Cover: Fred Guardineer

Action Comics #9

Feb 1939 · DC · 0.10 USD

📊 ~88,796 copies sold its debut month

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“Wanted: Superman”

From February 1939, this early entry in the Action Comics run captures the raw, kinetic energy that made the anthology such a thrilling read in its day. Fred Guardineer's cover depicts a helmeted driver in race car No. 3 careening through a spectacular crash, debris flying as the vehicle tears through a barrier — all set against a vivid yellow background that makes the chaos practically leap off the page. The cover text promises "Another Thrilling Adventure of Superman!" inside, with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster delivering the story "Wanted: Superman.

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writer Jerry Siegel · artist, inker Joe Shuster · letterer Paul Lauretta · cover Fred Guardineer

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Cast · 13 characters

Bob Daley Chuck Dawson George Taylor Lois Lane Marco Polo Pep Morgan Rusty James Scoop Scanlon Superman Tex Thomson Tigress Tong Zatara

Full credits

writer Jerry Siegel

artist, inker Joe Shuster

letterer Paul Lauretta

cover pencils, inks Fred Guardineer

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

Superman, having torn down a slum area so that newer, more modern apartments could be built, is labeled as a crook by the Chief of Police, who assigns Detective Reilly (better known as "100% Reilly" because he always gets his man) to bring the Man of Tomorrow in.

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