Comic Title: Action Comics #55
Publisher: DC (Detective Comics, Inc.)
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: December 1942
Approx. On Sale Date: October 16, 1942 Copyright Date October 13, 1942
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1942
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.

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

Title: "A Goof Named Tiny Rufe"
Pages: 13

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

Writer: Jerry Siegel
Penciller: John Sikela
Inker: Ed Dobrotka

Reprinted In:
Superman:The Action Comics Archives Vol. 4 HC (2005)
Superman Chronicles Vol. 10 TPB (2012)
Superman:The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 3 HC (2017)
Superman:The Golden Age Vol. 5 TPB (2020)

Feature Character(s)

• Superman (last appearance in Action Comics #54; next appearance in World's Finest Comics #8)

Supporting Character(s)

• Lois Lane (last appearance in Action Comics #54; next appearance in Superman #20)
• Perry White (last appearance in Action Comics #54; next appearance in World's Finest Comics #8)

Villain(s)

• Al Hatt (a cartoonist; no further appearances)
• Two unnamed thugs (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Tiny Rufe and Maisie Day (a hillbilly couple; no further appearances)
• Fatima and three midgets (no further appearances)
• Ramona Romance (a Hollywood starlet; no further appearances)
• Hemhaw Blook (no further appearances)

Comments:
Superman displays the ability to twist his facial features in this story, allowing him to alter his physical appearance. Although he used this ability a few other times, including the fourth story of Superman #18, it is not one of his powers. The use of it here should be considered apocryphal to the Superman canon.

Synopsis:
Cartoonist Al Hatt retreats to his mountain cabin to dream up comic strip ideas. During his stay, he observes a young hillbilly couple, Tiny Rufe and Maisy Day. Hatt designs his new strip based on Tiny and it becomes a hit. However Tiny and Maisy decide to get married, which would ruin Hatt’s strip, so the cartoonist decides to break them up.

Superman has been observing Hatt and witnesses him using underhanded tricks to break up Tiny and Maisy. Superman thwarts several of the cartoonist’s efforts and the couple marries successfully. Hatt’s strip fails after the marriage, so he creates a new strip featuring Superman.