Blackhawk #45

Quality Comics' Blackhawk #45 from October 1951 poses a gripping question right on the cover: "Can the Blackhawks save themselves from… 'The Island of Death?'" Reed Crandall's cover art captures the squad in the middle of a furious brawl — members in their signature dark uniforms trading blows with a gang of adversaries across a rooftop and dock area, with a searchlight tower looming in the background and industrial equipment scattered about. With Bill Woolfolk writing and Crandall's sharp linework carrying the action inside as well, this is a fine example of the team's hard-hitting adventure at its 1951 best.