Action Comics #50 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1942.
Synopsis for Superman: "The Professional Baseball Player"
Appearing in Superman: "The Professional Baseball Player"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Mike Caputo (Single appearance)
- Mabel Dawson (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Metropolis Ravens
- Stan Doborak (Single appearance)
- Standish (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Castleridge
- Florida
- Lauderville
- Metropolis
Synopsis for Vigilante: "The Man Who Came Back"
Appearing in Vigilante: "The Man Who Came Back"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Spud Corliss (Single appearance)
- Leo Sordi (Single appearance)
- Riggo (gangster) (Single appearance)
- Spike (gangster) (Single appearance)
- Crimson Gang (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Jerry Harms (Single appearance)
- Miss Frank (Single appearance)
- Pete Bly (Single appearance)
Locations:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Three Aces: "The Island Where Time Stood Still"
In one week, contact with five planes has been lost, during their western patrols. The Aces are sent by their Commander to investigate the area, to find out what's been happening to the pilots.
The trio fly over the Pacific for hours, looking for anything unusual. Fog then spots a volcano in the middle of the ocean that didn't show up on any of the maps. As they fly in closer, the volcano erupts, and a giant red Roc soars up from the depths! The Aces evade the bird and open fire, but the bullets bounce off the creature. As it goes in for another attack, the Aces eject, just as their planes are destroyed. The Roc returns to the volcano as the Aces guide their parachutes down toward the island. Upon landing, the Aces are immediately surrounded by Neanderthals, except they are armed with machine guns! The primitive men force the trio towards a modern-looking house, where a Japanese officer awaits them.
He welcomes them to the Island that Time Forgot! His government discovered this strange land, and they've been training the Neanderthals to fight for them in the war. Unfortunately for the Aces, the Japanese commander needs to provide his "troops" with a new sacrifice for their ancient rituals. So they are led away into a cave at the base of the volcano. Inside, the giant bird sits in its nest, upon its eggs. Once it notices its "guests" however, the Roc lumbers towards its prey. Gunner Bill notices the wreckage of their planes strewn about one corner of the cave, and it gives him an idea. While Will and Fog keep the beast distracted, Bill affixes the batteries and spark coils together to create a mighty current. He calls his comrades over to where he's standing, and allows the Roc to follow. Once it steps on the wire, the electricity surges through its body, killing it. Drawn by the Roc's dying screams, the savages enter the cave!
The Aces are quickly overwhelmed, forced to retreat to the rear of the cave, where the eggs are. It's Will's turn to get an idea; he tells the others to push the eggs into the path of the oncoming Neanderthals. Some of them manage to dodge, letting the eggs slam into the side of the wall. This proves fatal, for the thin layer of rock breaks on impact, allowing the molten lava to flow in. The Aces make a break for the exit while the savages are broiled alive. The volcano starts rumbling as the trio keep running. The Japanese soldier comes out to check the commotion, and is promptly knocked out by Bill. He carries his unconscious prisoner along, while Fog finds another plane near the soldier's quarters. They all climb in, Fog starts the engine, and off they go!
With a deafening roar, the volcano splits the island apart. It all starts to sink down to the ocean floor. Riding back to base, Bill wonders how they're going to report all this to the commander.
Appearing in Three Aces: "The Island Where Time Stood Still"
Featured Characters:
Villains:
- Japanese Officer
- Neanderthals (Single appearance; dies)
- Roc (Single appearance; dies)
Events:
Locations:
- Pacific Ocean
- Island Where Time Stood Still (Destroyed)
Vehicles:
- Aces' Planes
Synopsis for Mr. America: "Blackmail"
Tex Thompson, in his alternate identity as the national hero, Mr. America, watches the Dodd Drydocks where a new merchant ship is about to be launched. The Dodds's daughter, Mabel, christens the boat with a champagne bottle. Something goes wrong after the ship slides into the bay; it turns over in the water and starts to sink rapidly, and Mabel Dodd, her foot caught in a coil of rope, is swept along with it! Tex goes into action, diving down to rescue the girl before she drowns! He frees her foot and rises with her back to the surface. A couple of newsmen grab a boat and head his way, but Tex doesn't wish to become front page news, so he leaves Mabel in a small boat and scrams.
Back at Bob Daley's apartment, Tex tells his friend his suspicions about that ship sinking. He tells Bob to get him a diving suit and to meet him at the docks tonight. In the meantime, Mr. America has an appointment at the Dodd residence.
Later that evening, Tex keeps watch on the Dodd house. Voices come his way, so he hides behind the trunk of a tree and waits. A mysterious man comes along with Mabel Dodd's mother, and they are having a conversation that Mr. America can't quite catch. It is clear that the man is upset with Mrs. Dodd because she didn't do something, as he grabs her by the wrist and threatens her. A red-white-and-blue feather flies onto the scene, startling the two schemers. Mr. America tackles the mystery man, thinking he's saving Mrs. Dodd, until she knocks him on the head. The mystery man escapes while Tex is out.
