Pep Comics #40

Pep Comics #40 from July 1943 puts MLJ's patriotic hero The Shield front and center, fists raised and charging through a chaotic jungle battle scene while a woman cowers in the lower corner — all rendered with punchy wartime energy by cover artist Bob Montana. A small inset portrait of The Shield in the upper right corner reinforces his star status as the headliner of "America's Fastest Growing Comic Magazine." Inside, Harry Sahle takes on both writing and art duties for a story that promises something genuinely wild: a monster from Mars named Monstro.