Crime Does Not Pay #85

Charles Biro's cover for this March 1950 issue drops readers right into a desperate standoff: a gang of cornered crooks clings to a construction scaffold above a city street while police close in from below and above, the frantic dialogue balloons making their panic almost audible. At 52 full pages, the issue promises three stories — "Police Teamwork and Three Blind Rats!," "Confessions of a Racketeer's Widow!," and an interactive "Who Dunnit?" mystery — delivering solid value for a dime. Edited by Charles Biro and Bob Wood for Lev Gleason Publications, Crime Does Not Pay #85 is a vivid snapshot of mid-century crime comics at their most energetic.