Beschreibung:

SUPERMAN No. 39 Author: Place: Publisher: Date: Description: DC (Indicia: "Superman, Inc."). March-April, 1946. VG (4.0). Small chip to bottom spine affecting back cover. Tiny nick top spine. Top corner lightly bumped, bottom corner a bit soft. ¾" tear to right edge. Small abrasion to back cover. Penciled curlicue distributor's mark below "S" in "SUPERMAN." Off-white pages. Cover by Jack Burnley. Scripts by Don C. Cameron (?), Whitney Ellsworth. Art by Joe Shuster Ira Yarbrough, Sam Citron. The lead story, "The Big Superman Broadcast," is a tie-in to the popular real-life radio show, "The Adventures of Superman," which ran for an impressive eleven years (Feb. 12, 1940—March 1,1951). The radio show helped to establish Superman as a nationwide icon, and various aspects of the character's mythos, such as Kryptonite and Jimmy Olsen, were first introduced on the show. In 1946, the year this mag was published, Superman kiboshed the KKK in a popular 16-episode "Adventures of Superman" radio series. "In the post World War II era the Klan experienced a huge resurgence. Its membership was skyrocketing, and its political influence was increasing, so [writer and activist Stetson] Kennedy went undercover to infiltrate the group. By regularly attending meetings, he became privy to the organization's secrets. But when he took the information to the authorities, they had little interest in using it. The Klan had become so powerful and intimidating that police were hesitant to build a case against them. "Struggling to make use of his findings, Kennedy approached the writers of the Superman radio serial. It was perfect timing. With the war over and the Nazis no longer a threat, the producers were looking for a new villain to fight. The KKK was a great fit for the role. In a 16-episode series titled 'Clan of the Fiery Cross,' the writers pitted the Man of Steel against the men in white hoods. As the storyline progressed, the shows exposed many of the KKK's most guarded secrets. By revealing everything from code words to rituals, the program completely stripped the Klan of its mystique. Within two weeks of the broadcast, KKK recruitment was down to zero." -Mark Juddery, "How Superman Defeated the Ku Klux Klan." —Mentafloss.com (October, 2009). A limited edition of 100 softcover and 15 hardcover catalogues are available. Over 200 pages, fully illustrated. Fun reference, great keepsake. Softcovers $40, dust-jacketed hardcover with limitation plate $200. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com or visit: https://www.pbagalleries.com/content/comics/. R. Crumb says, "I found [PBA's catalogue] so interesting that I am saving it for the texts that accompany the comics which were put up for auction. This is some of the best commentary I’ve yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books. I especially enjoyed the reviews of the post-war horror comics. Great. Priceless." Consignments welcome for PBA's Spring 2021 Comic Book sale. Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age and Silver Age comics, original art and ephemera sought. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com. Lot Amendments Condition: Item number: 316850