A 15% BUYER'S PREMIUM WILL BE ADDED TO THIS ITEM AT CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION lt.tan/ow pgs
4th Superman cover, classic Joe Shuster train cover; cf is ad for Superman #1
Action Comics #13 sports a legendary cover by
Superman co-creator Joe Shuster, in what's only the Man of Steel's fourth cover appearance after nearly a year of shaking up the industry. There's also the announcement of the upcoming
Superman #1, plus the first appearance of Superman's first real arch-nemesis! The Ultra-Humanite was clearly inspired by villains from Saturday serials and Republic B-thrillers, with the wheelchair-bound mad genius proving to be a cunning rival for our super-protagonist. (The Ultra-Humanite also addressed concerns from DC's business associates that Superman couldn't just keep beating up mobsters all the time.)
The start of the
Superman solo title didn't mean that DC was pulling him from
Action , however. In fact, the company would start featuring Superman on the cover with increasing frequency, no longer relying on pulp-style imagery or repurposed pieces from other anthology titles. Superman was clearly a keeper, as established by this truly historic issue that — like so many early
Action issues — remains extremely rare.
This is the 4th-ever Superman cover, and it is a beauty. The red of the train truly pops against the green fields and yellow horizon. Only 51 copies of this book are recorded on the CGC census, with only 15 being at a grade of 5.0 or higher. This is a stunning find.
Overstreet Guide 2021 VG/F (5.0) value = $41,750.
Click on the image below to watch the YouTube video about this item!

If you are a new customer planning to make a first-time purchase over $25,000, please contact us 24 hours in advance of the item closing at 212.895.3999 or support@comicconnect.com so that we may approve your account for bidding. (This policy was instituted to protect consignors and bidders against bids from fraudulent accounts, and to ensure the integrity of the bidding process.) Once approved, please log out of your account and then log in, for the approval to take effect.
We realize many of you would like to bid on this auction lot, so for this listing, ComicConnect.com offers a 6 month, interest free, time payment plan with a 20% non-refundable deposit. Time Payments invoices can only be paid by cash, check, money order or wire transfer.
LEARN MORE