Gunhawks #4

Marvel's 1973 western series delivers one of its most gripping covers with this "Trial by Ordeal!" installment starring Reno Jones and Kid Cassidy. Syd Shores' cover depicts Reno standing his ground — knife in hand, defiant speech bubble blazing — between a rearing grizzly bear and the fallen, wounded Kid Cassidy, while Native warriors look on from the surrounding enclosure. It's a visceral image of loyalty under pressure, and with Gary Friedrich writing and Shores also handling the interior art, this 20-cent issue packs a lot of frontier drama into a slim package.