Action Comics #46 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1942.
Synopsis for Superman: "The Devil's Playground"
Clark Kent and Lois Lane visit an amusement park owned by Jim Gantry. However, a gang of crooked gamblers want to use the park for their operations, but Gantry refuses them. The gang leader known as the Domino, sabotages the park rides to coerce Gantry into cooperating. Superman saves the patrons from injury and exposes the Domino as playboy Jeff Farnham.
Appearing in Superman: "The Devil's Playground"
Featured Characters:
- Template:Apn
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Domino (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Jim Gantry (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- The Gantry Amusement Park
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for Vigilante: "Crimes in Color"
A crook called the Rainbow Man uses color as the basis for his gang's robberies. The gang is able to elude police and the Vigilante, but Stuff locates their hide-out while selling newspapers. Stuff summons the Vigilante, but the western hero is defeated by Rainbow Man's gang. While Vigilante and Stuff are tied up in the hide-out, Rainbow Man leads another daring crime. Vigilante, however, taps out a Morse Code message for help with his spur. Once free, he interrupts the gang's robbery. This time Vigilante and Stuff prevail by apprehending Rainbow Man and his gang.
Appearing in Vigilante: "Crimes in Color"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Rainbow Man (First appearance)
- Rainbow Man's gang
- Dictionary (First appearance)
- Dinky (Single appearance)
- Dixie (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Lin Choo
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- New York City
- Chinatown, New York City
- New York City
Items:
- Vigilante's Lasso
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for The Three Aces: "The Djinn"
Caspar Evans, successful businessman, was at work in his office when he is kidnapped by a pair of gangsters riding a flying carpet! Fog, Gunner, and Whistler are on their trail, following the kidnappers and their carpet back to the swamp hideout of the Djinn, a mob boss. He used technology to make the carpet fly. The Aces rescue Evans, and put the Djinn in the hands of the police!
Appearing in The Three Aces: "The Djinn"
Featured Characters:
Villains:
- The Djinn (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Caspar Evans (Single appearance)
- Miss Robbins (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- The Aces' Planes
- A flying carpet (Destroyed)
Synopsis for Mr. America: "The Iron Giant"
Tex Thomson, a.k.a. Mr America, takes down the Queen Bee, who is using a giant robot called Vo-Kan to frighten the citizens while she and her gang commit crimes.
Appearing in Mr. America: "The Iron Giant"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Queen Bee
- Vo-Kan (Mechanical Giant) (Destroyed)
- Joe (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Markham (An inventor) (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- Rosston
Items:
- Mr. America's Bullwhip
Vehicles:
- Mr. America's Flying Carpet
Synopsis for Congo Bill: "The Death of Congo Bill"
Congo Bill is sent into the Interior to arrest Louie Logan for conducting an illegal whiskey-for-ivory trade with the natives. This has caused the tribesmen to turn violent. Aided by a local witch doctor, Louie escapes Bill's custody and flees into the jungle. Bill is then led into a trap (spike-bottomed pit) and presumed dead. Louie then flees the area by boat. However, Bill survives the trap (the shriek that Louie heard was from his late ally the Witch Doctor, who fell into it instead) and meets up with Louie on the boat. Along the way there's a bunch of friction with Louie's hot-tempered daughter Janet, until it becomes clear that Louie really is a guilty rat. There's a scuffle, and Louie falls overboard and is eaten by crocodiles.
Appearing in Congo Bill: "The Death of Congo Bill"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Janet Logan (First appearance)
Villains:
- Louie Logan (Single appearance; dies)
- A Witch Doctor (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Synopsis for Zatara: "Zatara versus Hitler"
Zatara meets a group of young boys who convince him to end the war in Europe. The magician and his assistant Tong cross the Atlantic Ocean and begin disrupting the German military. Using magic, Zatara animates the Nazi weapons and turns them against their masters. After sending much of the equipment to England, Zatara heads to Berlin.
Zatara confronts the German people and speaks out against Adolph Hitler. He then confronts the Nazi leader in person. Hitler is beaten and pleads for mercy. Zatara demands that he go into exile and end the war.
Appearing in Zatara: "Zatara versus Hitler"
Featured Characters:
- Template:Apn
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- Tanks
Notes
- The Devil's Playground is reprinted in Superman: The Action Comics Archives Vol. 3 and Superman Chronicles Vol. 8.
- Hitler's first name is spelled "Adolph" in the Zatara story. This was Hitler's first appearance in a DC comic; his next would be in Sensation Comics #4.
- The sixth story is considered non-canonical. However:
- Given the reality-bending extent of Zatara's own magical powers, he himself is perfectly capable of both making history and revising it.
- In the fictional universe of Earth-Two, the history of which has from its inception onward been subject to revision, it is hard to argue that these events could not have happened (and later been made to un-happen).
- Given that the fictional universe of Earth-Two was itself set in a spectrum of parallel universes, with eerily similar histories accentuated by sharp historical diversions, it is hard to rule out the claim that this story's events happened along a near-parallel timeline, say "Earth 2.01" or what have you.
See Also
Links and References
- "The Devil's Playground" plot summary at dcindexes.com
- "Crimes in Color" plot summary at dcindexes.com
- The fifth story plot summary at dcindexes.com
- The sixth story plot summary at dcindexes.com