Blackhawk #43

This August 1951 Quality Comics issue drops the Blackhawk squadron into an underground nightmare, with the cover by Reed Crandall plunging readers straight into the chaos — uniformed Blackhawks clash sword-to-fist against bare-chested adversaries in stone catacombs, while a woman in green cries out from a staircase above, a skull resting ominously nearby. The bold cover copy promises "Unholy Horror in an Underground Empire" with the featured story "Terror from the Catacombs!", and the portrait medallions of the full Blackhawk team ringing the top of the cover are a nice reminder of just how large this ensemble cast is. At 52 big pages for a dime, this is a genuinely satisfying package of pulp-adventure energy from one of Quality's most enduring series.