Action Comics #15

Issue Details

Publisher	DC
Series	Action Comics
Published	July 1939

Creators

Artist	Fred Guardineer
Writer	Jerry Siegel

Synopsis

SUPERMAN ON THE HIGH SEAS Clark Kent is sent to Kidtown to write a story about it. He interviews the man responsible for creating Kidtown, a place where underprivileged boys are sent in order to have a chance to rehabilitate themselves and stay away from crime. During the interview, the man in charge of Kidtown says he is in deep debt and must pay off $2 million dollars in two weeks in order to keep the town alive. After the interview, Clark Kent decides that he will raise the money himself but ponders how he will do it. He already has $1 million dollars from when he sold his oil stock back in "The Black Gold Oil Well". Within minutes, Clark stops two men who robbed a bank and is given $5,000 dollars as a reward for stopping them. Later, a wealthy man is walking behind Clark pondering what to do with his wealth. Suddenly, a car loses control and hits a tree near Clark and the wealthy man and the tree crashes on top both of the men trapping them. Still as Clark, Superman lifts the tree off the man and he is given $10,000 dollars for saving him.   Back at the Daily Star, Clark is sent to interview well-known explorer Warren Kenyon who had just returned from a treasure hunt. Kenyon shows Clark a treasure map that marks the spot of a sunken Spanish galleon in the middle of the ocean. It is imbedded in coral which makes it impossible to blast through, but the ship has about $1 million dollars of gold in it. After Clark returns from his interview and prints the story about Warren Kenyon and the sunken treasure, he takes a two-week vacation and plans to get the gold himself. "Big Boy" Chaney reads about the treasure and plans to go after it. Another gang headed by Marchetti also has the same idea after reading the article and sends Mugsy to keep tabs on Clark Kent. Mugsy learns that Clark is going to take a vacation and follows him to a shipping office where Clark is renting a boat called "The Dragon". Marchetti and his henchmen decide to knock out the sailors looking for work in order to be hired by Clark on his expedition.   Meanwhile, "Big Boy's" mob steals the D-11 government submarine and head towards the sunken treasure. "The Dragon" has arrived at the spot of the treasure and Clark is lowered into the ocean in a diving-bell. After Clark tells his crew that he has found it, Mugsy cut off Clark's oxygen tube. Assuming that Clark has died, the crew bring the diving-bell up and find that Clark is gone and a hole torn off. Clark had escaped moments before and has changed into Superman. After fighting off multiple sharks, Superman tears through the coral and finds dead sailors and the gold. The stolen D-11 has arrived and send two men to explore the ship and take the treasure. Hiding, Superman dresses as one of the dead sailors and scares the men into believing that ghosts are after them. As the D-11 is fleeing, Superman breaks off their propellers and throws them up towards a battle ship that is searching for the stolen submarine. Superman dresses back as Clark Kent and his crew finds him and takes him back into the ship.   Clark finds that his oxygen tube was cut off and decides to take a nap without a worry since he is Superman. The crew sneaks into Clark's cabin and stabs him with a knife while he sleeps. As the knife breaks, Clark jumps up and beats the crew up and calls the authorities to arrest the men. The next day, an anonymous donor has donated $2 million dollars to Kidtown and has saved it. THE WAREHOUS ROBBERIES Finally back home in the U.S., Pep visits one of the survivors he rescued from the plane crash. Mr. Smith is the owner of a warehouse chain in the city, and over the last few months, there have been a series of robberies, resulting in heavy losses for his business. Pep offers to help and begins by posing as the new watchman for the warehouse. That evening, he's partnered with Crane, a veteran watchman. Men dressed as cops come to the front of the warehouse. Crane is shot and falls down the stairs, while Pep tries to fight the erzatz officers off, to no avail. He and Crane are taken hostage in the back of a stolen hearse, while the others clear the warehouse of its stock. The hearse is driven back to the robbers' hideout, where Pep makes an escape out of the window! He high tails it to nearby farmhouse, and, after hearing his story, the farmer lets him call the police. When the robbers are seen coming to the front door, the farmer and Pep take up arms. Luckily, the real police show up before anyone can be seriously hurt. Pep discloses the location of the crooks' hideout so they can get Crane some medical attention. THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLL PART XV Marco is still on the rampart when the slave driver and guards show up! Nicolo and Maffeo have made it over the wall and run away from the city, trusting that Marco will make it out as well. Leaping from the wall onto a hay cart, Marco knocks off a guard and steals his horse. He rides into an alley and jumps through the window of an empty building, hiding there until nightfall.   When the time comes, Marco exits his hiding spot and starts heading for the city's main gate. He rounds the corner and bumps into a pair of soldiers who are looking for him! Quickly, he pushes one over and grabs the other's sword, rushing through the alleys and side streets in an attempt to lose his pursuers. Soon, the main gate is up ahead, and Marco races for freedom. Using the sword, he cuts the rope holding the portcullis as he passes. Will he make it through in time, or will Marco end up working as a slave for the rest of his days? THE PHARAOH'S TREASURE PART 2 The sand storm grows near while Clip Carson and his archaeologist friend, Jim Blake, are locked in battle with a band of Arabian bandits! But soon the bandits stop firing their guns and begin setting up their tent to protect them from the biting sand being blown by the storm. Clip and Jim do the same, but instead of entering the tent, they wrap themselves in blankets and sneak away, using the kicked up dust as cover for their escape.   When they finally reach the great pyramids, they notice bandits guarding the entrance to the Pharaoh Kheok's tomb. Clip and Jim fight them, shooting those that don't run away. More bandits attack them inside the pyramid, but Clip's perfect skill with the pistol keeps them both safe. A secret door is discovered behind a false block, and when they enter, Clip and Jim are surprised by the sight of a mummy, who speaks to them. It warns them away from the treasure of the late Pharaoh. THE DEVONE DIAMOND KILLER KEEFE Chuck Dawson helps a man rescue his son from Killer Keefe's gang of raiders. THE ICE MENACE An evil scientist, Berhener, creates a heat ray and uses it to melt a lot of polar ice, causing the oceans to rise, and flooding New York City and many other coastal cities. Zatara is called in, and he figures out where the melting is happening, then tracks the heat ray's creator, Berhener, who turns out to have a mad scheme about extorting the world's governments and banks for a lot of money. Zatara freezes him inside an iceberg, and sinks the heat ray into the ocean