Action Comics #19
In "The Purple Plague," Pep faces a wave of criminal chaos after a mysterious iron bar blocks his path home, triggering a train heist and a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Gene Baxter, this 1939 installment of Action Comics delivers a gripping early adventure featuring a hero whose quick thinking and local fame prove crucial in outwitting a persistent gang. The cover by Joe Shuster and Paul Cassidy captures the tension of the moment, a striking visual that hints at the danger lurking just beyond the rails.
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Driving towards his home place, Pep spots an iron bar across the railroad tracks. When lifting it off a gang of thugs appear and knock him out. The oncoming train stops for the obstruction and the crooks attempt a robbery, which is foiled by Pep, but they all get on the train as it pulls away. Pep alerts the station man by note as they pass through the next small stop, and the police are waiting at Green City. While visiting his folks, pals of three criminals recently arrested by Pep kidnap him, but he is recognized by a traffic cop who knows him, which allows Pep to overpower his kidnappers.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
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