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

Issue Details

Issue #4
Published Spring 1940
Cover Price 0.10 USD
Pages 68
Editing Whitney Ellsworth

Cover Details - "untitled"

Characters Superman
Genre superhero
Pencils Joe Shuster (signed)
Inks Joe Shuster (signed)
Letters typeset
Reprinted in Superman From the Thirties to the Eighties (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1983 series) #nn; in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page Superman illustration "Superman, America's Greatest Adventure Strip Character!"

Characters Superman
Genre superhero
Pencils Joe Shuster; Paul Cassidy
Inks Joe Shuster; Paul Cassidy
Notes Frontispiece. Revised art credit [adding Paul Cassidy] by Craig Delich (Jan. 2006).
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

13 page Superman story "Superman versus Luthor"

Characters Superman [Clark Kent]; George Taylor; Professor Martinson (death); Luthor (villain, with red hair, 2nd appearance)
Synopsis When Clark Kent begins to investigate a new weapon being tested by the Army that artifically causes earthquakes, little does he know that Lex Luthor is hot on the trail of securing the plans for that invention, one way or the other.
Genre superhero
Script Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils Paul Cassidy [as Joe Shuster] (signed)
Inks Paul Cassidy [as Joe Shuster] (signed)
Notes DAILY STAR becomes the DAILY PLANET. One panel ad for the Spectre series in More Fun Comics at the end of the story, with art by Bernard Baily.
Reprinted in Superman From the Thirties to the Seventies (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1971 series) #nn (1971); in Superman From the Thirties to the Eighties (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1983) #nn; in Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, The (DC, 1987 series) #nn; in Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, The (DC, 1989 series) #nn; in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page story "Attaining Super-Strength"

Characters Tommy Blake
Synopsis Author relates how a good breakfast and regular exercise can lead to better strength.
Genre fact
Script Jerry Siegel
Pencils Joe Shuster
Inks Joe Shuster
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page filler "This Doggone World"

Characters Shorty (a dog)
Synopsis Shorty is standing outside an artist's studio and sticks his head in the window to watch him paint. When the artist leaves, Shorty goes in and eyes the picture: of a steaming turkey! When the artist returns, the turkey is missing from the picture and Shorty is licking his chops.
Genre funny animal
Script Fred Schwab
Pencils Fred Schwab
Inks Fred Schwab
Letters Fred Schwab
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page filler "From The 4 Corners"

Characters Paul Muni (actor); Bill Dickey (baseball player).
Synopsis Some of the facts related in these filler include: 1) New York Yankee catcher Bill Dickey loses about 8 pounds duiring a game; 2) a law in Nebraska states it's illegal to give away a cigar; 3) actor Paul Muni was once fired by a studio because he said he didn't know how to act; and 4) an usher, devoted to the stage, donated his skull after death to be used as the skull of Yorick in the play "Hamlet".
Genre fact
Script Sheldon Moldoff (signed)
Pencils Sheldon Moldoff (signed)
Inks Sheldon Moldoff (signed)
Letters Sheldon Moldoff?
Notes Lettering credit & info by Craig Delich (January, 2006).
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

13 page Superman story "Luthor's Undersea City"

Characters Superman [Clark Kent]; George Taylor (cameo); Lois Lane; Luthor (villain, with red hair)
Synopsis Superman faces off once again with the evil Luthor, who first has tapped oil from oil wells all over the world for his purposes, then inundating the western coast of the U.S. when he raises a glass-enclosed city of ancient weird design from the murky depths.
Genre superhero
Script Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils Joe Shuster (signed)
Inks Paul Cassidy [as Joe Shuster] (signed)
Colors ?
Notes One panel promo for the Sandman, appearing in Adventure Comics, is found at end of the story, with art by Creig Flessel.
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page promo (ad from the publisher) "Superman of America"

Characters Superman
Synopsis Editor's page in which the editors tell the readers that the Great DC Comics Contest was now over, and that winners would be announced in a forth-coming issue of Action Comics. There is also a coupon for readers to join the Supermen of America Club.
Pencils Joe Shuster (spot illustration)
Inks Joe Shuster (spot illustration)
Letters typeset
Notes Sequence, information and credits added by Craig Delich (January, 2006).
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

2 page text story "Changer of Destiny"

