This Superman Story Has Some Problems...
In Action Comics #19, Clark Kent is sent on what seems like a routine ambulance trip - a man has fallen into a stupor from which he can't be roused. The victim is covered with purple blotches; the paramedics are baffled, and take him to the hospital.
Later, as Kent is typing up the story at the Daily Star, an official and a doctor arrive and force him to submit to an physical examination. They are astounded, and relieved to discover that he is 'normal'. It turns out that everyone else who came into contact with the sick man died.
We are told:
'The new disease, without warning, spreads like wildfire... people drop right and left on the streets... until the majority of Metropolis are afraid to leave the dubious safety of their homes! Daily the streets are clogged with Death-wagons carting away load upon load of putrifying corpses... horror grips the city!!'
This issue starts with a good premise - 'the Purple Plague', a disease not seen since the middle ages, has struck Metropolis. But there are some problems with this issue. The Plague was released by Ultra (AKA The Ultra-Humanite), who plans to eradicate humanity and replace it with a new (unspecified) race. No further details on his plan are given, and why exactly his human henchmen go along with this is somewhat baffling.
Another problem is that Superman at times behaves in rather questionable ways. The most obvious one occurs when, in order to help a disgraced doctor find a cure, he breaks into a chemical manufacturing plant, taunts the workers there, damages the facilities and steals the chemicals the doctor needs to work on a cure for the plague. The way he deals with the scientist, the destruction of the airship, etc. are all also a little questionable.
A smaller fault, but probably worth mentioning, is that Siegel's story and Shuster's art don't quite mesh at times. Particularly when Superman is shot with an 'electric gun' and the Ultra-Humanite is shot with a cannon - both panels could have been executed better, possibly with some explanatory text.