Battle #16

Atlas Comics' Battle #16 (January 1953) delivers exactly what its tagline promises — "Battle Adventures of Troops in Combat!" — with a cover by Russ Heath that puts you right in the thick of it. A soldier in green surges forward with his rifle, sending an enemy fighter airborne in a desperate close-quarters struggle, while additional combatants press through the rocky terrain behind them. Heath's visceral linework and moody twilight palette give the scene a gritty urgency that perfectly sets the stage for the issue's featured story, "No Retreat!," with interior art by Gene Colan.