Action Comics 23

"I don't get it! Was Galonia's desire for peace a bluff?"

- Superman

"Europe at War" is the title to the first story featured in issue #23 of Action Comics, published by National Periodical Publications. It is a Superman tale crafted by the team of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The second story is a six-page Pep Morgan tale titled "Trouble at the Mine" by Gene Baxter. The third story is four pages long and features the Black Pirate called "Dead Men Tell No Tales". It was drawn and inked by Sheldon Moldoff. The fourth story features the Three Aces by writer Gardner Fox and artist Chad Grothkopf and is called "The Lost City of Gold". Next is "The Man With the Rubber Face" featuring Tex Thompson and brought to you by artist Bernard Baily. After that is a Clip Carson story called "Revolution in Verdania" by Sheldon Moldoff, and finally a Zatara tale by Gardner Fox and Fred Guardineer titled "The Treasure Tower".

Superman
"Europe at War (Part 2)"

Creators

 * Writer - Jerome Siegel
 * Penciler - Joe Shuster
 * Inker - Paul Cassidy
 * Editor - Whitney Ellsworth
 * Editor - Murray Boltinoff

Appearances




















Pep Morgan
"Trouble at the Mine"

Creators

 * Penciler - Gene Baxter
 * Inker - Gene Baxter
 * Editor - Whitney Ellsworth
 * Editor - Murray Boltinoff

The Black Pirate
"Dead Men Tell No Tales"

Creators

 * Penciler - Sheldon Moldoff
 * Inker - Sheldon Moldoff
 * Editor - Whitney Ellsworth
 * Editor - Murray Boltinoff

The Three Aces
"The Lost City of Gold"

Creators

 * Writer - Gardner F. Fox
 * Penciler - Chad Grothkopf
 * Inker - Chad Grothkopf
 * Editor - Whitney Ellsworth
 * Editor - Murray Boltinoff

Tex Thompson
"The Man With the Rubber Face"

Creators

 * Writer - Ken Fitch
 * Penciler - Bernard Baily
 * Inker - Bernard Baily
 * Letterer - Bernard Baily
 * Editor - Whitney Ellsworth
 * Editor - Murray Boltinoff

Clip Carson
"Revolution in Verdania (Part 1)"

Creators

 * Penciler - Sheldon Moldoff
 * Inker - Sheldon Moldoff
 * Editor - Whitney Ellsworth
 * Editor - Murray Boltinoff

Zatara
"The Treasure Tower"

Creators

 * Writer - Gardner F. Fox
 * Penciler - Fred Guardineer
 * Inker - Fred Guardineer
 * Editor - Whitney Ellsworth
 * Editor - Murray Boltinoff

Notes & Trivia

 * Writer Jerry Siegel is credited as Jerome Siegel in this issue.


 * It is unconfirmed whether or not Ken Fitch is the actual writer on "The Man With the Rubber Face".


 * Artist and inker Fred Guardineer uses the pen name of Gene Baxter on the "Trouble at the Mine" story.


 * This is the first time that the Daily Planet is identified by name.


 * This is the first appearance of Alex Luthor, who is identified only as Luthor in this issue. Later stories will rename him Lex Luthor. He appears next in the first story in Superman #4, which actually has a publishing issue date prior to this issue, however, this is the generally accepted first appearance of Luthor.


 * Retroactively, many of the events chronicled in this issues are now attributed to the Earth-Two continuity of the Golden Age era, even though that particular nomenclature would not be established for many years to come.

Reprints

 * "Europe at War", which is the Superman tale featured in this issue, is reprinted in the following volumes:
 * Lex Luthor: A Celebration of 75 Years
 * Superman: The Action Comics Archives 2
 * Superman in the Forties
 * Superman vs. Lex Luthor
 * Superman Chronicles 3
 * Superman: The Golden Age 2
 * Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus 1