Appearing in "Superman Meets the Ultra-Humanite"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
George Taylor (Cameo)
Villains:
- Ultra-Humanite
- Lyons (Single appearance)[1]
Other Characters:
- Inspector Hughes (Single appearance)[1]
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for "Superman Meets the Ultra-Humanite"
Superman travels down into the subway where a tunnel has collapsed. He discovers that a wall was constructed of inferior materials. Farther up the track, he sees someone also inspecting the wall who is beat up by some thugs and thrown into the path of an oncoming train. Superman saves the gentlemen.
The man tells him that he is City Inspector Hughes, who believes that the Star Company, which built the tunnels, used improper building materials. He also believes that the two thugs were associated with the Star Company. He travels to Star, Inc. and comes across the two thugs who roughed up Inspector Hughes.
He threatens their boss by dangling him out the window. As he does so, the two men throw him and the boss out the window. He cushions the boss' fall then grabs him and jumps back up to the window. He makes the boss write out a confession, but the two men have already escaped. He tracks them down, and just as he's about to catch their car, it goes invisible.
He notices some tracks heading to a deserted shed, and sure enough, inside he feels the outline of an invisible car. As he wonders about this, a trap door opens which drops him into a machine that encases him in crystal. We discover that Star, Inc. is a company run by the Ultra-Humanite. He reveals that the last time he met up with Superman, he escaped via parachute. As he is talking, however, Superman revives and destroys his crystal prison.
He approaches the Ultra-Humanite, who press a button and drops through the floor. Superman destroys the floor to get at him, but he is unable to find him. He grabs the two thugs, and discovers the invisible car has disappeared. He turns the two men into the police, but what of the Ultra-Humanite?
Appearing in "The Journey Home (Part II)"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Captain Johnson (Final appearance)
Villains:
- Unnamed Mutineer (Final appearance)
- Captain Sindra (Mentioned)
Other Characters:
- Jim (Single appearance)[1]
- Mr. Smith (First appearance; unnamed)
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- Tramp Steamer
Synopsis for "The Journey Home (Part II)"
The tramp steamer carrying Pep home was quieter now that Sindra and his boys have been rounded up. Or so they thought, but a single member of Sindra's gang has hidden himself aboard. He finds a cabin he can hide in until they reach shore. Unfortunately, the cabin belonged to Pep. He finds the lone mutineer hiding under his cot, and yells for the captain. The sailor attacks, but Pep sends him reeling back with a kick to the chest! Captain Johnson and his officers arrive and subdue the man. He is thrown in the brig until the proper authorities can take care of him. A storm has picked up, Captain Johnson asks Pep if he'd like to join him on the bridge and watch him weather the ship through.
An hour later, one of the captain's officers enters the wheelhouse with news of an S.O.S. from a clipper plane. It's engines have failed causing it to land in the ocean, and the pilot and passengers need immediate rescue. Captain Johnson turns in the direction they were last seen and sets off full speed through the stormy waters. They see a flare go off in the distance, and as they steer toward it the crew sights a man in the water trying to get the ship's attention. He is brought aboard and tells Pep that he tried to swim out for help. The rest of the plane's crew were still alive and located a quarter-mile off. The first-mate picks out a rescue team to take out in the lifeboats to try and find the others. Pep volunteers to go along.
Pep discovers rowing a boat in the storm is more difficult than he imagined, but together with his crewmates, they make it to the plane's passengers. Pep helps them into the boat, when one of them shouts that the pilot was still trapped inside the plane! Pep leaves the crew to load the rest of the people aboard, diving in the water and swimming to the half-sunken plane. Inside, the pilot was still knocked out from the impact of the landing. Water was seeping in fast, and the pilot's leg seemed to be broken. Pep grabs the pilot under one arm and swims for the safety of the lifeboat. He rescued the pilot just in time, too, as the plane finally sinks beneath the waves. Everyone is taken back aboard the ship. The captain orders food to be prepared for the survivors.
At dinner that night, Pep hopes that everyone has an uneventful trip back to the states from here on out.
