Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #48
Published May 1942
Cover Price 0.10
Pages 68
Editing Whitney Ellsworth; [Mort Weisinger, Murray Bolitnoff (assistants)]

Cover Details

Characters Superman
Genre superhero
Pencils Fred Ray
Inks Fred Ray
Letters typeset
Reprinted In Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #3 (2001).

13 page Superman story "The Adventure of the Merchant of Murder"

Characters Superman [Clark Kent]; Perry White; Lois Lane; Villians: The Top (Jefferson Smith, I), Sid Speed.
Synopsis Clark Kent crusades against The Top, an avaricious owner of a second-hand auto business who deliberately and knowingly sells cars in seriously bad condition.
Genre superhero
Script Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils John Sikela (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks John Sikela (signed as Joe Shuster)
Notes Modified synopsis added by Craig Delich 9-6-08.
Reprinted In Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #3 (2001).

12 page Vigilante story "Crime's Caravan"

Characters The Vigilante [Greg Sanders]; V: The Lash.
Genre superhero
Pencils Mort Meskin [signed as Mort Morton]

1 page After School filler

Genre fact

6 page Three Aces story "The Adventure of the Secret Submarine"

Characters Three Aces: Fog Fortune, Gunner Bill & Whistler Will.
Genre adventure
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Louis Cazeneuve
Inks Louis Cazeneuve
Notes Writer credit added by Craig Delich 9-6-08.

8 page Mr. America story "The Pied Piper of Doom"

Characters Mr. America [Tex Thomson]; V: The Queen Bee; Fatman (Bob Dailey).
Genre superhero
Script Ken Fitch
Pencils Bernard Baily (signed)
Inks Bernard Baily (signed)
Notes Script credit from Jerry Bails via Craig Delich (October 2005).

2 page The Flying Jeeps filler

Genre humor

2 page text story "The Dummy"

Genre mystery
Script Norman Goss (signed)
Letters typeset

6 page Congo Bill story "Suddenly at War"

Characters Congo Bill
Genre jungle
Pencils Fred Ray
Inks Fred Ray
Notes Writer revision from Fred Ray? to ? by Craig Delich 9-6-08.

9 page Zatara story "The Case of the Maddening Music"

Characters Zatara
Genre occult
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Joseph Sulman
Inks Joseph Sulman