Crime and Punishment #24

Charles Biro's cover for this March 1950 issue of Crime and Punishment captures a wonderfully tense prison yard scene, where a uniformed guard orders a group of striped-suit convicts to break up a brawl — while at least one inmate is clearly instigating exactly that, shouting provocations amid shovels, pickaxes, and a ball-and-chain. Published by Lev Gleason as a full 52-page value, this issue promises four "true criminal case histories," including the tantalizing titles "My Friend Was a Murderer," "The Men Who Stole a Brain," "Stop — Look — and Kill!," and "The Strange Story of the Clumsy Thieves." For fans of 1950s crime comics, this is a fine snapshot of the genre at its gritty, pulpy best.