Hangman Comics #7

From MLJ Comics in 1943, this issue of Hangman Comics delivers a cover that earns its tagline — "Gangsters and Lawbreakers… You Can't Escape." Sam Cooper's cover art presents the Hangman himself looming large in his distinctive green costume and winged mask, cape billowing behind him against a full moon, as bats circle overhead. Below him in a moonlit graveyard, two fedora-wearing criminals crouch over an open coffin, completely unaware of the terrifying figure bearing down on them. It's a genuinely atmospheric piece of Golden Age menace, and the interior story — "Special Case No. 20: The Tiger and the Ruby," illustrated by Bob Fujitani — promises plenty more intrigue to match.