Action Comics #20

From January 1940, this early chapter of Superman's ongoing adventures presents a cover by Joe Shuster that radiates raw, confident energy: the Man of Steel strains against the massive hull of an ocean liner, red cape billowing, while two startled onlookers gape from the left and a masked figure peers out from a porthole on the right. The cover declares "the most outstanding comic strip of today" — and with a scene like this, it's hard to argue. As a bonus, readers of 1940 were also invited to enter a gigantic contest with 2,000 prizes inside, making this issue a genuine event on the newsstands.