Boy Commandos #24

The cover of this 1947 DC issue is a pure delight — one of the Boy Commandos has donned a Superman costume and is defiantly shrugging off bullets fired by a rooftop gang of armed criminals, while his teammates look on with a mix of awe and dry wit ("No! It's Brooklyn!"). Jack Kirby's pencils give the scene terrific kinetic energy, with spark bursts and ricocheting rounds making it clear the disguise is working better than anyone expected. Billed as "A Sensational Thriller You Can't Afford to Miss," this lighthearted yet action-packed issue promises the kind of scrappy, inventive storytelling that made the Boy Commandos such a treat in the postwar years.