Adventure Comics #185

Right before the skeptical eyes of two pith-helmeted explorers who insist "there is no such animal," Superboy goes toe-to-talon with a vivid, snarling griffin mid-flight through a jungle canopy — a cover by Win Mortimer that makes the impossible look thrillingly real. This February 1953 DC issue promises "The Boy of Steel" tackling the mystery of mythical monsters, and the creature lunging across the cover makes a compelling case that legends can bite back.