Pep Comics #20

Three patriotic heroes — a star-spangled figure in red-and-white stripes, a yellow-suited masked hero, and a blue-clad third companion — charge through walls of flame while grasping hands reach up desperately from the ground below, all rendered with urgent energy by Irv Novick. The bold cover tagline warns lawbreakers that "the gallows is your goal; you can't escape The Hangman," setting a grim, determined tone for this October 1941 issue. Billed as action, detective, and adventure all at once, Pep Comics #20 is a vivid snapshot of wartime-era superhero comics firing on all cylinders.