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"Lois Lane, Murder Suspect": It's a slow news day at the Daily Planet. With nothing coming in, Lois Lane decides to go out and find a story. Samuel Norval, the jewel collector, will be a good start. Word is he kept all his priceless gems protected by fantastic traps

Quote1 In the future, Lois, please try to keep away from murder charges-- they can prove quite embarrassing if you can't be cleared! Quote2
Superman

Superman #6 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1940. It was published on July 10, 1940.

Synopsis for "Lois Lane, Murder Suspect"

It's a slow news day at the Daily Planet. With nothing coming in, Lois Lane decides to go out and find a story. Samuel Norval, the jewel collector, will be a good start. Word is he kept all his priceless gems protected by fantastic traps he rigged up. Lois goes off on her own to Norval's house, while Clark Kent tries his luck at the police station. No one answers when Lois knocks, and Norval's front door had been left open, so she lets herself in. A hand seizes her from behind as a cloth soaked in chloroform is pressed against her nostrils! Meanwhile, Clark asks Sergeant Casey at the police station if there was anything exciting going on. The Sgt. offers to take Clark with him to investigate an anonymous tip. Trouble was brewing at the Norval residence. Unluckily for Clark, "Scoop" Carter, ace reporter for the Daily Planet's rival, Morning Pictorial, just reaches them before they drive off. So the two rival reporters arrive at the house together. Inside, Clark uses his X-Ray vision on each door until he finds Sam Norval. But something was wrong... when they enter the room, they find him dead from a gunshot wound. Scoop can't get to a phone fast enough. He calls in the story of the murdered jewel collector, then "accidentally" snaps the line before Clark can get a chance to phone the Planet. Before an argument can start, Clark's super hearing picks up the sound of a woman breathing. After he tells Sergeant Casey he heard a noise in the next room, they break open the door to discover Lois on the floor. She claims to have no memory of what happened beyond entering the home. The sergeant finds a handful of uncut gems in her pocketbook, though Lois has no idea how they got there. Nonetheless, she is arrested on the spot for the murder of Samuel Norval, under motivation of theft. She begs Clark for help, and the mild-mannered reporter promises to do everything he can to prove her innocence!

Clark Kent changes into his Superman garb after he is alone. He leaps after the police car holding Lois and grabs hold of its rear bumper, bringing the vehicle to a halt. He then opens the door and takes Lois, leaping off with her as the police fire their guns, the bullets harmlessly bouncing off Superman's backside. Lois is placed gently down on the roof of the Norval home. Superman breaks apart her handcuffs, then tells her to stay put while he searches inside for evidence of her innocence. Unfortunately, all he finds is even more incriminating evidence of her guilt, including a revolver with Lois' fingerprints, and clutched in the dead man's hand is a torn piece of her dress. The police officers in charge of guarding the crime scene enter, accompanied by Sergeant Casey. He accuses Superman of breaking Lois out of police custody, but the man of steel offers up a proposition: He'll prove to them that Lois Lane is innocent within a day. He just needs Casey to tell him if there was anyone else who'd profit from Norval's death. Casey names Norval's two nephews, John and Henry Davis. While Superman goes to fetch the suspects, the cops decide to call in Burkley, the architect who designed Norval's house, to help them around the traps.

Superman flies over to the home of John Davis, entering through the window. He finds no sign of Davis, but there was an airplane time table on his desk. The flight bound for Lakeland was underlined. Off Superman goes, tracking the plane in the air and beating its speed in order to catch it. He easily opens the emergency door and lets himself in. He asks the passengers which of them is John Davis, until one man nervously answers. Superman lifts him from his seat and they both exit the plane, leaving the rest of the passengers and crew bewildered. When asked about his sudden flight, John replies that he had received a call from his uncle, who had to cancel a trip and wanted to give him the ticket instead. Alighting himself and John, Superman knocks at the door of Henry Davis' home. His x-ray vision reveals Henry inside, desperately hiding a jeweled necklace. Superman bursts through the door, grabbing the necklace out of Henry's hand. Understandably, Henry becomes unnerved, asking meekly for the necklace back. After his brother warns him that Superman is no ordinary guy, Henry concedes. The necklace was sent by his uncle, who then phoned him asking Henry to sell it for him. Norval didn't want others to know he was selling some of his collection, hence why Henry tried to hide it when he heard Superman knocking. Neither of the brothers seem to be lying, but just in case, Superman takes them both for a trip back to Norval's house, after making a quick detour to pick up the architect. All three men are delivered to the Norval home, where the game to discover the real killer begins. Lois Lane is brought in as well, of her own free will.

