Modern Comics #73

The cover of this May 1948 Quality Comics issue says it all: Blackhawk, pistol drawn and hawk emblem gleaming on his uniform, streaks downward on a rocket-propelled contraption trailing billowing smoke as he zeroes in on saboteurs. Reed Crandall's cover art crackles with kinetic energy, capturing the ace aviator in full combat mode with a confident, no-nonsense intensity. It's a wonderfully dynamic snapshot of Golden Age adventure comics doing exactly what they did best.