Action Comics #118

1. The Execution of Clark Kent (Superman)
2. Daffy & Doodle
3. A Modern Noah's Ark (Congo Bill)
4. Hermit For A Day (Zatara)
5. An Oscar For Henry (Hayfoot Henry)
6. The Blue-Ribbon Bandits (Vigilante)

Cover: On a lake, Superman gives an extra gust of wind on a child's "sailboat skis."

Action Comics #118 is the last issue of Action with Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster credited as the authors.

The story opens with Clark Kent being sentenced to death in court for the murder of Slugger Maull. Then we flash back to the origins of the story, where Maull is being released on bail in the police station and slugs Clark for publishing a story that got him arrested.

Later, as Clark is trailing Slugger as he leaves the police station, he sees Slugger being attacked by an unknown assailant. As Clark stops to check if Slugger is alive, he is caught, seemingly red-handed, by the police and charged with Maull's murder, even though Elmo Botts, a caretaker at a golf club, shows up claiming he killed Slugger.

Clark is convinced that Botts is taking the rap for someone else, so insists that the police arrest him, Clark, instead.

Back to the present, and Clark has apparently been executed, although of course Superman was unaffected by the electric chair and managed to feign death to fool the execution officers.

As Superman, he visits Botts and discovers that Botts was set up to take the rap and told by a Dr. Lagg that he had a bad heart and had only days to live anyway.

Meanwhile, Lois is convinced that Big Al Strumm, the gangster, is behind Slugger's murder and when she confronts Strumm, he locks her in a safe. He then convinces Botts to commit suicide, but Superman saves him as the explosion goes off.

Superman thinks up a novel way to get Strumm to confess. Since Strumm believes that Clark, Botts and Lois are all dead but Superman has saved them all, he sets up a scene in which all three of them pretend to be ghosts and visit Strumm in his office, accusing him of the murder. Scared out of his wits, Strumm confesses and Superman reveals his ruse.