Moments pass as the officers take down each man's story and alibi. Unfortunately for the Davis brothers, their telephone alibis can't be proven. Superman discovers something and, hiding it beneath his cape, asks to speak with Sergeant Casey outside. Long moments pass, as John, Henry, and Burkley start to sweat. What could Superman have found? After who knows how long, Sergeant Casey re-enters the room, pointing an accusing finger at Burkley. They had found a hidden camera, he says, and it showed Burkley shooting Sam Norval dead! The architect makes a grab for Casey's gun, but Superman gives him a light shove, sending Burkley flying across the room. Casey is able to put cuffs on him while he's dazed. Superman then lays the truth on Burkley: There was no hidden camera! Superman needed Casey's help for a bluff, in hopes that the killer would show his hand. And Burkley seemed the most shifty suspect, so Superman had Casey accuse him.

Later, with Burkley's confession, Lois was set free. And what a story she had for the paper!

Appearing in "Lois Lane, Murder Suspect"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Burkley (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Sergeant Casey (First appearance)
  • "Scoop" Carter, reporter for the Morning Pictorial
  • John Davis (Single appearance)
  • Henry Davis (Single appearance)
  • Norval's guard (Single appearance)
  • Samuel Norval (Appears only as a corpse)

Locations:

Vehicles:

  • airplane


Synopsis for "The Rulers of Gateston"

Gateston, a peaceful city, suddenly finds itself besieged by a crime ring, organized by Brute Bashby. All the businesses are being forced to pay protection money to Brute and his gang from the big city. In response, Jim Tirrell, editor of the Gateston Gazette, starts using the newspaper to rally people against the racketeering. Bashby didn't like that... he tells his boys to silence the editor, permanently. Meanwhile in Metropolis, the Daily Planet is bursting with word of Tirrell's campaign. George Taylor sends his two best reporters, Clark and Lois, out to Gateston to work with Jim Tirrell and learn more about the situation.

Clark and Lois are greeted at the Gateston train station by Dick Daniels, an employee of Tirrell's. As they head for the Gazette, Dick conveys his and Jim's theory about the racketeering gang. They suspect "Brute" Bashby is just a front-man for someone higher up.

The Gateston Gazette is a rather puny looking building compared to the Daily Planet, but it's filled with big-hearted people who want to fight against the gangsters. Dick points out Jim Tirrell's car as it pulls into the garage. Suddenly, right before their eyes, an explosion rocks the garage, hitting the car and its occupant! Clark and Lois rush in to help, but it's no use. Jim Tirrell is dead. Spectators drawn by the noise crowd around the scene, and one of them steps forward towards Dick and Clark. He's Morton Twist, lawyer and head of the citizen committee that was helping the Gazette in its war on crime. Another explosion! This time in the room with the printing press. With that destroyed, the Gazette will have to cease publication. Clark promises Dick that he'll have the press back in operation within the next few hours, a claim Lois thinks is incredible. But Clark follows through, phoning the publisher of the Daily Planet, and having new printing equipment shipped over.

After informing the others of the good news, Clarks seeks out a secluded spot and changes to his Superman garments. He zooms across the sky, searching the roads below. On a mountain pass he finds the freight truck with the printing equipment inbound. Coming up on the opposite side is a suspicious looking car, speeding up as it closes in on the truck. It must be the gangsters, though it's a mystery how they knew about the shipment. The truck swerves to avoid the auto, and they both end up going over the cliff! Superman could only save the truck, catching it before it hit the ground. The car was totaled, the men inside were dead. The man of steel carries the truck back to the Gazette, where he then helps to unload the printing press, setting it in place so that it's ready to go!

