Action Comics #31

From December 1940, this issue of the "World's Largest Selling Comic Magazine" showcases Superman lunging fearlessly toward a group of rifle-wielding soldiers on what appears to be a fortified rooftop, his red cape streaming dramatically behind him as bayonets are leveled his way — while a bound civilian looks on from the right. Joe Shuster's pencils and Leo Nowak's inks give the scene a crisp, kinetic urgency that perfectly captures why Superman was already dominating newsstands in 1940. Inside, Jerry Siegel's "In the Grip of Morpheus" promises the kind of bold, imaginative storytelling that made this series essential reading.