Racket Squad in Action #3

Charlton's crime anthology series hits its stride with this 1952 installment, its cover by Frank Frollo staging a tense roulette-table confrontation between a well-dressed woman in red and two scheming men who are clearly pressuring her — the speech balloons spelling out a blackmail squeeze in plain, unnerving terms. The banner across the bottom promises an exposé of "the most notorious of all rackets," setting the book's hard-boiled, public-service tone perfectly. Interior art from Dick Giordano makes this an early look at a talent who would leave a lasting mark on comics.