Appearing in "Adventures of Marco Polo (Part XIV)"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Nicolo (Marco's father)
- Maffeo (Marco's uncle)
Villains:
- Abu El-Kaf (Mentioned)
- Kashan (Single appearance)[1]
Other Characters:
- the cheetah
Locations:
- China (13th Century)
- The Walled City
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for "Adventures of Marco Polo (Part XIV)"
Marco has bought his freedom from the old farmer, and now rushed his way back to the walled city to rescue his family! He hitches a ride on a hay cart after paying the owner a large sum of coins. He is hidden inside the haystack where the slavers won't spot him. After some time, they make it back to the city. The hay cart is driven into a barn, where the Chinese owner tells Marco it was safest up in the loft for now. When the cart departs, Marco risks a peek through a crack in the boards. He sees his uncle Maffeo being forced to work the fields by a cruel master. When Maffeo is sent into the barn to fetch some hay, Marco calls to him. Maffeo can barely believe it. Marco? Here? But there he was, though their happy reunion will need to wait, as the slave driver was just outside. Marco helps his uncle gather the hay, and tells him to meet him back here again tonight, together with his father. The slave driver yells, threatening Maffeo with a whipping if he doesn't hurry along. Marco sadly watches as his uncle leaves with the hay, berated by the cruel slaver the whole time. His blood then begins to boil with what he sees next. A cage is rolled forth, and his pet cheetah within, the slave master shouting curses at it. It had apparently clawed him earlier, and the slaver now wanted revenge, snapping his whip at the animal!
That night, Nicolo sneaks into the barn, calling for Marco. Maffeo keeps a lookout as father and son reunite. Nicolo asks him how he got here, but there was no time for explanations at the moment. They needed to escape. Maffeo grabs a ladder from the barn, while Nicolo sneaks over to a drowsy guard and takes him out! Marco, meanwhile, tip-toes over to the cheetah's cage, and begins picking the lock. The cheetah awakes, and begins growling happily at the sight of his master. Marco tries to shush him as he undoes the lock, fearing he'll wake the guards. Nicolo and Maffeo had already made it to the top of the ladder and were making their way over the wall. Marco and his cheetah run across the courtyard to the base of the ladder when a yell from the guards informs them they've been spotted!
Appearing in "The Pharaoh's Treasure (Part I)"
Featured Characters:
- Clip Carson (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Jim Blake (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
Villains:
- Arab Thugs (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Captain Beatty (First appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- a stone tablet
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for "The Pharaoh's Treasure (Part I)"
Meet Clip Carson, adventurer, gun for hire, and thrill-seeker. Today, he's roaming around Cairo, Egypt, looking for his next big adventure. Sounds of a scuffle reach his ears. Around the corner, a few rough-looking Arabian thugs are attacking a young man. Clip enters the fray, helping to fight off the thugs until they've all been knocked out. The local authorities arrive, led by Captain Beatty, and the thugs are arrested and taken back to the barracks. The young man Clip helped introduces himself: Jim Blake, archaeologist. He offers to buy Clip a drink at the bar, as he recounts his tale. It all started when Jim had uncovered a small stone slab a week ago, while on a dig at an old tomb that once housed the son of a Pharaoh. The slab had writing on it that, after being deciphered, told the location of the boy's father within a secret chamber in the great pyramids. A chamber that the tablet said also held an enormous treasure. Somehow a band of thieves found out about the tablet, and that Jim had possession of it, hence why they were trying to kill him to get it. Nevertheless, he still planned to set off for the pyramids tomorrow, despite the danger. Tonight, he planned on visiting the barracks, to question the prisoners and find out who had sent them to kill him.
As the two of them step outside the tavern, Clip hears a noise and, reacting instantly, pushes Jim out of the path of a knife thrown by another of the bandit thugs. Clip chases the man down and tackles him! He takes the bandit back to Jim for questioning, but the man is too afraid to tell them who he was sent by. Clip uses the bandit's knife to threaten him with. Just when they were about to get an answer, the man arches back in pain and falls to the ground, dead from a gunshot! Their only hope now was to get back to the barracks to question the other bandits being held there.
Clip and Jim find that the barracks are in a state of high alert. Beatty comes running over to explain that the prisoners have escaped! Someone used explosives to blast the wall of the guardhouse, and the bandits escaped through the hole! He warns Blake that he'd be putting his life on the line if he left now. But Jim remains adamant about the journey tomorrow. The threat of the bandits won't be enough to scare him away from finding the hidden chamber! Clip announces that he'll join Jim Blake in the search, as danger and excitement are his forte.
The next morning, Clip and Jim ride off into the desert on horses. By noon they close in on the pyramids, but Clip spots a band of riders approaching, and he and Jim take cover behind a sand dune. Thanks to their unerring aim, some of the riders are taken out, and they start to fall back. Clip watches as the bandits dismount and begin to surround their hiding spot, swords at the ready. To make matters worse, a deadly sand storm is creeping up behind them. Storms in the desert can send sand flying like little razors that can shred a man to bits. The duo are in a tough spot, and neither of them could see a way out...
