Smash Comics #77

This June 1948 Quality Comics issue puts the masked hero Midnight front and center in a wonderfully inventive cover by Jack Cole — the figure of Midnight in his blue suit and hat squares off against a bug-eyed, green-jacketed adversary, the two of them locked in mid-action within a blazing yellow starburst set against the dramatic silhouette of an enormous hat. The teaser "Midnight asks, Who Is Lilli Dilli?" gives the whole composition a playful sense of mystery that perfectly captures Cole's knack for blending humor and pulp-tinged intrigue.