Challengers of the Unknown #55

DC's long-running adventure series takes a genuinely affecting turn in this 1967 issue, boldly headlined "The Story They Said We'd Never Dare to Print!" The cover by Bob Brown pulls no punches: a towering ghostly figure of Red Ryan looms over his grieving teammates in their yellow-and-black uniforms, his speech bubble urging them to carry on, while a tombstone bearing the inscription "Red Ryan — Died 1967 — He Was the Best There Ever Was" anchors the scene in striking finality. Arnold Drake's story, illustrated throughout by Brown, promises the kind of emotional stakes rarely attempted in Silver Age team books.