Red Mask #52

Red Mask #52 (March 1956) from Magazine Enterprises delivers a lively two-panel cover by Dick Ayers showing the blue-suited, red-caped masked hero squaring off against a gang of armed outlaws — and in the second panel, those same gunslingers find their weapons replaced by flowers, a broom, and a balloon, courtesy of some frontier conjuring. The banner promises "More Magic of the Presto Kid," hinting at the playful, supernatural twist that sets this Western apart from the straight-shooting variety. With interior work from writer Gardner Fox and artist Frank Bolle, this dime comic is a charming snapshot of mid-1950s Western adventure done with a wink.