Action Comics #51

“A BIG THING ON A DEEP SCOTTISH LAKE!” While Superman and the Guardian do battle with the San Diego Five String Mob in Metropolis, Jimmy Olsen and the Newsboy Legion encounter the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. Plus, “THE TORN PHOTOGRAPH” and “KINGS FOR A DAY!”

Superman:

As Lois and Clark visit a bowling alley, some thugs burst in to rob the manager. Clark foils the robbery and as the thugs try to escape in a car, he changes to Superman and races after them. However, when he catches up to the car, the thugs vanish, seemingly into thin air, but in fact they have hidden under false floorboards in the car.

The thugs work for the Prankster, and over the next few days he stages several raids on banks. Rather than robbing the banks, however, he actually gives increasingly large amounts of money to the managers. Both Superman and the police capture the Prankster's gang, but as he hasn't committed any crime more serious than being a nuisance, they have to let him go.

Finally, the Prankster shows up at the Metropolitan National Bank and donates more than $60,000 to the manager, but this time he insists on placing it in the vault personally. The Prankster's plan is now revealed - by giving money to banks he gained the trust of the managers and thus gained entry to the final bank's vault, which contains millions in cash and jewels.

Capturing Lois as a hostage, he and his thugs return to his headquarters, where he betrays his henchmen by sealing them (and Lois) in a room that fills with poison gas.

Superman arrives to save them, but in the confusion the Prankster escapes, only to find that Superman had switched his loot for blank paper.

Contents

1. The Case of the Crimeless Crimes (Superman - First appearance of the Prankster)
2. Captain Arthur Wermuth, One Man Army (Supermen of the U.S. Army)
3. Guns, Gold, and Glory (Vigilante)
4. Silly Willy
5. The Valley of the Vultures (Three Aces)
6. The Framer (Mr. America)
7. Some Must Fight
8. Rollin' Stone
9. Congo Bill Joins the Flying Tigers (Congo Bill)
10. Shorty
11. Jerry the Jitterbug
12. The Case of the Coconut Crimes (Zatara)