Comic Title: Action Comics #42
Publisher: DC
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: November 1941
Approx. On Sale Date: September 24, 1941 Copyright Date September 19, 1941
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1941
Until 1958 DC did not report actual on sale dates to the copyright office
The publication dates listed in LoC records are NOT release dates.

Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 64
Editor: Fredric Whitney Ellsworth

Title: (City in the Stratosphere)
Pages: 13

Feature(s):
Superman (of Earth-2)

Writer: Jerry Siegel
Artist: Leo Nowak

Reprinted In:
Superman:The Action Comics Archives Vol. 3 HC (2001)
Superman Chronicles Vol. 7 TPB (2009)
Superman:The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 2 HC (2016)
Superman:The Golden Age Vol. 4 TPB (2018)

Feature Character(s)

• Superman (last appearance in Superman #13; next appearance in Action Comics #43)

Supporting Character(s)

• Lois Lane (last appearance in Superman #13; next appearance in Action Comics #43)
• Perry White (last appearance in Superman #13; next appearance in Action Comics #43)
• Jimmy Olsen (not named in this story; last appearance in Superman #13; next appearance in Superman #15)
• Sergeant Casey (last appearance in Superman #13; next appearance in Superman #14)

Villain(s)

• Luthor (last appearance in Superman #13; next appearance in Action Comics #47)
• Dick Chadwick and Jake Mobray (mobsters; die in this story; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Carl Bransom, Nick Flaherty, John Standing, and Freeman Chase (prominent citizens of Metropolis; no further appearances)

Comments:
This story originally was not titled; the title shown here was given on the contents page of Superman Chronicles Vol. 1 in which this story is reprinted.

Synopsis:
Several prominent citizens of Metropolis disappear suddenly without a trace. Finally a ransom demand is issued for one of the men. Superman tracks down the mobsters responsible, but doesn’t find the missing men. Instead, the men are killed by a ray from the sky.

Superman returns to his apartment as Clark Kent and is himself abducted and taken to a city in the sky. He finds the missing men who are willingly staying to help an alien named Zytal. Superman uncovers Zytal’s hidden agenda and exposes him as the Earth criminal Lex Luthor. Luthor temporarily hypnotizes Superman, but the Man of Steel brings Luthor’s sky fortress to the ground. Somehow, Luthor escapes.