New Heroic Comics #96

Construction foreman Louis Sarno spots a young boy climbing onto a high window ledge at a Brooklyn building site and races against time to reach him before tragedy strikes. In this true-life drama from 1955, Sarno must navigate a construction catwalk, sprint through busy street traffic, and position himself to catch the falling child—all in a desperate bid to save a life.

When a desperate cry pierces the quiet of Wixom Lake, seventeen-year-old Jo-Ann Smith of Bay City, Michigan, springs into action alongside a neighbor to pull an unconscious woman from the water's deadly undertow. With the victim a hundred yards from shore and sinking fast, Jo-Ann's strength as a swimmer and her quick thinking prove essential as the two work together to get the woman to safety and apply life-saving first aid. This 1955 true-life account celebrates the courage and teamwork that made the difference between tragedy and survival.

Albert Fountaine, a swimmer who picked up the skill just the year before, springs into action when his fishing companion slips off a dock and tumbles into deep water. Racing against time to keep his friend's head above the surface, Albert works to pull off a rescue—with help arriving just when it's needed most. A true-life story of quick thinking and friendship under pressure.

A backyard game of cowboys and Indians takes a terrifying turn when a lasso meant for play becomes deadly—but Jo Ann Fore, just ten years old, springs into action to save her four-year-old sister from strangulation. This true-life heroic tale captures the moment a child's quick thinking and bravery prevent tragedy and earn her recognition as a genuine hero among her peers.

A three-year-old boy learns a hard lesson when playtime in the water takes an unexpected turn during a wading party with other children.

When Daryl Spell helps his elderly neighbor with roof repairs on a spring day in Long Beach, a sudden slip threatens to turn routine maintenance into tragedy. With quick thinking and a firm grip, Daryl prevents disaster—but the real test comes in the moments that follow, as emergency responders work to bring his neighbor safely to the ground.

When a young boy wanders to Bolinsky's Lake against his older brother's warnings, he slips into five feet of water—but quick-thinking Boy Scout Joseph E. Yutko, Jr. of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, fishing nearby, springs into action to pull him to safety. This true-life story from 1955 captures a harrowing moment and the scout's instinctive heroism in the face of danger.

When a fire tears through an apartment building in Fort Worth, Texas, fourteen-year-old Charles Courtney doesn't hesitate—he plunges into the smoke and flames to rescue a trapped woman and her husband, braving heat and suffocation to pull them to safety. Though he earns medals and commendations for his bravery, Charles remains humble about the whole thing. A stirring true-life account of quiet heroism in "Didn't Seem Like Much."

When a duck-hunting expedition goes catastrophically wrong in frigid waters off the coast, Joseph Morris of South Norwalk, Connecticut, witnesses two men struggling to survive after their boat capsizes and drifts helplessly out to sea. Drawing on nothing but his own courage and quick thinking, Morris springs into action—first paddling out in a small boat with a shovel, then diving into the freezing water to rescue a companion slipping beneath the waves, and finally swimming him back to safety through treacherous conditions. This true-life account captures one man's selfless determination to save others, no matter the personal cost.

A nine-year-old girl who can't swim witnesses her father collapse in the Detroit River and plunges in to save him, desperate to keep his head above water until help arrives. This 1955 true-life drama follows Annette Kuzdal's race against time and her own limitations as she fights to rescue her father, who suffers from a heart condition. Her quick thinking and courage in the face of her greatest fear make for an unforgettable story of family and heroism.

A young boy's slip on icy pavement puts him directly in the path of an oncoming delivery truck—but quick-thinking stranger Hugh McEachern, a chemical plant worker new to Detroit, spots the danger and pulls the child to safety in the nick of time. This true-life account from 1955 captures an ordinary man's extraordinary split-second heroism and the gratitude that follows.

Gerald Backes and Roland Newton of Jackson, Michigan are driving home from a roller skating rink when they hear a terrific crash—two cars have collided head-on down the road, trapping their passengers in the burning wreckage. The two young men spring into action with a small extinguisher from their car, but realizing they need more firepower, they race to Leslie two miles away to get a larger fire department extinguisher. Back at the scene, they work together to extinguish the blaze and help free the trapped occupants from the twisted metal.