Appearing in "The Miss Abelard Affair"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Elanor Abelard (Single appearance)[1]
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for "The Miss Abelard Affair"
While Bob is out of town visiting his relatives, Tex decides to take out an ad in the paper. He lists himself as an adventure-seeker, willing those who have a problem or know of a good thrill to write to him. He gives the address of the hotel room he's currently staying at. Days later, the concierge at the front desk hands Tex a bundle of mail from people that responded to his ad. In his room, he reads through the letters, until he finds one that looks promising. It's from a Ms. Elanor Abelard, who was requesting his aid, saying she feared for her life. Tex heads to the address of the hotel where Miss Abelard was staying and headed up to the room number. The young woman seemed relieved that he had shown up, eagerly inviting him in so she can explain herself. She is the daughter of a government official. Recently, she overheard important information that could give America's enemies an advantage if it leaked out. Because of this, she was constantly being followed and watched. Suddenly, two men burst into the room, one kidnaps Miss Abelard, while the other whacks Tex on the back of the head, putting him out!
Tex wakes up in a room he doesn't recognize. He is greeted by a doctor and asked how he is feeling. Tex demands to know where Miss Abelard was. The doctor tells him the woman he was with is in the adjoining room. Tex rushes through the door to make sure she was okay, but the woman on the other side wasn't Miss Abelard. Still, both she and the doctor insist that she had indeed brought Tex in last night after he had gotten drunk. Tex grew increasingly agitated. He knew what happened last night, he wasn't drunk, and Miss Abelard was kidnapped right before he was knocked out! But the doctor dismisses it as a drunken hallucination, he gives Tex the address of his office, advising him to pay him a visit soon. For now, Tex returns to the other room to think about what he should do next. Something was very wrong here, and he still had no idea what happened to Elanor Abelard...
A few minutes later, the door opens, and Bob peeks his head around. He had a feeling that Tex was in trouble after their hotel manager told him he had moved to a new address. So Bob had tracked Tex down here. Tex fills his friend in on the strange events so far, leaving Bob perplexed! Their next move was to pay a visit to the doctor, who had to be involved in all this. At his office downtown, the doctor invite Tex and bob inside, he was just finishing up with a patient. His orderly wheels a gurney, carrying a patient who that was completely bandaged from head to toe, into the next room. Tex follows the doctor to his office, then they are left to wait as the doctor goes to check that his patient is resting comfortably. While their alone, Tex tells Bob that he's solved the puzzle. The patient in the next room had to be Elanor Abelard, tied up and hidden underneath the bandages! Bob is unsure, but Tex believes he's right. When the doctor returns, the two of them act inconspicuous, choosing to keep their suspicions to themselves for now. They are offered cocktails, the doctor having his orderly bring them two glasses. The orderly tells him he is needed for something, and once again the doctor excuses himself from the room. This was their chance! Tex and Bob find the patient in the next room, and Tex begins undoing the bandages, even though he knew if he was wrong, it could mean the person's death! The doctor appears in the doorway and orders Tex away from his patient. That's when Tex tells him his suspicions, that the person underneath was, in fact, Miss Abelard! Tex is surprised when the doctor suddenly pulls out a gun and points it at him! He was correct, the doctor confirmed, but he wont live long enough to tell anyone. Just as he's about to fire, his orderly clumsily knocks into him while trying to open the door. Tex grabs the gun and holds it on the doc while Bob unwraps the bandages on the girl. She is shaken, but alive.
After they tie up the doctor and the orderly, Miss Abelard comes clean to Tex. She was actually a government agent, herself, and the men that kidnapped her were foreign spies. She previously gained their trust, enough to learn their country's plans, which she was going to relay to her superiors. But the doctor found her out before she could make it back. Now that Tex and Bob had rescued her, she can get back to her bosses. Tex and Bob offer to escort her, after summoning the police to pick up the doctor and his assistant. They take the spies car and race to the government administration building. Once there, Miss Abelard hurries inside to make her report.
Later, back in Tex's own hotel room, Elanor Abelard pays him a visit to personally thank him for all he has done. She leans in and kisses him goodbye before leaving. Bob hurries to the phone so he can put his own ad in the paper, hoping for a similar reward.
Appearing in "Chuck Dawson: The 4-G Gang (Part 14)"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Blacky
- Zebe (Final appearance)
- Virginia (Final appearance)
Villains:
- 4-G gunmen (Final appearance)
- Baldy (Final appearance)
- Speck (Final appearance)
- Wolf (Final appearance)
- Pedro (Final appearance)
Other Characters:
- None
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for "Chuck Dawson: The 4-G Gang (Part 14)"
(Continued from last issue...)
