Cover: Fred Guardineer

Action Comics #16

Sep 1939 · DC · 0.10 USD

📊 ~58,645 copies sold its debut month

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“Superman and the Numbers Racket”

In "Superman and the Numbers Racket," Superman takes on the city's underground gambling rings after witnessing a desperate gambler’s breakdown and facing a Police Commissioner unwilling to act. Written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster, with inks by Paul Cassidy, this 1939 installment sees the Man of Steel stepping in to protect the vulnerable—before the full scope of the criminal network is revealed. The cover, by Fred Guardineer, captures the tension of a city teetering on the edge.

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writer Jerry Siegel · artist Joe Shuster · inker Paul Cassidy · cover Fred Guardineer

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Cast · 11 characters

Bob Daley Chuck Dawson Clip Carson Gargantua T. Potts George Taylor Marco Polo Pep Morgan Superman Tex Thomson Tong Zatara

Full credits

writer Jerry Siegel

artist Joe Shuster

inker Paul Cassidy

cover pencils, inks Fred Guardineer

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

After a run-in with a gambler who is opting out for suicide, and a Police Commissioner who won't deal with the city's gambling problem, Superman decides to wage a one-man war himself against gambling and aid the victims of it.

Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).