When Action 1000 hit the stands last year, I dug out my Famous First Edition reprint of Action 1 from 1974. This oversize comic reprints the contents of Action 1 from 1938, starting with Joe Shuster’s much-imitated cover of the man of steel wreaking havoc. I’ve always loved the expression on the face of the guy at bottom left. Get me out of here!
The first Superman story was assembled from strip samples and as a result reads like a fever dream. The first page introduces the basics of the legend, but says that a passing motorist took the baby to an orphanage. Panel 5 introduces him as Clark, he’s seen as Superman in panel 6 and panel 7 identifies him as Clark Kent. That same panel tries to explain his strength – by comparing him to what ants and grasshoppers can do - and says that members of his race gain tremendous strength “upon reaching maturity.”
By page 2, Supes is already dashing to the governor’s house to stop an execution. Jerry Siegel’s comic touch with the character already is visible on page 3, as he tears down the door to the governor’s bedroom and tells the guard “It was your idea!”
On page 5, Supes stops a wife-beater. Lois Lane makes her debut on page 6. Thugs take Lois and on page 9, Supes tracks em down and smashes their car in the iconic scene that Shuster recreates on the cover. By page 11, Supes is starting to investigate a crooked senator before this first tale ends with a cliffhanger on page 13.
It’s an invigorating story, made all the more energetic by the sense that you feel like you missed a panel or a page somewhere because of the way it was put together. But that sense of disorientation somehow adds to the story rather than detracting from it. Shuster’s art is rough but powerful and Siegel’s script and dialogue brought even background characters to life.
The unenviable task of following Superman in Action 1 fell to Chuck Dawson, a generic cowboy feature that wasn’t helped by having its six pages printed in black and white. Written and drawn by early DC creator Homer Fleming, best known for drawing the Whip, which ran as a backup in Flash Comics for many years. Story also ends in a cliffhanger, but much less exciting than the one by the guy in tights in the previous story.
(The inside cover of this issue is an ad for a contest offering $25 in cash prizes for coloring the first page of the Chuck Dawson story. Readers are asked to color the page and then tear it out and send it in. The best 25 would win $1 each. Ouch. Wonder how many issues of Action 1 eventually had this page missing.)
Next up is Zatara by Fred Guardineer. It’s a highly stylized knockoff of comic strip magician Mandrake, but quite entertaining with some beautiful panels within its 12 pages. Zatara doesn’t yet have a mustache and battles a villainess called the Tigress. He also shoots a bad guy. Maybe he already was tired of saying his spells backwards.
The next 3 features in Action 1 are unremarkable. A 2-page text story – something about pirates – to allow the comic to meet postage requirements. A 4-page humor strip called Sticky-Mitt Stimson by Russell Alger Cole, billed as Alger. It hasn’t aged well. A 4-page Marco Polo explorer adventure strip by early creator Sven Elven. It’s heavy on text and also hasn’t aged well.
Things pick up a little when Guardineer returns with Pep Morgan, a 4-page boxing strip. Good stuff, but not up to the level of Zatara.
Next is a 6-page black n white story of Scoop Scanlon, crime fighting reporter. Somewhat stylish but generic. Written and drawn by John William Ely. I had to look Ely up and was surprised to learn he had a 30-year career at DC – late 30s to late 60s – drawing a wide range of adventure, crime and horror stories. Sadly, Ely is largely forgotten, since the only character he’s worked on that’s still kicking around the DC Universe is Rip Hunter, who Ely drew very late in his career.
Action 1 wraps up with a 12-page story of Tex Thomson, a wealthy cowboy traveling the world. This one’s written and drawn by Bernard Baily – who wld go on to co-create the Spectre and Hourman – but is very generic.
The last page of Action 1 is titled Stardust and features brief items about movie stars Fred Astaire, Constance Bennett, Charles Boyer and comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey. I’m guessing it’s drawn by Sheldon Moldoff – since his name is right there on the inside back cover as the creator of Odds n Ends – a series of brief sports items featuring Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and …Lee Grissom? Had to look Grissom up as well. He had been an all-star the previous season pitching for the Cincinnati Reds.
Back cover has the typical ads that seemed to run in comics for 40 years - radios, cameras, how to be a ventriloquist, etc. My favorite item was the unlikely ad for yacht caps. Ahoy, matey!
Action 1 is truly a product of its time, a grab bag of features all looking to scratch their way to the top. Superman ended up on its cover almost by random chance – and he wouldn’t take over the cover for good til issue 19 – but the rest is history…
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