B 424435.

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

All-American Comics; Movie Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

[Superman and the Numbers Racket]
(Table of Contents: 2)

Superman / comic story / 12.87 pages

Script:
Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils:
Joe Shuster (signed)
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
    Genre:superhero
Characters:
Police Commissioner Watson; Marty Kaye (Villain); Butch (Villain); Nick (Villain); Pete (Villain); Jack O'Leary
Synopsis:
After a run-in with a gambler who is opting out for suicide, and a Police Commissioner who won't deal with the city's gambling problem, Superman decides to wage a one-man war himself against gambling and aid the victims of it.
Reprints (12)

Indexer Notes

Note and synopsis added by Craig Delich.

Superman at the New York World's Fair!
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 3)

New York World's Fair Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.13 page

[Mexico Honors Philatelists; New French Stamp; Philatelic Truck on Tour; Child Welfare Set]
(Table of Contents: 4)

World of Stamps / Stamp Action / Action Stamp Page / text article / 0.67 page

Script:
?
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
    Genre:non-fiction

Indexer Notes

Page includes several small ads from stamps dealers.

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 5)

Brownie Stamps; Dolin Stamps; Eureka Stamps; Globus Stamps; Gray Stamps; Mortimer Ellis Stamps; Reyco Stamps; Roberts Stamps / advertisement / 0.33 page

[Babe Risko, Casey Stengel, Joe Medwick]
(Table of Contents: 6)

Odds 'n Ends / cartoon / 1 page

Script:
?
Pencils:
Sheldon Moldoff (credited, signed)
Inks:
Sheldon Moldoff (credited, signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
    Genre:non-fiction; sports
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Risko entered the Navy when he was sixteen and...
Characters:
Babe Risko; Casey Stengel; Joe Medwick

[Bodyguard]
(Table of Contents: 7)

Pep Morgan / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
    Genre:adventure
Characters:
Mr. Smith; Mary Smith; Antone; Slim; Slug
Synopsis:
Mr. Smith hires Pep as a bodyguard for his daughter.

Indexer Notes

Continued in next issue. Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

[Episode 16]
(Table of Contents: 8)

The Adventures of Marco Polo / comic story / 4 pages

Script:
?
Pencils:
Sven Elven (credited as Sven Elvén) (illustrated by)
Inks:
Sven Elven (credited as Sven Elvén) (illustrated by)
Colors:
?
Letters:
    Genre:historical; adventure
Characters:
Abu-El-Kaf
Synopsis:
Marco continues to elude those who tried to enslave him.

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich.

[The Pharaoh's Treasure, Part 3]
(Table of Contents: 9)

Clip Carson / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Bob Kane (credited)
Inks:
Bob Kane (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
    Genre:adventure
Characters:
Jim Blake; Sgt. Beatty

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 10)

Supermen of America / in-house column / 2 pages

[Tex Thomson, Double Agent]
(Table of Contents: 11)

Tex Thomson / comic story / 10 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Bernard Baily (credited) (signed as Bernard Baily )
Inks:
Bernard Baily (credited) (signed as Bernard Baily )
Colors:
?
Letters:
    Genre:adventure; detective-mystery

Indexer Notes

Gargantua T. Potts - a racial stereotype typical of the period - becomes Tex's valet. In the final panel he says, 'Before we does anything - ah'm going out to buy a copy of Action Comics and join the Supermen Club [sic].'

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich. Signed by Baily on page 10.

Treasure Hunt [Part 2]
(Table of Contents: 12)

text story / 2 pages

Script:
Toni Blum (credited as Jack Anthony)
Pencils:
? (spot illos)
Inks:
? (spot illos)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
    Genre:adventure
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Tubby and Hank, two boys in their middle teens, decide to hunt for...
  • Keywords:Timber Grove
Characters:
Tubby; Hank; Captain Roberts

[Trouble at the Box-M]
(Table of Contents: 13)

Chuck Dawson / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
?
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
    Genre:adventure; western-frontier
Characters:
Blacky (horse); Jim Mason
Synopsis:
Chuck is framed for the murder of Jim Mason.

The Terror from Saturn
(Table of Contents: 14)

Zatara / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Fred Guardineer (credited)
Inks:
Fred Guardineer (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
    Genre:adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero
Characters:
Gorla; Poora; Ool
Synopsis:
Invaders from Saturn want to take over Earth.

Indexer Notes

First time since Action Comics #1-3 in which Zatara speaks backwards to invoke his magic.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 15)

Fantastic Facts / cartoon / 1 page

Script:
George Papp (credited as Geo Papp)
Pencils:
George Papp (credited as Geo Papp)
Inks:
George Papp (credited as Geo Papp)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
    Genre:non-fiction
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:For countless centuries men have lived in these strange rock cones!
  • Keywords:Cappadocia

Indexer Notes

Writer credit added by Craig Delich.

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

New York World's Fair Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

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

Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog / advertisement / 1 page

Editing
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Tracked in 24 collections.
Issue at my.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. [no title indexed]
  2. [no title indexed]
    All-American Comics; Movie Comics
  3. [Superman and the Numbers Racket]
    Superman
  4. Superman at the New York World's Fair!
    New York World's Fair Comics
  5. [Mexico Honors Philatelists; New French Stamp; Philatelic Truck on Tour; Child Welfare Set]
    World of Stamps / Stamp Action / Action Stamp Page
  6. [no title indexed]
    Brownie Stamps; Dolin Stamps; Eureka Stamps; Globus Stamps; Gray Stamps; Mortimer Ellis Stamps; Reyco Stamps; Roberts Stamps
  7. [Babe Risko, Casey Stengel, Joe Medwick]
    Odds 'n Ends
  8. [Bodyguard]
    Pep Morgan
  9. [Episode 16]
    The Adventures of Marco Polo
  10. [The Pharaoh's Treasure, Part 3]
    Clip Carson
  11. ["Supermen of America -- Here's a special free prize offer..."]
    Supermen of America
  12. [Tex Thomson, Double Agent]
    Tex Thomson
  13. Treasure Hunt [Part 2]
  14. [Trouble at the Box-M]
    Chuck Dawson
  15. The Terror from Saturn
    Zatara
  16. ["For countless centuries men have lived in these strange rock cones!"]
    Fantastic Facts
  17. ["The comic book of tomorrow is here today!!"]
    New York World's Fair Comics
  18. [no title indexed]
    Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • Ray Bottorff Jr
  • Keith Chandler
  • Steve Dasinger
  • Craig Delich
  • Del Gruber
  • Merlin Haas
  • Matthew Head
  • Bob Hughes
  • Jerzy Kiekrz
  • Lindsey Naumann
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Mark Q
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Ramon Schenk
  • Daniel Thingvold
  • Jim Van Dore
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