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

Issue Details

Issue #27
Published August 1940
Cover Price 0.10
Pages 68
Editing Whitney Ellsworth, Murray Boltinoff

Cover Details

Characters Superman; Lois Lane.
Genre superhero
Pencils Paul Cassidy
Inks Paul Cassidy
Letters typeset
Reprinted In Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #2 (1998).

13 page Superman story "The Brentwood Rehabilitation Home"

Characters Superman [Clark Kent]; Lois Lane; Villains: Mr. Tweed, Mrs. Tweed; Davey Merrill.
Synopsis Clark arrives for a date with Lois, who is making a donation to the Brentwood Rehabilitation Home. Clark tells her that the place is more interested in money than their young charges. Lois decides they should visit the home so that she can disprove Clark. After a pleasant visit, Lois and Clark are stopped by a charge, Davey Merrill, who cut his hands climbing the wall just to ask for something to eat. Once they feed him, he tells them all about the horrible conditions at the home. Lois goes back to investigate but is captured by the Tweeds, the proprietors. Assuming Lois has gotten into trouble, Superman rushes to the home to save her and Davey.
Genre superhero
Script Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils Paul Cassidy (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks Dennis Neville
Reprinted In Superman: The Action Comics Archives (DC, 1997 series) #2 (1998).

6 page Pep Morgan story "The Track Meet Fix"

Characters Pep Morgan; Bill; Cole; Coach Jones; Sheriff Blake; Villains: gamblers.
Synopsis At Maddon Circle Garden, Pep prepares for the Annual Foxx Quarter-Mile Race for Ardale College. In the locker room, Pep overhears gamblers bribing a runner. In the race, he is beat by Cole from State. Later, Pep and Bill find spike marks on the track. He decides to wait for the outdoor quarter to best Cole when spikes are allowed, but the gambler's plan was to get all bets on Cole so Pep could win the outdoor. When Cole is hurt in a train wreck, the gamblers have to deal with Pep.
Genre adventure
Pencils Fred Guardineer (signed as Gene Baxter)
Inks Fred Guardineer (signed as Gene Baxter)

4 page The Black Pirate story "Fight to the Finish"

Characters The Black Pirate [Jon Valor]; Jeanne; V: Captain Ruff's brother; Captain Tavish; a ship dealer; Captain Angago.
Synopsis Hearing Jeanne scream, Jon Valor rushes to protect her from a bearded giant, Captain Ruff's brother. Once safe, they head for Savannah and passage on Captain Tavish's ship. They retrieve Ruff's treasure and head to Bristol and buys the Sea-Queen. The dealer visits a friend, Captain Andago, who tells him that the money he received was the lost jewels of Queen Maria, and the man who bought the ship is a pirate with a price on his head.
Genre period
Pencils Sheldon Moldoff (signed)
Inks Sheldon Moldoff (signed)
Notes Story title given in previous issue.

2 page text story "No Greater Courage"

Characters Michael Varkova
Genre war
Script Ivan Dmytryk (signed)
Pencils ? (spot illos)
Inks ? (spot illos)
Letters typeset

6 page Three Aces story "The Blue Raider"

Characters Three Aces: Fog Fortune; Gunner Bill; Whistler Will; V: The Blue Raider [Blackie Dawes].
Synopsis Enjoying a rest in Arizona, the Three Aces read a report about a mysterious blue plane that has been attacking Federal Airline Union transcontinental planes. Gunner finds a stranded commercial liner, and the Aces decide to track down the Blue Raider.
Genre adventure
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Chad Grothkopf
Inks Chad Grothkopf
Notes Writer credit added by Craig Delich 8-23-08.

10 page Tex Thomson story "The Return of the Gorrah!!"

Characters Tex Thomson; Bob Daley; V: The Gorrah; District Attorney Maloney; Janice Maloney; Tiger Dixon; Bomber Brennen; Reb Horton; V: Rat-Men; Miss X (cameo).
Synopsis Bomber Brennen is killed in a boxing match with Tiger Dixon that Tex, Bob, the D.A., and the D.A.'s daughter, Janice, were attending. Bob discovers a sponge loaded with nepthogas in the locker rooms. Dixon's manager, Reb Norton, notes that Joey Gonomi had tried to make him throw the fight, but after the lights go out and some shots are fired, Reb disappears. Tex receives a package from a florist, and he and Bob investigate, aided by Miss X. They end up captured by the Gorrah and his new creations, the Rat-Men.
Genre adventure
Script Ken Fitch?
Pencils Bernard Baily (signed)
Inks Bernard Baily (signed)
Letters Bernard Baily
Notes Letterer credit added by Craig Delich 8-23-08.

1 page Tiny filler "Shoes, Hardware, Meats"

Characters Tiny
Genre gags
Script Fred Schwab
Pencils Fred Schwab
Inks Fred Schwab
Letters Fred Schwab
Notes Writer and letterer credits added by Craig Delich 8-23-08.

6 page Clip Carson story "Hollywood Advisor"

Characters Clip Carson; Buzz Bailey; Snyder; V: Mr. Dennis; Archie Norton; Jean Norton.
Synopsis On a plane to Hollywood, where Clip will act as technical advisor on an adventure film, he runs into Buzz Bailey. Buzz is greeted by a shady producer, Snyder, but ignores him. Clip sets out to location with Archie Norton, the star of the film, and Archie's wife, Jean, but the couple fights incessantly. On the first day of shooting, Archie is shot dead, and Clip determines to find the killer.
Genre adventure
Pencils Sheldon Moldoff
Inks Sheldon Moldoff

Half page Mr. Pots filler "Busy Signal"

Characters Mr. Pots
Genre gag
Pencils Bernard Baily
Inks Bernard Baily

11 page Zatara story "The Vanished Explorer"

Characters Zatara; Tong; Raoul D'Armand; Kara; Villains: The Link Men, Ahmed the Great.
Synopsis On the trail of the "missing link," Raoul D'Armand's was lost in the jungles of Africa. Hearing of the news, Zatara sets out with Tong to find him.
Genre Occult
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Fred Guardineer
Inks Fred Guardineer