Dick Tracy Monthly #8

Down in a dimly lit tunnel, the square-jawed detective in his signature yellow trenchcoat and green fedora levels a revolver while a young red-haired boy cowers beside him — across the tracks, a green-suited figure clutches controls on a rail cart, looking cornered and desperate. This August 1948 Dell issue captures the tense, gritty atmosphere that made Chester Gould's strip a sensation, brought vividly to life in a cover scene crackling with standoff energy. At just a dime, Dick Tracy Monthly #8 delivered the hard-boiled thrills readers were counting on month after month.