From her bedroom window, Mabel sees her mother standing over Mr. America's fallen figure and so she rushes outside. Her mother is gone when Mabel reaches Mr. America, who is just starting to come to. When he sees Mabel, he knows she has some answers for him. She confesses that her mother has been acting weird lately. Both Mabel and her father had been trying to help her, along with their General Manager, Harvey Stevens. Mr. America then tells her that he'll do what he can to help, but first he has another appointment to keep. He rushes off to the docks, where Bob should be waiting.
Bob Daley anxiously sits in a small boat in the water, as Tex rows up in another to meet him. As he helps Tex into the diving suit, Bob tells him that he has noticed another boat across the way, that's anchored near the shipwreck. It could just be put up for the night, but Bob is worried. Once the suit is secure on him, Tex dives over the side. It isn't long before he's at the bottom of the harbor, looking at the sunken ship from this morning's catastrophe. A figure stands in front of the vessel, and he is using a crowbar to peel the plates off the side! Tex heads for him as fast as the water will allow. The man is armed, while all Tex has are his bare hands. The brief struggle ends with Tex the victor. He investigates the plates that the man was trying to remove, finding traces of acid on them. The acid would burn holes in the plates, allowing water to enter. So that's why the ship sank! What Tex doesn't see is the second diver creeping up behind him. With a knife, the man cuts Tex's air hose! Picking up his partner, the diver leaves Tex to die!
A lucky break occurs when the man forgets his knife, and Tex finds it lying on the bottom. With only a minute before he drowns, Tex cuts off his ankle-weights and begins swimming for the surface! Bob sees his friend rise up and hurriedly helps him into the boat. He tells him that the boat he saw before suddenly headed into the Dodd's shipyard. They have to follow it!
Meanwhile, in Mr. Dodd's office, the two divers rush in and are greeted by Mrs. Dodd, holding a gun. She is through letting hem control her. After nearly losing her daughter, she says she no longer cares if they blackmail her! One of the divers throws his helmet at Mrs. Dodd, hitting her wrist and forcing her to drop the gun! Mrs. Dodd's screams are heard by Mr. America. He bursts into the office, slamming one of the thugs into the wall, and taking care of the other with an uppercut. After tying the two men up, he gets an explanation from Mrs. Dodd. Before she met her husband, she had dated Harvey Stevens, the General Manager, who was one of the men Tex just knocked out. Ever since she got married, Harvey's been blackmailing her. Recently, he wanted her to poison her husband, but she refused. So he sabotaged the ship that nearly killed her daughter. But Mrs. Dodd's worries were now over, because Harvey and his accomplice were both going away for a very long time.
Appearing in Mr. America: "Blackmail"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Harvey Stevens (Single appearance)
- Harry (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mabel Dodd (Single appearance)
- Helen Dodd (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Mr. America's Bullwhip
Synopsis for Congo Bill: "The Man of a Thousand Lives"
Deep in the Sahara, a battle is waged. A British patrol is ambushed by an Arab horde, under the leadership of the infamous immortal Mu'Min. Though shots are fired at the Mu'Min, the bullets have no effect. The Arab rebels go forth in a battle-ending charge! Their victory is suddenly deterred by the appearance of a plane, firing its machine guns and forcing the horde into a retreat. The plane lands, and Congo Bill steps out. He was just ferrying the craft along the desert skies when he spotted the fighting and decided to lend a hand. The patrol unit inspects the corpses of the fallen enemy. One of them is still alive, and it's a white man! He was special agent Headley, who had been infiltrating the rebel group in order to learn more of its leader, the so-called Immortal. The risk was great, and agent Headley paid the ultimate price, but he whispers a few words to Bill before he passes: Hoffer Trading Store ... Cairo. Bill tells the British patrol that he is going to follow up on Headley's clues.
In Cairo, Egypt, Bill rents a hotel room that allows for perfect surveillance of the Hoffer Trading Store across the street. Mr. Hoffer must have a business deal with the Arab rebels, as so far, five men left the shop with a newly purchased gun. Suddenly Bill notices the one called Mu'Min entering the shop, then leaving later, without any kind of weapon. Something about the man strikes Bill as familiar... the way he walks, how he carries himself. As a way to test his suspicion, Bill yells out the window "Achtung!" The Mu'Min halts in his steps and stands at attention, as though he were in the army. His reaction only lasts an instant, but it is all Bill needs to see. Now it would be Mr. Hoffer's turn.