Characters George Rankin (death); the Crime King [Spurnelli](villain, death); the President of the U.S. [unnamed]
Synopsis George Rankin had invented a serum that speeded up his time rate, he living 31,536,000 times faster than the rest of the world: what to everyone was a mere second was actually a year to him! But the effects of the formula would only last one year, and Rankin had something important to accomplish before that year was up.
Genre crime
Script Hugh Langley (signed)
Pencils Fred Guardineer
Inks Fred Guardineer
Letters typeset
Notes Information and art credits by Craig Delich (January, 2006).
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

13 page Superman story "The Economic Enemy"

Characters Superman [Clark Kent]; George Taylor; Paul Dorgan (cameo, death); Barney Calhoun (intro, death); J. F. Curtis (villain, intro, death, killed by Superman); Louie (villain, death)
Synopsis The suicide of the author of a manuscript, which states that sinister forces seek to retard this nation's return to prosperity, prods Superman to dart from place to place, averting the disasters that have been planned by these forces to disrupt vital aspects of national industries.
Genre superhero
Script Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils Joe Shuster (signed)
Inks Paul Cassidy [as Joe Shuster] (signed)
Notes One panel ad for Batman appearing in Detective Comics appears at the end of the story, with art by Bob Kane.
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page Superman promo (ad from the publisher) "Superman Says"

Characters Superman
Synopsis Editor's page in which Superman recommends a reading list of many great reading books to the readers, and tells them which books will be reviewed in up-coming DC comic magazines.
Pencils Joe Shuster (spot illustration)
Inks Joe Shuster (spot illustration)
Letters typeset
Notes Sequence, information and credits added by Craig Delich (January, 2006).
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page filler "Fantastic Facts"

Characters Ed Barnett (one-armed football player); Mrs. D. Beach
Synopsis Some of the facts covered in this filler include: 1) a Santa Barbara grapevine, the largest in the world, which yields ten tons of grapes per year; 2) the common slug has 30,000 teeth; 3) a Mrs. Beach walked from New York to Chicago in 42 1/2 days back in 1912; 4) the "popeyed chameleon" is capable of looking in different directions at the same time; and 5) in 1930, one-armed football player Ed Barnett caught four forward passes and intercepted three others in a game.
Genre Fact
Script George Papp [as Geo. Papp] (signed)
Pencils George Papp [as Geo. Papp] (signed)
Inks George Papp [as Geo. Papp] (signed)
Notes Some information added by Craig Delich (January, 2006).
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page promo (ad from the publisher) "Six Big Headline Features for the 'Big Six' Comic Magazines!"

Characters Superman; The Sandman; The Batman; Ultraman; The Spectre; The Flash (spot illustrations w/covers)
Synopsis House promotional ad touting the Big Six comics published by DC: Action, Adventure, Detective, All-American, More Fun and Flash Comics.
Genre superhero
Pencils various
Inks various
Letters typeset
Notes Sequence and information added by Craig Delich (January, 2006).
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

1 page text story "Pioneer Into the Unknown"

Characters James Rolland (death); Professor Greystroke (scientist-inventor); Bixby (press agent)
Synopsis Actor James Rolland, upon leaving Mammoth Studios, is approached by an inventor, who tells him (and an assembled audience) that he owes everything to the actor for his invention of a giant crystal-like globe he calls the space-folder! He furthers states that Rolland will be the first person to use that invention to travel to a distant spot in the universe. Rolland steps into the globe and disappears in a puff of smoke, but, unfortunately, re-appears in the center of the sun....and perishes! As a footnote, in the future of 1982, in the Museum of Interstellar History, Rolland is honored for paving the way for interplanetary space travel.
Genre sci-fi
Script Bert Lexington (signed)
Letters typeset
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1

13 page Superman story "Terror In the Trucker's Union"

Characters Superman [Clark Kent]; George Taylor; Carlson; Amy Carlson; Gus Snide (villain, intro); Nick (villain); Pete (villain)
Synopsis Superman pretends to join a group of racketeers who want to control the city's truck drivers' union so that they can paralyze food distribution and demand blackmail.
Genre superhero
Script Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils Joe Shuster (signed)
Inks Paul Cassidy [as Joe Shuster] (signed)
Reprinted from McClure Syndicate newspaper daily strip circa 1939-40; in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1 [in this form]

1 page Superman advertisement "Superman Appears in Action Comics!"

Characters Superman
Synopsis House promotional ad for Superman appearing in Action Comics.
Genre superhero
Pencils Joe Shuster
Inks Paul Cassidy
Letters typeset
Notes Sequence, information and credits by Craig Delich (January, 2006). Superman figure traced or pasted up from the cover of Superman #2.
Reprinted in Superman Archives (DC, 1989 series) #1