Comic Title: Superman:The Dailies:1939-1942 HC
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: 1998
On Sale Date: November 25, 1998 Direct Market Date November 25, 1998
Source: Diamond Shipping List, Shipping This Week: November 25

Direct Market Date November 25, 1998
Source: Usenet, Late Comics Report for the week of December 4, 1998

Shipping Date December 2, 1998
Source: Comics Buyers Guide, #1309

Shipping Date November 18, 1998
Source: Comics Buyers Guide, #1306

Direct Market Date October 21, 1998
Source: Previews, Vol. 8 #7 (#115)

Shipping Date October 21, 1998
Source: Comics Buyers Guide, #1301

Cover Price: $75.00
Page Count: 560
Editor: Peter Poplaski

See Also: The Guide to Graphic Novels and Collected Editions

Title: "The Most Deadly Weapon"
Pages: 18

Feature(s):
Superman (Newspaper)

Writer: Jerry Siegel
Penciller: Joe Shuster
Inker: Paul Cassidy

Reprinted From:
Superman #2 (1939)

Feature Character(s)

• Superman (last appearance in Superman #2; next appearance in Superman #2)

Supporting Character(s)

• Lois Lane (last appearance in Action Comics #15; next appearance in Action Comics #18)
• George Taylor (last appearance in Superman #2; next appearance in Superman #2)
• Jimmy Olsen (last appearance in Action Comics #10; next appearance in Superman #3)

Villain(s)

• Bartow and his two accomplices (racketeers; no further appearances)
• Lubane, the leaders of two warring factions and several Boravian soldiers (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Professor Adolphus Runyan (an inventor; dies in this story; no further appearances)

Comments:
This story originally appeared as a serial in the Superman daily newspaper strip and was in black and white.

Daily Star editor, George Taylor, is named for the first time in this story.

Metropolis is first named in this story and is located in New York.

Superman Daily Strip #91-126, 05/01/1939-06/10/1939

Synopsis:
Clark Kent reports on a new gas invented by Professor Runyan which is deadly and no gas mask can prevent. Three racketeers led by Bartow burst in and demand that the professor turn over his formula. Later Runyan is found murdered and the formula stolen. Superman follows the three crooks to the warring country of Boravia.

In Boravia, Superman is captured briefly after being knocked unconscious by a bomb. Bartow orders a firing squad be used on him, but Superman shrugs off the bullets. After destroying numerous weapons, Superman finds that Bartow has delivered the formula to munitions manufacturer, Lubane.

Lubane uses the formula to make a sample of the gas which he tries to use on Superman. The gas does not affect Superman’s physical structure, but it does kill Lubane. Superman then forces the nation’s leaders to make peace, before traveling home to insure Bartow is arrested for killing Runyan.