New York World's Fair Comics (1940 issue)

Superman

Just like in the previous issue, Superman must stop some jewel thieves. Clark recognizes a man as Blackie Sarto, a famous jewel thief. Lois scoffs, but Clark explains that Sarto "is a continental crook who isn't known over here" and that "four years ago in London, I covered a crime in which he was a suspect". But didn't Clark only recently become a reporter? That was my impression, from previous issues. Has he even been to London? Of course, it's likely enough Clark's just lying. Lois ditches Clark to follow Sarto, but is captured (of course). Later Superman stops the crooks and rescues Lois, who brags about the story she got while Clark was "asleep at the switch". His response: "Perhaps--but I woke up in time to get an interview with Superman before he left the fair--and I've already wired his exclusive story of the gem's recovery to the editor!"

Clark's pretty much a jerk. As a reporter, Lois is about a hundred times as dedicated and tenacious as Clark, most issues. Clark just has the unfair advantage of also being Superman. He's like a firefighter starting fires--why should he get credit for putting them out? On the other hand, Lois does stupidly get herself captured with startling regularity, so she might not deserve much credit, either.

Zatara at the World's Fair

There's a bit of a twist at the end, but it's basically not a good story. Briefly: Zatara performs a show, then takes the audience with him as he catches some crooks, finally taking them on a trip to Mars and back, with a detour through the heart of the sun. It turns out that none of this happened, though: Zatara was using something he calls "mass magic" to cause the illusion. The end.

Batman

Bruce and Dick are enjoying the fair, having just left the Futurama exhibit, when a bridge collapses a few miles away, "as if someone had played an acetylene torch upon it". Overhearing news of the disaster on a convenient radio, the two get to work.

It turns out that a scientist, Vreekill, has invented a device which can destroy steel, turning it into a powder. He decides to use this to become a king of crime, blackmailing construction companies into paying him or seeing their works collapse. A few fight scenes later, Batman and Robin have stopped his henchmen, and Vreekill has accidentally electrocuted himself. Batman quips that "he saved the state the job", and the two return the next day to continue to enjoy the fair. In the final panel, they exhort the readers to visit the fair, which Dick claims has "as many thrills as one of our adventures", and Bruce says "will not only educate you, but thrill you".