Action Comics #17

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE RETURN OF THE ULTRA-HUMANITE The ship Clarion is aflame and being buffeted by titanic waves, and Clark Kent is assigned to cover the disaster. After watching a dozen Coast Guard members drown in a futile attempt to reach the beleaguered ship, Clark sheds his suit and swims to the vessel as Superman. After literally battering back people trying to jump overboard Supes commands the passengers to help him fight the blaze, eventually venturing deep inside the fiery hold with a fire hose himself to quench the flames. The Clarion springs a leak after this and Superman jumps overboard and pushes the ship to shore. Coming aboard with the investigating detectives as Clark Kent, the hero points out the hold is full of empty drums and gas cans, confirming sabotage.   Clark pays a visit to the head of the line that owns the ship, and (after bodily hoisting the boss's assistant out of the way) learns he's been contacted by saboteurs who demand 5,000,000 or they'll destroy every ship in his line (prompting Clark to at least admire their bravado). Just then they call to give him the specifics on delivering their payoff. Clark tries to get the operator to trace the call, but is told there were no incoming calls to the building. It would take an extremely clever criminal to send a telephone call and leave no trace, Clark notes, such as his old enemy, Ultra...   Upon leaving some of the mastermind's henchmen grab Clark and rough him up (which he goes along with), but after they throw him out he changes to Superman, runs down their car, and drops it and its passengers off on top of a building to show them who they're messing with. Next the Man of Steel follows the messenger as he goes to deliver the extortion money to the saboteurs, saving the man when they try to kill him to keep the location of their hideout secret. Not only that, but finding out the mastermind was indeed the Ultra-Humanite, who's protected by a transparent wall. Supes busts through on a second try, but it's all for naught since the wicked scientist was never there, just a hologram. At least he didn't get his blood money, but Clark later wonders when they'll meet again. ON THE RANCH Pep and his friends, Mr. Smith and Mary, take a vacation out at Smith's ranch. Pedro, one of the ranch hands, is caught whipping a horse, and when Pep tries to stop it, Pedro lays into him! Mr. Smith fires Pedro on the spot! Later that day Pep, Mary and her father tour the range on horseback. A bullet suddenly whizzes by, just missing Pep, but making a hole in his hat! They can just make out the form of Pedro before he runs off between the boulders. As soon as they return, Mr. Smith gives orders to his foreman, Buck, to gather a search party to bring Pedro in.   That night, when everyone has turned in, Pedro returns to the house and starts a fire outside. The whinnying of the horses as Pedro tries to steal one wakes Pep up and brings him to the window. He hurriedly alerts the others. Using a line of people to pass each other buckets of water, the fire is eventually extinguished. Because they were so quick to respond, Pedro hadn't enough time to grab a horse. He is quickly tracked down and beaten up by Pep. Mr. Smith stops Pep, telling him to leave some for the sheriff and the others at Pedro's "necktie party". THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO PART XVII - THE MYSTERIOUS RESUCE Marco is rescued from El Kaf's slavers by Kargan and his band. The next morning, Marco and Kargan decide to pay Abu El Kaf a visit, to put an end to his cruel slave-driving ways once and for all. At El Kaf's palace, inside the walled city, Kargan and his men deal with the guards, while Marco gives chase to the fleeing Abu! THE CULT OF THE TIGER PART 1 Clip Carson is exploring the Bengali jungle, when a cry reaches his ears, followed by the roar of a big cat. Clip follows the sounds to a man being attacked by a tiger! He fires his rifle at the beast, slaying it. The man he saved, Clip finds out, is an old college buddy of his, Japur Chunda. Japur confides that he was being threatened by a group calling themselves the Cult of the Tiger, a group that assassinated his father months earlier. Clip decides to help his old friend fight them off.   Chunda introduces Clip to his step-brother Jaffeer, and cousin Panjore, with whom he shares his estate. That night, Clip converses with Jaffeer about his theory that the cult is murdering in order to gain possession of the estate and surrounding land. His father's death means that his brother, Japur, was the next in line to the inheritance. Suddenly, Clip hears a sound outside the study, and he steps over to open the door to find out who it is. THE RETURN OF GORRAH PART 1 The Prime Minister of Turkey summons Tex Thomson to Istanbul, and he brings along Bob Daley and Gargantua T. Potts. Unknown to any of them, the Gorrah of the Sealed City is in Istanbul, and has a nefarious plan, to sabotage the Turkish Navy's fleet. Almost as soon as Tex learns of the cyclopean villain's presence, he falls into a trap and is captured by the Gorrah. THE STAGE HOLD-UP Chuck Dawson is held up by two ne'er-do-wells as he rides down the trail. They expect him to help them rob an incoming stagecoach carrying gold from Red Valley. But Chuck would never help a pair of crooks, even if his life was in the balance! Catching them off guard, Chuck slips away on his horse, riding until their bullets can no longer reach him. He rounds back, taking a shortcut to the top of a cliff, where he can watch over the stagecoach as it passes beneath him in a rush. Shots are fired from the pursuing bandits, Chuck takes his gun and fires at them, felling one and sending the other running. The coach and its gold delivery is saved, and Chuck rides off. THE PERIL OF OPHIR