Action Comics #43

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE PILOT'S REVENGE A number of planes belonging to Skyways Airlines crash. Perry White sends Lois Lane to interview the manager of the company, Avery Thornton. Lois decides to take one of Skyways' planes, despite Clark Kent advising against it. He follows as Superman and catches the plane when an explosion destroys the controls. He flies the crippled plane with its injured pilot the rest of the way himself, arriving before schedule.   While Lois goes off for her interview, Superman keeps a lookout. He sees Thornton's butler call the police as soon as Lois arrives, and finds Thornton dead. He warns Lois to leave, but she doesn't, until he shows her what happened. Superman takes her away, changes to Clark, and tells her that he came to see that she was safe. They catch the butler, and he starts to talk after Lois offers to shoot him. Before he can name his employer, a plane comes down and shoots him. Clark shields Lois, but they are captured by thugs who tie them up in a wooden tower and set fire to it. Lois knocks herself out trying to get free, letting Clark change to Superman and rescue her. After she revives, he chases and catches the thugs. They tell him that they work for the Dutch O'Leary gang.   Later, Lois is chloroformed after sending a telegram to Perry. Meanwhile, Superman finds out Dutch was a Skyways pilot until he was discharged for recklessness resulting in a crash. He finds out about Lois' kidnap from the thug who caught her, and is told that Dutch took her up in his plane to kill her. He catches up as Lois is thrown out and smashes the plane, leaving Dutch alive to face the police. Lois arrives back in Metropolis to find Clark filed the story before her. BILLY GUNN'S MINE Greg Sanders meets an old cowboy named Billy Gunn at a show. Greg feels sorry for the old man because he wears tattered clothing. He then offers to switch outfits to avoid his fans. Billy accepts Greg's clothes, and Greg leaves the show dressed in Billy's. A gunman then mistakes Greg for the old man and shoots at him. Billy comes to Greg's aid, and they capture the gunman.   The would-be murderer won't talk for fear that his boss, the Shade, will kill him. When the killers strike again, Vigilante protects Billy. He then tracks the crooks to their hideout. However, Vigilante is captured. Billy is able to rescue the Vigilante, then they stop the Shade's men at a tungsten plant. The Shade escapes, but the Vigilante learns that he wanted to kill Billy because he inherited a mine out west. THE ADVENTURE OF THE ANCIENT AIRPLANE A message is received by the Aces to go down South, to Rio de Janeiro. There, they are greeted by Señor Gonzalez, the sender of the message. He wants them to help him find a long-lost plane that he believed was over three thousand years old! Gonzalez believes it was likely kept with a fabled tribe of white men that were descended from people of Atlantis. He told the Aces he wanted them to take a few pictures of it with his camera, so he can prove it's existence. Eager for another adventure, the Aces accept Gonzalez' request.   Fog, Whistler, and Bill spend two days flying across the Brazilian jungle. Finally, they spot an old ruin and land nearby to investigate. The trio are barely inside when they are attacked by a unit of men dressed in old armor, wielding ropes which they use to lasso them together. The guardsmen seem surprised to see other white men. They apparently believed themselves to be the last of their kind until the Aces came. Will, Bill, and Fog are taken to the queen, Opal, who sends them to be sacrificed to something called "The Marro"   In a large temple chamber, Whistler Will is the first to see the being the tribe calls "Marro". It was an old plane, locked under a glass dome, and worshiped by the guards. It was old, very old. The engine appeared to run on steam power, but the levers inside looked close to modern cockpit controls. An idea crosses Gunner Bill's mind. He tells the guard that he can make "Marro" fly. The guard is intrigued and reports to Opal, who grants Bill and his friends their lives if he truly can send Marro aloft. Though Fog and Whistler were unsure, Bill is certain that, because of the encasing dome, the plane would be untouched by the outside air, and should still be in good condition despite it's age. Coal is brought from the palace to load the engine. A deep breath and a prayer, and Bill pulls hard on the lever. The Marro lifts off the ground and flies in circles around the tribe people. Opal is greatly impressed with the sight, granting the three Aces their freedom in response. Before they go, Bill snaps a few shots of the Marro to take back to Gonzalez. Boy, did they have a story to tell him! THE GIANT PUPPETS Giant invaders menace Center City, then suddenly disappear. A blackmail demand is then issued, ordering workers to stop war production. Tex Thomson is called to the district attorney's office where Mr. Black, the head of the Citizens' League, is demanding answers. During the meeting Black insults Bob Daley. While Tex finishes the meeting, Bob exits and dons his Fatman costume. Tex sees Bob and deduces his secret. Fatman then goes to Black's home to confront him. He is captured and learns that Black and his partners are behind the blackmail demands.   Tex follows Bob as Mr. America. He locates one of the invaders and discovers that it is an electrical powered puppet. Hiding inside the automaton, Mr. America is able to surprise the conspirators. He knocks them out, then leaves them for Bob to claim credit for their capture. THE GOLDEN IDOL In an area of coastal Africa where the ground water and springs are poisonous, Congo Bill learns the legend of a giant gold idol with jewels for eyes. Whenever a person approaches the idol, they are struck dead. Congo Bill witnesses a man, running toward the idol, die. Rodney Fortescue, who was fighting the man prior to his death, explains that he was trying to save the man. Congo Bill deduces that Fortescue is a spy using the idol to conceal a telescope and a radio, with which he reports positions of British vessels off the coast, to German U-boats, also off the coast. The steps leading up to the idol are charged with electricity to kill intruders. Uncovered, Fortescue assaults Bill, then runs off into the jungle. However, he is carrying a canteen of the poisoned local water, which Bill knows will kill him. THE BOSS OF FORREST CITY Zatara saves the life of a building inspector when a wall collapses. The magician learns that the building is being constructed with inferior materials, but the inspector is too afraid of racket boss Honeyboy Hannis to report it. Zatara visits the mayor to report the problem and learns that even city officials are also in fear of Honeyboy.   Zatara visits Honeyboy's office and fights off two henchmen. He demands that the gangster use proper construction materials. Honeyboy pretends to agree to Zatara's demands, but refuses to make the changes.   Zatara returns to the construction site with the inspector. When he sees the inferior materials still being used, he uses magic to animate the bricks and boards. He then chases away Honeyboy's guards and returns to the racket boss's office. This time he scares Honeyboy into leaving town. The construction project is then completed using quality materials.