When the store closes for the night, Congo Bill slips in through the window. He can hear voices coming from the basement, voices with thick German accents. Listening at the door, Bill heard them talking about inciting the Arabs into a Jihad, a Holy War, with the British. That would make the British transfer most of their men from other divisions, making their African forces weak enough for the German army to conquer. Just then, the door swings open, and Bill is grabbed and hit with the butt of a gun. They tie him up while he's unconscious and drag him into a barren room, which they then lock from the outside.
Some time later, Bill awakens. He starts to struggle, bending to reach his pocket knife... but it has been taken! Fortunately, his room key is still in his pocket. Bill scrapes it across the stone floor, sharpening it like a razor. Finally, he's able to cut through his ropes. Just in time, too, because the door swings open at that moment. Hoffer doesn't expect the attack that comes. Bill soon has his captor by the collar, demanding to be taken to the meeting place in the desert.
It's night by the time Bill arrives with his reluctant guide. The Mu'Min is rallying his rebels when the hoof beats of Bill's horse interrupts them. Stepping in front of the group, Bill forces Hoffer to tell them all the truth, that he and his associate were using them to weaken he British so his own army could take over Africa! The Mu'Min tries to silence him, but Bill lands a punch to his stomach. And after hearing Hoffer's confession, the rest of the Arabs aren't too keen on their "immortal leader" anymore. Bill rips off the "Mu'Min" headdress, revealing blond hair underneath. Wiping off the paint on his face reveals that the "immortal Mu'Min" was really a Nazi soldier wearing a bulletproof vest.
One of the rebels tells Bill that he has opened their eyes. Any nation that uses a culture's religion as a weapon can not be trusted. From now on they'll be fighting with the Allies against the Germans!
Appearing in Congo Bill: "The Man of a Thousand Lives"
Featured Characters:
Villains:
- Nazi Party
- Mr. Hoffer (Single appearance)
- The "Mu'Min" (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Agent Headley (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
Synopsis for Zatara: The Master Magician: "The Case of the Man Who Could Not Die"
While hunting in the Catskills, the wealthy Abner Jorken kills an animal by shooting it in the leg. His friend, Dr. Morris Thatcher, explains that the animal died not from the bullet but from the shock. Most animals would be extremely difficult to kill if not for the power of shock. Jorken pays Thatcher to develop a cure for this shock, which he does by creating a serum that dulls the nerve ganglia. Thatcher is not aware that Jorken is secretly a criminal, so he gives the serum to Jorken and Jorken's henchman, Nix. Jorken uses this new power to rob banks while effortlessly shrugging off bullets from police officers. Zatara stumbles upon Jorken's thugs robbing a jewelry store, and he fools them with an illusion to make them believe they're in Hell. This allows the thugs to be arrested. Zatara traces these gangsters back to Thatcher, where he finds more gangsters about to execute Thatcher. He defeats them by turning their gun into a fish. Zatara then puts reins on the two thugs, and gives them the power of flight so he can ride them to Jorken's apartment. Thatcher realizes that the serum will eventually wear off and Jorken will die.
Elsewhere, Jorken decides to pull off one last big job so he can retire rich. Zatara tracks Jorken to another bank and defeats his men with a series of spells. Thatcher arrives to warn Jorken, still believing him to be a good guy. Jorken reveals himself as a crook and escapes during the distraction. Zatara follows Jorken back to his apartment, where the serum wears off and the police can finally arrest the criminals.
Appearing in Zatara: The Master Magician: "The Case of the Man Who Could Not Die"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Dr. Morris Thatcher (Single appearance)
Villains:
- Abner Jorken (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Nix (Single appearance)
Locations:
Notes
- Superman: The Professional Baseball Player is reprinted in Superman: The Action Comics Archives Vol. 3 and Superman Chronicles Vol. 9
- On Earth-Two Clark Kent worked at the Daily Star under George Taylor while Perry White remained a reporter and Superman fought a red haired Luthor. However, there was a close hypertime reality (Earth-Two-A) which regularly interacted with Earth-Two resulting in distortions such as (but not limited to) Clark Kent working for the Daily Planet under editor Perry White and/or Superman fighting a bald Luthor.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Superman Recommended Reading
- Action Comics (Volume 1)
- Action Comics (Volume 2)
- Adventures of Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- DC Comics Presents (Volume 1)
- Superman (Volume 1)
- Superman (Volume 2)
- Superman (Volume 3)
- Superman (Volume 4)
- Superman (Volume 5)
- Superman (Volume 6)
- Superman/Batman (Volume 1)
- Superman Confidential (Volume 1)
- Superman: Son of Kal-El (Volume 1)
- Superman: The Man of Steel (Volume 1)
- Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (Volume 1)
- Superman/Wonder Woman (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.