Gang Busters #48

Gang Busters #48 brings the thrill of the big top to DC's crime-fighting series, as the cover by Ruben Moreira plants our star-spangled hero — gun in hand, police badge at his feet — squarely in the middle of a circus troupe that includes a bald strongman, a fire-eater, a clown, and a showgirl. His speech bubble makes it clear he's zeroed in on a criminal hiding among the performers, setting up the featured story "Circus Beat!" with genuine tension. Promising "all new stories" and carrying the Comics Code seal, this 1955 issue is a fine example of the era's crime comics at their most colorful and entertaining.