{"product_id":"action-comics-408-1972-vg","title":"Action Comics # 408 1972 VG-","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAction Comics #408\u003c\/b\u003e is a Bronze Age installment published by DC Comics. While its cover date reads January 1972, the issue was released to newsstands in late 1971. It is an oversized anthology comic containing two unique Superman adventures and a backup superhero feature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eLead Story: \"The Hero Superman Doomed to Die!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin-top: 0in;\" type=\"disc\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe Premise: Superman is urgently called to the Houston Space Center to assist with a deep space emergency. An American astronaut, Colonel Carter, is stranded aboard the Argo 1 spacecraft with less than 8 hours of life-supporting oxygen remaining.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe Conflict: Superman blasts off to execute a rescue, but every time he approaches the Argo 1, an invisible, crushing cosmic force violently repels him. Defeated and deeply shaken, Superman returns to Earth and publicly confesses that he is physically powerless to save the astronaut.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe Subplot: Meanwhile, corporate media mogul Morgan Edge—secretly acting as an agent for the cosmic tyrant Darkseid—uses his massive Galaxy Broadcasting System media empire to aggressively smear Superman's reputation, framing the failed rescue attempt as a act of cowardice to turn humanity against its protector.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSecondary Story: \"The Shocking Secret of Super-X!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin-top: 0in;\" type=\"disc\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe Premise: This shorter feature is a throwback tale exploring Superman's early college years.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe Plot: To avoid accidentally contaminating Metropolis and the rest of the Earth with a highly volatile strain of experimental, artificial bacteria, Clark Kent is forced to briefly abandon his traditional costume. He creates a temporary, armored superhero alter-ego known as Super-X to safely complete his mission without exposing his real identity or spreading the biological pathogen.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBackup Story: \"The Atom's Phantom Double!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin-top: 0in;\" type=\"disc\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe Premise: Written by legendary Silver Age writer Gardner Fox, this two-part backup features the subatomic hero The Atom (Ray Palmer).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe Plot: A freak physics accident in Ray Palmer's laboratory manifests a malevolent, ghostly duplicate of the hero. This phantom twin possesses identical powers and actively plots to murder the real Atom so it can permanently usurp his life and identity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BattleBuddyComics.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48563246268516,"sku":"BT22","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0728\/7606\/4868\/files\/IMG_2026_08_02_15_04_52_971.jpg?v=1785701239","url":"https:\/\/battlebuddycomics.com\/products\/action-comics-408-1972-vg","provider":"BattleBuddyComics.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}