Action Comics #90

“ROOKERY FOR RIVER RATS.” A crime wave hits Metropolis! Superman battles the Amphi-Bandits, who have somehow been able to disappear after every crime!

Cover: Superman is ripping off the lid of an enemy submarine.

Superman: Metropolis is being plagued by robberies involving the Amphi-Bandits - thieves who steal a car for each job, then drive with their loot to the docks where they disappear on a boat. When the harbour police give chase, the bandits' boat disappears into a bank of black fog.

One morning, Perry White is confronted by an old friend, Barney McGowan, who threatens that if the Planet doesn't stop running editorials demanding the demolition of an old mansion by the river, he will regret it. Later that day, the street edition of the Planet has just been printed when Lois notices that the ink on the paper is fading. In order to stop the Planet becoming a laughing stock, Superman stops the presses running and then collects all existing copies of the paper in Metropolis. Perry is convinced that Barney is responsible for the fading ink, so he sends Lois and Clark out to the old mansion to get material for a feature article that will prove the place should be demolished.

While there, Clark's x-ray vision discovers an underwater dock used by the Amphi-bandits, but while he is investigating this, Lois is captured by the gang inside the mansion. Changing to Superman, Clark burrows into the mansion to save her, but the boss bandit threatens to drop a bottle of nitroglycerine, killing Lois, unless Superman promises to leave them alone. Superman's solution is to tell the boss to go ahead and drop it, and when he does, Superman burrows a tunnel beneath the vial so it falls deep into the ground where it can explode harmlessly. Returning to the surface, however, Superman finds the gang has gone, taking Lois with them.

Eventually, Superman locates the gang in a submarine, where he sees they have tied up Lois and also Barney, who was captured by the gang when he was snooping around the mansion. Superman obtains a large canvas sheet and wraps the submarine in it before delivering it to the harbour police, where the gang is captured and Lois and Barney are freed.

Contents

1. Rookery for River Rats (Superman)
2. The Weird Chapeau (Hayfoot Henry)
3. Camouflage for Crime (Congo Bill)
4. Gunslingers Reward
5. Picayune Pilferers (Vigilante)
6. School Days, School Days (Zatara)