Action Comics #63 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1943.
Synopsis for Superman: "When Stars Collide"
A collision of astral bodies causes cosmic rays to strike the Earth. The radiation causes Superman to lose his memory. Professor Praline, a gangster, finds the amnesiac Man of Steel. He convinces Superman that he is a crook and uses him to defeat Praline's rival Spike Jaeger. The police and Lois Lane are confused by Superman's behavior. Superman eventually recovers his senses and saves the city from a falling meteor. He then rounds up Praline and his gang.
Appearing in Superman: "When Stars Collide"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Professor Praline (Single appearance)
- Nails (Praline's lackey) (Single appearance)
- Spike Yaeger (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Dr. Jaspar Meekins (Single appearance)
- Pat (A policeman) (Single appearance)
- Murphy (A policeman) (Single appearance)
- Pete (Army officer) (Single appearance)
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Autogyro
Synopsis for Vigilante: "Dummy, Dummy & Dummy, Inc."
The Dummy is back again, and he has a new racket. His tall lackey, Flipper, poses as a ventriloquist, getting them gigs at all the high society shows. During the intermission, Dummy would rob the crowd of all their money and jewels. Greg Sanders appears at one of these shows singing his country songs. Stuff finds the Dummy being carried by Flipper out of the dressing room, but when he hits him with a pellet from his slingshot, there is no response. It was just a wooden dummy after all. The real Dummy was working the crowd in secret. Vigilante steps in when the audience starts yelling for their stolen possessions. Stuff is then kidnapped and taken to the Dummy's hideout. Vigilante tracks his little partner down only to step into a trap. The room he's in is quickly sapped of air, until Vig uses the spurs on his boots to jam up the vacuum fan. Stuff manages to free himself, then helps his pal out. Together they take down the miniature criminal and his tall henchman, sending them to the police.
Appearing in Vigilante: "Dummy, Dummy & Dummy, Inc."
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Dummy
- Flipper (Dummy's henchman) (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Miss Giltedge (Socialite) (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Vigilante's Lasso
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Three Aces: "Leatherneck Luck"
Fog, Gunner, and Will are fighting an air battle over the Pacific against the Japanese. When the battle ends, the Aces discover that the U.S.S. Roosevelt aircraft carrier had left them behind. With no choice but to land on the water, they paddle their emergency life rafts to an island, on which the Marines and the Japanese are locked in a battle. The Aces lend a hand and rout the enemy.
Appearing in Three Aces: "Leatherneck Luck"
Featured Characters:
- the Three Aces (Final appearance)
- Fog Fortune (Final appearance)
- Gunner Bill (Final appearance)
- Whistler Will (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- U.S. Marines
Locations:
Vehicles:
- The Aces' Planes (Destroyed)
- Japanese Warships
Synopsis for Americommando: "A Right in Der Fuehrer's Face"
Tex Thompson, the Americommando, meets with the resistance in Berlin. London Headquarters has definite information the Hitler is planning to hit England with a gas attack, and it is up to Americommando to steal the plans. Tex has some posters printed up, issuing a challenge to Hitler to pit his best man against him in the ring.
When fight night comes up, Tex finds himself facing off against a large bruiser: Hans Kranz, while Adolf Hitler watches from the balcony. Tex wins the match using quickness against strength, and the enraged Fuehrer orders his Nazis to kill the American swine! Tex's second for the match, Peter, tosses a bucket of water on the head of the Nazi who is about to shoot him. Tex reaches Hitler, and uses him as a hostage to keep the Nazis from shooting. The plans are taken, and Adolf Hitler is left in a very undignified position dangling from a curtain's rope. After everything is settled, Tex invites Peter to join the underground resistance.
Appearing in Americommando: "A Right in Der Fuehrer's Face"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Adolf Hitler
- Nazis
- Max Schmelling
- Hans Kranz (Single appearance)
- Nazis
Other Characters:
- Ada (Resistance member) (Single appearance)
- Peter Populis (First appearance chronologically)
- Hermann (Berlin citizen) (Single appearance)
- Fritz (Berlin citizen) (Single appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for Congo Bill: "The Curse of Catellaria"
Nazis are digging through an underground tunnel on the isle of Cotellleria. The stories told of the Knights of Malta once going through this very tunnel where they found gold lining the walls. They met their end when they dug too far and let the seawater flood them. Presently, the Nazi commander Grüner didn't plan on making the same mistake.
Congo Bill is flying nearby when his plane runs out of fuel. He makes a landing on the island hoping to set up a signal fire. But when he goes searching for firewood,he stumbles upon the tunnel entrance and lets his adventurer instinct lead the way. Nazis find him snooping and lock him up in a small makeshift laboratory. Using a bottle of phosphorous, which becomes flammable when exposed to the air, Bill manages to burn his ropes away. He grabs some fuel canisters and makes his way to the exit, but once again, the Nazis spot him. Running down the tunnel, Bill pours the contents of one of the canisters and lets the Nazis bullets ignite the gas. The Nazis are trapped, and as Bill takes off in his plane, he sees the tunnel collapse in a smoking tomb of death.
Appearing in Congo Bill: "The Curse of Catellaria"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Nazis
- Grüner (Single appearance; dies)
- Fanelli (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Knights of Malta (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- Cotelleria Island
Vehicles:
- Bill's Plane
Synopsis for Zatara: "The Pirate of Pleasure"
Work boats are disappearing and the Coast Guard can't figure it out. A vessel is carrying Zatara and a troupe of performers to Fort Bragg to put on a show for the troops. Strange music pipes up from an unknown source, and the ship suddenly changes course, with the captain helpless to stop it! They are pulled into a hidden harbor, where men dressed like old-time pirates await. The crew are directed to the pirate captain, on whom Zatara tries to cast a spell, which has no effect. The perplexed magician is tied up and tossed into a spiked pit, with a sack over his head so he can't use his hypnosis. He manages to use one of the spikes to rip the sack open.
Meanwhile, the performers are thrown into the sea where the sharks will surely chomp them to bits. Just in time, the sharks turn into eels, and the actors into fish. They'll be safe for the moment while Zatara looks for the captain's secret. His magic brings sentience to an ordinary table, which tells him the reason his magic didn't work on the captain before. He was actually in a different area, letting a series of mirrors cast his reflection so it appeared he was standing right in front of them. Zatara's spell didn't work because he was casting it on the reflection. When the pirate crew finds the magician, the table grows larger and subdues them all with its newly grown hands. The captain deserts his men and takes a submarine out of port. Zatara learns from one of the pirates about a large magnet, which they used to pull ships in, with a speaker that plays music to make it more "mysterious". The same trick is pulled on the captain's sub. Zatara grows to giant size and plucks the vessel out of the water. The captain is pulled out, then the sub gets crushed in Zatara's hand.
Zatara restores the actors to their human selves so they can continue on the course to Fort Bragg. In prison, the pirate captain screams when he sees a mirror in his cell. He never wanted to be reminded of his failure again.
Appearing in Zatara: "The Pirate of Pleasure"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Pirate of Pleasure (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Unnamed Performers (Single appearance)
Locations:
Vehicles:
- The Lazy J (An oil tanker)
- A showboat
Notes
- Published by Detective Comics, Inc.
- Superman: When Stars Collide is reprinted in Superman: The Action Comics Archives Vol. 4.
- The Americommando story in this issue chronologically takes place before the events of the last issue.
- Last issue for Three Aces.
See Also