Blackhawk #73

This February 1954 Quality Comics issue puts Blackhawk in a tight spot — literally — as the cover by Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera shows the muscular hero bound with thick ropes while three uniformed adversaries close in around him. The bold cover question — "What happens when an ambitious young stranger wants to take over the Blackhawk leadership?" — sets up the featured story "Blackhawk Retires" with genuine intrigue. Portraits of the full Blackhawk squad ring the masthead, a reminder that even with their leader captured, this team rarely stays down for long.