Later, Clark is busy typing up a story, when a man storms into the Gazette office, demanding for them to get out. Lois asks who he thinks he is. The man answers he is George Terrill, brother to the late Jim, and he just got into town to find two complete strangers running his brother's business like they own it. He orders them to leave, which Clark and Lois reluctantly oblige. Back at the hotel, Clark receives a strange phone call informing him of a conference happening between Bashby and his next intended victim, at the hardware company. But as Clark and Lois drive toward the factory, a suspicious car begins following them. Clark notices first, casually reaching behind Lois and pinching a nerve on her neck to make her fall unconscious. They come to a bridge, and as soon as he starts to drive over, the trailing sedan comes up beside his car, swerving towards it to try and knock him off the road! Acting reflexively, Clark opens the driver's side door and delivers a swift kick to the car as it closes in. His strength flings the attacking car into the air and over the bridge! Lois wakes up just as Clark had closed the door again. He tells her just she fell asleep, probably due to the heat.

Clark and Lois burst in on a tense scene at the factory. The lawyer, Morton Twist, is there, along with the owner of the factory, Calvin Chalmers. And there in the corner stands "Brute" Bashby himself, waiting on an answer to his proposal. Will Chalmers pay for his "protection organization," or won't he? Twist tries convincing Chalmers, his client, to pay up to avoid unnecessary trouble, but Clark speaks up against it. Chalmers decides to resist the racketeers demands! Bashby storms off, after giving Clark a shove for interfering. When he recovers, Clark nervously takes off as well, with Lois looking on in disgust at his cowardice. In actuality, Clark leaves to change into his Superman garb and follow Bashby. He has a strong feeling the gangster was about to start some big trouble. Indeed, he spies on Brute as he gets on the payphone and calls all his boys together to raid the Hardware Factory. Chalmers is going to learn that no one says no to his racket! Superman flies back to the site just in time to see a truck crashing through the front gates! The gang come out with their guns in hand, chasing down the factory employees to give them a harsh beating. Using super-speed, Superman grabs all the guns out of the hands of the thugs and crushes them together into a ball of scrap metal! He takes the chain-link fence that runs all around the property and rolls up the whole racketeer gang inside.

Lois manages to sneak out during the chaos, and return to the hotel. Her reporter intuition is on high alert, as something still seems off. She asks the front desk clerk if he could remember anything suspicious about Bashby's actions the day Tirrell was killed. The clerk recalls that he saw Tirrell emerge from a conference in Bashby's room with Brute and another man whose face he couldn't see. Excited by this new piece of information, Lois breaks into Bashby's room and begins searching through his things. Suddenly, the door opens and in walks Brute, with his mysterious benefactor: Morton Twist! Lois had suspected his committee head was just a cover. Morton calls her crazy, warning her not to make accusations she can't prove. Lois doesn't intend to give up on this, telling them as much before they throw her out. She heads back to the car, and is about to start it when Superman dives down yelling for her to stop! He pulls her out of the vehicle and tells her to walk to the Gazette, call the police to be ready, and not print anything until he arrives. Confused, but trusting her constant savior, Lois heads off to do as he says. Meanwhile, Morton and Brute are having a conference, when Superman flies through their window. Without effort, he picks them both up and flies them down to the car Lois just left. Putting Twist behind the wheel, with Brute and himself as passenger, Superman orders them to start the car. Twist initially refuses, but some slight "coaxing" from Superman convinces him he should do as the man of steel asks. Minutes later, the car drives up the ramp leading into the newspaper building. But no matter what Superman says, Twist and Bashby refuse to pull the parking break. So, if they won't he will, but before he gets his hand around it, the villains in absolute terror beg him not to "blow them up"! The parking brake had a bomb trigger attached to it, which they readily confess to the police chief on hand, if only to get away from Superman. This was the same method they used to kill Jim Terrill. The two of them are arrested for murder as Superman leaves the scene, his work done. Clark reappears just as Jim's brother George runs over to meet him and Lois. He apologizes for before, he thought they were part of the racketeering gang, and just wanted to protect his late brother's business. But now, he offered his most heartfelt thanks for saving the paper!

