Boy Commandos #12

A wartime classic from DC's 1945 Fall issue, this 52-page comic finds the Boy Commandos crouched in Pacific island terrain, just five miles from Tokyo according to a weathered signpost at their feet. A U.S. Coast Guard sailor stands guard with a rifle and a loyal dog at his side, while the young commandos huddle together — one clutching a camouflage-patterned box — with a military vessel visible on the water behind them. Cover art by Joe Simon brings real tension and camaraderie to the scene, capturing exactly why this team of scrappy young soldiers resonated so strongly with wartime readers.