Fightin' Air Force #17

Charlton's Fightin' Air Force #17 (September 1959) delivers the kind of cover that practically puts you in the cockpit — Sam Glanzman renders a steely-eyed jet pilot in helmet and flight gear front and center, while across the left half of the image an enemy aircraft spirals earthward in a dramatic burst of flame and black smoke. The banner promises "Jet-Powered Sky Battles" featuring the lead story "Too Low — Too Slow," written by Joe Gill with art by Glanzman, whose sharp, kinetic linework captures both the cool nerve of the aviator and the chaos of aerial combat in equal measure. At a dime a copy, this is a tight little package of Cold War–era air-war action that shows Charlton's war titles firing on all cylinders.