Appearing in "The Rulers of Gateston"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Morton Twist (Single appearance)
  • "Brute" Bashby (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Dick Daniels (Single appearance)
  • Mr. Mason (Single appearance)
  • Calvin Chalmers (Single appearance)
  • George Terrill (Single appearance)
  • Jim Terrill (Single appearance; dies)

Locations:

Synopsis for "Mission To San Caluma"

The South American country of San Caluma is hit by disastrous earthquakes and tornados! Even after Mother Nature's fury ebbs, the land is overcome by hunger and disease. As an act of charity for their southern neighbors, the United States send supplies donated by its honest citizens. Clark Kent is sent by his boss to cover the departure of the relief ship to San Caluma. First, Clark decides to stop by the airport to get statements from the arriving Relief Commission officials.

At the airport, Clark watches as the plane carrying the officials goes out of control! Shoving past other reporters and onlookers, Clark finds an empty hangar where he can change to his alter-ego, Superman. Leaping up towards the falling plane, Superman grabs it and helps steady it until the pilot inside is able to regain control. Superman disappears back into the hangar, while the plane lands safely on the runway. The pilot comes out, calling for the police. He's struggling with the mechanic, who had sabotaged the controls. Clark returns just as the mechanic is arrested, refusing to tell the police why he did it. Clark tries getting a statement from the disembarking officials, but they are determined to reach the opening ceremony before the ship departs.

Clark goes with the other reporters to the dock, where the officials are making their speech to thank the many Americans who donated to help their home country. After the speech is over, the ship is set to sail, but something's wrong. Through his x-ray vision, Clark sees into the engine room. Someone seems to have sabotaged the ship's motor, and it won't able to depart for a week. Clark returns to his hotel room for a change of guise.

Superman thinks it over: first the officials are almost killed in a plane crash, now the ship carrying much-needed supplies to San Caluma is stuck at dockside. There is one man who could shed some light on these events: the mechanic who sabotaged the plane. But before he can even finish putting on his costume, a voice comes from behind! A thief is holding a gun on him! He had snuck into the room, hiding himself when he heard Clark coming, and now had seen Clark change into his Superman outfit! It doesn't take the man long to put two and two together. Superman is offered a choice: He can either pay an annual sum of "hush money", or the thief will tell his secret identity to everyone! Superman reminds the man that he could snap his neck with his fingers and never even have to worry about being exposed. Rightfully spooked, the thief runs out of the room! Clark changes back to his mild-mannered reporter façade before giving chase. But it turns out it wasn't necessary, as when he gets out into the hall and to the top of the stairs, he finds the thief had fallen down the steps and died.

At the city jail, the locked-up mechanic is surprised when Superman bursts through the wall! He is lifted up by his lapels as Superman demands to know who was ordering the sabotage. A guard, under the pay of the enemy, moves towards the mechanic's cell. Before Superman can learn the name of their boss, the guard shoots the mechanic in the back, silencing him forever. The guard then turns his aim on Superman and fires, but the bullet ricochets off his steel-like chest back toward the guard, who ends up killed by his own bullet.

Momentarily thwarted, Superman speeds like a blue blur back to the dock. He dives into the water and uses all his strength to push the relief vessel out of port, to the amazement of her crew. A plane flies overhead, carrying a rack of bombs. Superman momentarily stops pushing the ship long enough to leap up at the plane and removes the bombs from the underside, letting them fall harmlessly into the water. The pilot, fearing capture is inevitable, nosedives the plane into the sea! Once again, the man of steel shoves the relief ship. When it reaches San Caluma, he springs away!

