Hopalong Cassidy #26

This December 1948 Fawcett issue puts the famous sheriff square in the crosshairs with "The Poll Plot," promising gun-roaring thrills right on the banner. The cover sets the tension perfectly — a rider on a white horse commands the sun-baked landscape in the background while two rough characters grapple in the foreground, one reeling back from a punch, a knife visible in the distance. Charles Quinlan Sr.'s artwork captures that rugged Western energy that made Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, a staple of adventure comics at a dime a copy.