All Sports Comics #2

A referee relives the legend of George Gipp, the quiet halfback who transformed Notre Dame football from 1916 to 1920 with spectacular kicks and unflappable nerve. Beginning as a baseball-obsessed kid in Michigan who caught Knute Rockne's eye with a single improbable boot, Gipp rose to become the terror of opposing teams—a relaxed, confident player who seemed to deliver his best when the stakes were highest. His story unfolds through the coach's memories of clutch moments and the humble character of a natural athlete who never let stardom go to his head.

In this 1948 biography, follow Jem Mace's rise from a young musician defending his violin at an English county fair to one of boxing's most influential fighters. After catching the eye of a boxing booth operator, Mace develops a revolutionary scientific style—bobbing, weaving, and ducking—that transforms him from a toe-to-toe brawler into a tactical master, defeating opponents far larger and tougher than himself. His journey takes him across the world as he builds an unmatched record and proves that brains and skill can outmatch raw power, even as age tests his legend.

Connie Mack, the Old Master of baseball, has built a championship team around a stellar rotation of young pitchers for the 1948 season—and this story follows the remarkable journeys of Lou Brissie, Joe Coleman, Dick Fowler, Phil Marchildon, Bill McCahan, and Carl Scheib as they've risen through the ranks of the Philadelphia Athletics. From wartime service and near-career-ending injuries to stunning no-hitters and triumphant returns to the diamond, these hurlers represent Mack's hopes for another pennant run. Discover how each of these sensational arms earned their place in the ace's trusted stable.

Trace the remarkable—and rowdy—evolution of American football in this illustrated history, from its brutal origins as a hazing ritual at Yale in 1820 through the standardization of rules and the birth of collegiate competition. Follow the sport's unlikely transformation from a kicking game banned by university presidents into a national phenomenon, discovering how Harvard's adoption of ball-carrying play in the 1870s revolutionized the game and set the stage for modern American football.

In 1896, American college athletes seize on the stunning news that the Olympic Games are being revived after fifteen centuries—and decide their country must compete. Racing to organize funding and assemble a team, a determined squad of young athletes embarks on a grueling transatlantic voyage, only to discover upon arrival in Italy that the Games begin far sooner than expected, forcing a desperate dash to Athens with just hours to spare. Travel-worn and out of condition, they nonetheless take the field to prove American athletic prowess on the world's grandest stage.