Later, back at the Daily Planet, Clark finds out that George Taylor sent Lois out to cover the loading of the second relief ship. Meanwhile, Lois Lane finds herself in a spot of trouble when, while checking the supply warehouse, she catches the attention of two thugs setting fire to the San Caluma supplies! They grab her and tie her up, leaving her on the floor of the burning warehouse so she can't talk. Superman arrives on the scene and halts the fleeing arsonists. He intimidates them into turning a hose on the fire. He hurries inside to rescue Lois from the blaze. Outside, a dark car speeds by the scene, riddling the thugs with bullets as it passes! As soon as Lois is safe, Superman questions the dying thug. The car belonged to their boss, Mumsen, who likely thought they had double-crossed him. Leaping high in the sky, Superman trails the auto, watching its occupant enter an isolated building. With his super-hearing, the man of steel overhears Mumsen speaking into a radio to his gang. He didn't want any of the food that reached San Caluma to be distributed; only when the country is groveling at his feet will he give them food. But first he'd demand they make him governor. The wall behind Mumsen breaks down as Superman breaks through! He's heard enough to have Mumsen put away for a long time. Mumsen runs to the furnace to destroy the documents he's kept, but Superman's quick speed and abnormally high endurance allows him to snatch the paper out of the boiling hot furnace before they are turned to ash. Feeling that he is out of options, Mumsen tosses a lever, blowing up the building they are in. The explosion kills him, but isn't nearly enough to harm Superman. The relief supplies, at least, will now be spread among the San Caluma citizens without any dirty dealings blocking them.

Appearing in "Mission To San Caluma"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Mumsen, sabotage boss (Single appearance; dies)
  • Thief (Single appearance; dies)
  • Mechanic (Single appearance; dies)
  • Jail Guard (Single appearance; dies)

Locations:

Vehicles:

  • airplane
  • San Caluma Relief Ship
  • 2nd relief ship

Synopsis for "The Construction Racket"

When a new department store in Metropolis collapses on opening day, Clark Kent is sent out to investigate the story. He starts by heading to Globe Construction Company, to talk to the head of the firm. Instead, all he finds is a corpse. The police sergeant arrives at the office as Clark is examining the body. Although the police mark it as a suicide due to the gun in the victim's hand, Clark secretly disagrees. His telescopic vision lets him see the fingerprints around the victim's throat, indicating he was choked to death first, before being shot. A strange anomaly about the prints, in that there seemed to be one absent, further leads him to believe the killer has only four fingers on his right hand. Clark visits the wife of the victim, who tells him that her husband had recently been fronting for another company, and she noticed he was having problems with his employer. She didn't know which company it was, however.

Back at the Planet, George wants Clark to find out more about the construction of the new Municipal Stadium. Lois decides to accompany Clark this time. Upon entering the construction site, Clark and Lois are yelled at by one of the employees, Sam Goetz. Even after they try to explain that as reporters they have a right to be there, Goetz shoves Clark, telling him to get lost. Clark meekly backs off, to Lois' frustration. She storms off, thinking Clark a coward. Clark tells the bully construction worker that he'll report him, Goetz snidely replies that the Jackson Construction Company is where he'll need to go, but that it won't do much good.

In the office of Mr. Jackson, Clark begins to tell him about Sam Goetz's rude behavior, when he notices something fishy. Mr. Jackson had only four fingers on his right hand! Jackson assures Clark that the roughness was only due to their insurance company not permitting them visitors on-site. Clark takes his leave, still wondering about Jackson's connection with the murder. Clark Kent changes to Superman and streaks towards the stadium under construction. His hunch proves true, as he finds the Jackson Company is using inferior materials that could cause another catastrophe like that at the department store. The men at the site try to grab him, but Superman easily evades their attempts. During the cat and mouse chase, two workers fall off their perch into a tub of quick drying cement! Superman dives in to rescue them, speeding them off to the emergency room just in case.

