Smash Comics #39

This January 1943 issue of Smash Comics puts the masked hero Midnight front and center, rendered in Reed Crandall's sharp, atmospheric linework — blue mask, wide-brimmed hat, and yellow coat lit by a single candle flame, while a wild-eyed woman and a startled white-haired old man loom in alarmed confusion behind him. The cover promises an "Exciting Thriller" headlining Midnight, plus an Espionage "Behind-the-Scenes Drama" teased in a vignette showing a knife-wielding struggle, with six additional characters rounding out the package. At just ten cents, this is a wonderfully dense slice of Golden Age adventure from Quality Comics, with Rudy Palais bringing his talents to the interior alongside Crandall's striking cover work.