Fightin' Army #107

Charlton's Fightin' Army #107 from 1973 puts readers right in the thick of a desperate swamp skirmish, with Don Perlin's cover depicting a soldier in fatigues caught in a firefight amid tangled roots and murky water — and a very alert alligator lurking dangerously close. The cover teaser promises that "Able Company needed Beale, but it looked as if Beale would never make it to the… 'Family Reunion,'" setting up a tense survival scenario with real stakes on both land and water. With writer Willi Franz behind the interior story "Act of Mercy," this 20-cent issue delivers the gritty combat drama that made Charlton's war titles a dependable read throughout the early '70s.