Days later, the dedication ceremony at the now-complete stadium has started! Folks arrive in droves, including Lois Lane herself. Clark, meanwhile, has some unfinished business he intends to see to. Zipping off to Jackson's office, he eavesdrops on a phone call between Jackson and the Mayor. Jackson needs Mayor Hansen to sign a release on his work so he can be paid, or else he'll expose the Mayor's getting a cut on the shady department store project. Superman zooms off to the Mayor's office, grabs Hansen under his arm, and returns to Jackson to do the same. Carrying them both, Superman lands at the stadium observation tower, where he sits Jackson and Hansen together, securing them in their seats by wrapping them in a steel pipe. When the cracks start to appear, it isn't long before the stadium begins to collapse! Superman rushes to the aid of the people, keeping the stadium up as long as he can while they evacuate. He hears Lois' voice crying out for him. She is under an arch that is about to fall! But on the other end are a bunch of children that are in danger from falling debris! Making the decision easier, Lois tells him to save the kids first, so he does. When the last child is safe, Superman races to Lois' side, where she has fallen under a pile of rubble. Luckily she is alive, but Superman takes her to the hospital anyway, despite her insistence that she is fine. Then, only after everyone else is saved, does Superman return to the tower to get Jackson and the Mayor. They are noticeably shaken by the experience. But there is still more that Superman could do to get his point across. He ties them by their belts to the landing gear of an airplane taking off. He doesn't release them until they promise to confess to their crimes. His tactic is a success, Mayor Hansen and Jackson are all too willing to let the police lock them up if only to get them away from the high-flying madman!

At the hospital, Clark returns to find out that Lois was in critical condition and needs a blood transfusion if she is to survive! Clark volunteers his own blood. Since he knew no medical instrument could pierce his skin, Clark secretly tears open his own skin so the needle can penetrate. The doctors are amazed that, not only does Clark have the proper type, but his blood seems to match all four known blood types! Shortly after, much sooner than anyone expects, Lois makes a full recovery. She and Clark depart from the hospital together, Lois claiming she feels stronger than she's ever felt before.

Appearing in "The Construction Racket"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Jackson (Single appearance)
  • Mayor Hansen (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • John (Appears only as a corpse)
  • Sergeant Clancy
  • John's widow (Single appearance)
  • Sam Goetz (Single appearance)

Locations:

Notes

  • Published bi-monthly by Superman, Inc.
  • This issue is reprinted in The Superman Archives Vol. 2.
  • In "Lois Lane, Murder Suspect":
    • Superman is shown speeding through the sky, while flying is not mentioned, he no longer appears to be merely leaping.
  • In "The Rulers of Gateston":
    • Once again Clark knocks out Lois with a nerve pinch.
  • in "Mission to San Caluma":
    • Superman's secret identity is revealed for the first time. Not for long, though.
    • Superman is shown to be merely leaping, but he does use his cape to glide in the air.
  • In "The Construction Racket":
    • Superman uses his microscopic vision for the first time.
    • Superman's blood is compatible with all four blood types, and its special qualities allow Lois to recuperate in record time.
    • At the end of the 1930s and the beginning of the "golden age" of superheroes, as shown in several early Superman stories and at least one Green Lantern story, the municipal and state governments of Metropolis were riddled with corruption.
  • Also appearing in this issue of Superman were:
    • "Supermen of America" (text advertisement for the fan club)
    • "Too Big For Marbles" (text story) by George Shute
    • "The BIG SIX comic magazines still lead the field!" (3/4 page ad for the current issues of Action, Adventure, Detective, All-American, More Fun, and Flash Comics)
    • "Driftin' Dave" by Alger
    • "Super Strength" (exercise tutorial) by Jerry Siegel, Jack Burnley, Joe Shuster, and Paul Cassidy
    • "For Swell Vacation Reading ..." (1/2 page ad for the current issues of All-Star Comics #1 and Mutt & Jeff #2)
    • "UP!" (1/2 page ad for the current issue of Batman #2)
    • "The Strangest Case" (text story) by Gardner F. Fox
    • Sports Close-ups: "Diz Dean & Monte Pearson" by Jack Burnley
    • Superman (full-page ad for the ongoing series of Action Comics)



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