Dick Tracy Monthly #21

Dell's square-jawed detective is front and center in this September 1949 issue, with the cover promising "Dick Tracy Meets Number One" — and the scene delivers on that tension immediately. Tracy, unmistakable in his yellow trenchcoat and green fedora, throws a punch at a dark-suited villain while flames and smoke engulf a background that appears to include a burning city skyline. Off to the side, a bound and helpless figure tied to a chair suggests the stakes are already high before the first page is turned.