Chuck, Zebe, and Virginia ride on back to the Diamond-H ranch. But the Cougar's men soon catch on to Chuck's game and round up their gang to give chase. It's the last gunfight between Chuck and the raiders, and he's going to need to get crafty to beat them all...
Appearing in "The Fountain of Youth"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Geas the Ugly (Single appearance)[1]
Other Characters:
- Eleanor Hodges (Final appearance)
- Fred Hodges (Final appearance)
- Jeb Standish (Only appearance; dies)[1]
- Valura (Corpse)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Canoes
Synopsis for "The Fountain of Youth"
While he was in the area, Fred and Eleanor Hodges introduce Zatara to Jeb Standish, a retired industrial leader and millionaire. Mr. Standish has a quest that an adventurer would find irresistible. He wanted Zatara
to find the fabled fountain of youth, and to bring him back a gallon of the fountain's water so that he can be young again. Jeb believes the fountain's location is in South America, hidden somewhere in the jungle. Zatara is intrigued. Maybe it was time for another adventure...
After a week of preparing, Zatara is ready to begin the journey, and with Tong ever at his side, hops a boat to Rio de Janeiro.
On arrival, Zatara has Tong talk to the local natives about providing transport down the amazon river. The natives refuse, a curse hangs over that path, and they will not upset it. On the other hand, when Zatara uses magic to levitate the men in the air, they quickly change their minds! Later, Zatara and Tong ride in canoes paddled by the natives, won over by the magician's powers. They enter an area rough with rapids, so Zatara makes the boats fly in the air, above the raging river.
The flying boats soon come across a lost city, it's walls built in sandstone red. The natives paddling the boat were too exhausted to go on, so it's just Zatara and Tong who continue on into the city. The beating of drums announce their presence, and a bunch of angry-looking natives pour out of the red city, carrying spears. Zatara utters a spell that turns their spearheads into harmless clouds. The lost tribe pacified for the moment, Zatara and Tong continue into the city, and up the temple steps to the throne room within. A woman's corpse sits, perfectly preserved, on the throne. Amazingly, the corpse begins to speak, casting judgment upon the pair. Venomous snakes slither out of a hole at the bottom of the throne. Zatara conjures up some mongooses to combat the deadly vipers. He then turns to the corpse and commands whoever was trying to fool them to come out. A hatch opens above, and a tiny, impish man comes hobbling out. The creature was proof that the fountain of youth was real, looking haggard and unwell, yet still alive after centuries of living. Looking into his mind, Zatara discovers that the entrance to the fountain was directly beneath them.
A tunnel, older than the city itself, lead down further and further. At last, the path opens into a wide chamber, where the fabled fountain sat in the center, it's water gushing outwards in an endless geyser. Tong excitedly runs forward, eager to get a taste of everlasting youth firsthand! Zatara tries to stop him, sensing that something was wrong. He uses his magic to prevent the water from reaching his servant's lips. Disappointed, but still willing to complete their quest, Tong fills the canteen with the youth-restoring liquid. They both then return to the palace, where they are seized upon by a hundred warriors led by the impish figure. A spell is woven, and the natives all turn to stone! But Zatara isn't too cruel, in an hour, the spell will wear off. In that time they'll both be well on their way back to South Carolina...
Fred Hodges meets Zatara at Jeb Standish's estate. He sadly reports that Mr. Standish had passed away yesterday. It may have been just as well. Zatara doubts anyone is meant to live forever. Seeing the effects a few hundred years had on the imp convinced him that eternal life may be more of a curse than a blessing.
Notes
- "Superman Meets the Ultra-Humanite" is reprinted in Action Comics Archives, Volume 1, Superman Chronicles, Volume 2 and Superman in the Forties.
- Writer/artist Fred Guardineer is also credited as Gene Baxter in this issue.
- George Taylor appeared last in New York World's Fair Comics #1. He appears next in Action Comics #15.
- The Ultra-Humanite appears next in Action Comics #17.
Trivia
- First issue to feature Superman's S-shield on his cape.
See Also
- Write your own review of this comic!
- Discuss Action Comics Vol 1 14 on the forums
- Images from Action Comics Vol 1 14
Recommended Reading
- Action Comics
- All-Star Comics
- All-Star Squadron
- Superman (Volume 1)
Links and References
- Action Comics series index at the Grand Comics Database
- Action Comics series index at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics
Footnotes
Try Your Luck
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