Mary Marvel #19

This December 1947 Fawcett issue puts Mary Marvel face-to-face with a menacing, claw-handed witch, the two locked in a crackling magical standoff while a wide-eyed green toad lurks ominously in the foreground — a wonderfully eerie cover rendered by Jack Binder that captures the title's promise of "top notch thrills, adventures & comedy." Inside, writer Otto Binder sends the World's Mightiest Girl into "The Mountain Mystery," suggesting the kind of supernatural adventure that made this series such a treat for young readers in 1947. Mary's red-and-gold costume gleams against the smoky purple backdrop, and the whole scene has just enough storybook menace to make you want to turn the page immediately.