Captain Marvel Adventures #12

From 1942, this Fawcett wartime issue puts the World's Mightiest Mortal front and center as Captain Marvel tears through barbed wire with his bare hands, his red-and-gold uniform blazing against a dark sky while tin-helmeted soldiers charge forward around him. The cover — rendered by Marc Swayze — perfectly sets the patriotic tone promised by the bold tagline: "Captain Marvel Joins the Army." With interior art by C. C. Beck and Pete Costanza, it's a spirited snapshot of superhero comics throwing their full weight behind the war effort.