Action Comics #146 for Sale - First Appearance of Ben Bowe - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Action Comics (DC, 1938 series)
Issue: #146
Publication date: July 1950
Key date: 1950-07-00
On-sale date: 1950-05-10
Indicia publisher: National Comics Publications Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 52

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Ben Bowe - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Fiddler - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Al Plastino; inks: Al Plastino	Clark Kent, Superman
2	The Statues That Came to Life!	comic story	12	script: Dorothy Woolfolk; pencils: Wayne Boring; inks: Stan Kaye	Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Superman, Perry White
4	Thundering Out of America's Most Danger-Filled Days...	promo (ad from the publisher)	1
5	The Impossible Worlds!	comic story	8	script: Edmond Hamilton; pencils: Curt Swan; inks: John Fischetti	Colonel Tommy Tomorrow
7	-	comic story	0.75	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff
9	Seven Years Missing!	comic story	5.67	pencils: Ed Smalle; inks: Ed Smalle	Congo Bill
10	Superman's Secret Message	in-house column	0.33	letters: typeset
12	-	cartoon	1	script: Stookie Allen; pencils: Stookie Allen; inks: Stookie Allen; letters: Stookie Allen
13	Music Is Fun	text article	2	letters: typeset
14	Out of the Gag-Bag	comic story	0.5	script: Ed Wheelan; pencils: Ed Wheelan; inks: Ed Wheelan; letters: Ed Wheelan
16	Buzzy Says Balance Your Fun Diet	public service announcement	1	script: Jack Schiff; pencils: Bob Oksner; inks: Bob Oksner; letters: Ira Schnapp
17	The Galleon in the Desert!	comic story	10	script: Joe Samachson; pencils: Dan Barry; inks: Dan Barry	Ben Bowe First, The Fiddler First, Greg Sanders, Stuff, Vigilante
19	-	comic story	0.75	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff
21	Action Comics; Superman; World's Finest Comics	promo (ad from the publisher)	1

Plus 7 pages of advertisements and other matter across 9 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
DC 100-Page Super Spectacular #6	1971	On eBay ›
DC 100-Page Super Spectacular No. 6 Replica Edition #[nn] ISBN 1-4012-0216-0	2004	On eBay ›
Superman in Action Comics #1 ISBN 1-55859-595-3	1993	On eBay ›
Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus #7 ISBN 978-1-77950-560-6	2023	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

‹ #145146 of 866#147 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com