Detective Comics #21

From November 1938, Detective Comics #21 delivers 64 pages of thrills for a dime, with a cover by Leo O'Mealia that sets an immediate mood of tension and suspense. The scene shows a shadowy figure in a dark hat and coat looming over a uniformed officer who looks visibly shaken, a wisp of smoke curling up from a surface between them — a quietly menacing image that perfectly captures the pulp-noir atmosphere of the era. Inside, Gardner Fox and Fred Guardineer bring the story "The Glass of Poison," a title that matches the cover's air of quiet, deadly intrigue.