| Issue | #3 |
| Published | Winter 1939 |
| Cover Price | 0.10 |
| Pages | 68 |
| Editing | Whitney Ellsworth? |
| Characters | Superman |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster |
| Inks | Joe Shuster |
| Letters | typeset |
| Reprinted | in Superman From the Thirties to the Eighties (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1983 series) #nn; in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Superman |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster |
| Inks | Joe Shuster? |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | Frontispiece. |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Superman [Clark Kent]; George Taylor; Lois Lane; Frankie Dennis; Lyman (villain, intro) |
| Synopsis | When Superman saves a runaway boy from being run over by a train, he discovers the child is from an orphanage where the superintendent abuses the children in a variety of ways. So the Man of Tomorrow enlists the aid of the young man to act as an undercover agent to spy on things and report back to Clark Kent. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Jerry Siegel (signed) |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster (layouts) (signed) |
| Inks | Dennis Neville (finished art) [as Joe Shuster] (signed) |
| Notes | Art identifications by Jerry Bails. |
| Reprinted | from Superman daily (McClure syndicate, 1939 series) 1939.06.12 - 1939.07.22 [source material]; in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 [in this form] |
| Characters | Superman |
| Synopsis | Announcement of a contest, open only to members of the Supermen of America club, whose details would be given in the January issue of Action Comics, on sale December 1st. These pages showed the prizes that would be offered to the winners in the contest. |
| Genre | contest; superhero |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster |
| Inks | Paul Cassidy |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | Sequence, info and credits added by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006). |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; George Taylor |
| Synopsis | Although Lois has double-crossed him and editor Taylor has fired him, Clark Kent (as Superman) heads to the Valley-Ho Dam to prevent it from collapsing. Unfortunately too late on the scene, the Man of Tomorrow manages to save Lois from drowning and divert the flood waters away from the city. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Jerry Siegel [as Jerome Siegel] (signed) |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster (signed) |
| Inks | Joe Shuster (signed) |
| Letters | Joe Shuster |
| Notes | Superman's and Lois' first kiss. The very last panel on the last page of the sequence encourages readers to turn to the inside back cover to learn how they can win one of the $25 prizes being given away. |
| Reprinted | from Action Comics (DC, 1938 series) #5 (October 1938); in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Synopsis | The fantastic facts illustrated here include: 1) there is enough phosphorous in three old style kitchen matches to kill a person; 2) men once paid taxes on their beards; 3) gangster films were the reason the sales of men's caps had declined over the last ten years; 4) Humuhumunukunkuapuaa is the name given by natives to Hawaii's smallest fish; and 5) the water around an iceberg is warm. |
| Genre | Fact |
| Script | George Papp? |
| Pencils | George Papp [as Geo. Papp] (signed) |
| Inks | George Papp [as Geo. Papp] (signed) |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Emil Brandwan (death); Sgt. Steve Hanley; Professor Louis Morton; Stephen Gregory; Jack Lowell; Robert Shelton (villain) |
| Synopsis | Six men, gathered in an astrologer's exotic studio, are shocked to hear Emil Brandwan announce that, according to the stars, he is to die that very night at 7pm. |
| Genre | occult |
| Script | Bert Lexington (signed) |
| Pencils | Fred Guardineer |
| Inks | Fred Guardineer |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | Art credits by Craig Delich (January, 2006). |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Superman [Clark Kent]; Jimmy Olsen (intro as an unnamed office boy); Lois Lane; George Taylor (unnamed); Nick Williams (villain) |
| Synopsis | Clark Kent is introduced to a fighter manager who claims to be Superman's personal manager. But when Lois discovers the existence of a phony Superman, who is tied to that manager, the real Superman must act quickly to save Lois' life. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Jerry Siegel [as Jerome Siegel] (signed) |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster (signed) |
| Inks | Joe Shuster (signed) |
| Letters | Joe Shuster |
| Notes | Revised art credits by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006). Paul Cassidy was previously given as possible penciller [along with Shuster] and as possible inker. |
| Reprinted | from Action Comics (DC, 1938 series) #6 (November 1938); in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Synopsis | Illustrated are several techniques on muscle training that, if practiced, can give someone a crushing hand grip. |
| Genre | fact |
| Script | Jerry Siegel |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster |
| Inks | Joe Shuster |
| Notes | Sequence, info and credits by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006). |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Superman; Johnny; Larry |
| Synopsis | Readers are encouraged by Superman to have regular, daily exercise, join an exercise club, don't slouch, and eat a well-rounded diet. |
| Genre | superhero; fact |
| Script | Jerry Siegel |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster |
| Inks | Joe Shuster |
| Letters | Joe Shuster? |
| Notes | Title information from Denys Howard (May 23, 2004), updated 2009-12-30 by Craig Delich. Title originally listed as: "Aquiring Super-Health." Letterer credit by Craig Delich (January, 2006). |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Tony Carrenzo (villain); Lucky Malone (villain, death); Rhani Kor (death) |
| Synopsis | Lucky Malone had killed a Hindu mystic to get some jewels and a locket from him years ago. Now that he and Tony have successfully escaped from prison, Lucky once more believes the locket is his lucky charm, able to see him through any situation.....or so he thinks! |
| Genre | crime; adventure |
| Script | Hugh Langley (signed) |
| Pencils | Fred Guardineer (spot illustrations) |
| Inks | Fred Guardineer (spot illustrations) |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | Information and art credits by Craig Delich (January, 2006). |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Shorty (a dog) |
| Synopsis | Shorty chases after another dog who steals his bone. |
| Genre | funny animal |
| Script | Fred Schwab |
| Pencils | Fred Schwab |
| Inks | Fred Schwab |
| Letters | Fred Schwab |
| Notes | Information and synopsis by Craig Delich (January, 2006). |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |
| Characters | Superman [Clark Kent]; Jimmy Olsen (as unnamed office boy); George Taylor; Lois Lane; Lew Frawley (villain, intro) |
| Synopsis | Superman must save Lois' life and stop criminals who are smuggling in jewels from Europeans who wish to escape paying custom duties. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Jerry Siegel (signed) |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster (signed) |
| Inks | Paul Cassidy [as Joe Shuster] (signed) |
| Reprinted | from Superman daily (McClure Syndicate, 1939 series) 1939.03.20 - 1939.04.01 [source material]; in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 [in this form] |
| Characters | Superman |
| Synopsis | Promotional house ad for Superman in Action Comics. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | Joe Shuster |
| Inks | Paul Cassidy |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | Sequence, information and credits by Craig Delich (January, 2006), pencil credit updated 2009-12-30. |
| Reprinted | in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 |