Cover: José Luis García-López

Action Comics #494

Apr 1979 · DC · 0.40 USD

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“The Secret of the Super-S!”

The cover of Action Comics #494 (1979) sets up a genuinely unsettling mystery: Lois Lane is sprawled on the floor in terror, pleading for Superman to save her from a killer — while a spectral, green-tinted soldier armed with a pistol looms behind him, visible to readers but completely invisible to the Man of Steel. Superman's baffled response ("I don't see anyone but you!") captures the central tension perfectly, with the banner above promising "the startling story of the ghost who hates Superman." José Luis García-López's cover artwork is crisp and expressive, making the ghostly figure's menace feel all the more chilling against Superman's well-meaning confusion.

writer Cary Bates · artist Curt Swan · inker Frank Chiaramonte · colorist Gene D'Angelo · letterer Ben Oda · cover José Luis García-López

More listings for this title

VG $1.78 FN $2.5 VG+ $3.95 FN $4.3 FN $4.99 VF+ $5.5 FINE $6.55 VF/NM $7

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Full credits

writer Cary Bates

artist Curt Swan

inker Frank Chiaramonte

colorist Gene D'Angelo

letterer Ben Oda

cover pencils, inks José Luis García-López

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

Clark and Lois travel to Smallville to investigate a message about an alternate Superman "S" he might have used. While there, the encounter Chief Parker being attacked by a ghostly Revolutionary War soldier. While Superman deals with vandals, Lois is attacked by a ghostly World War II general. Later, Superman is attacked by a Kryptonian warrior.

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