Spy Fighters #12

Two combatants locked in a desperate, knife-and-rifle struggle dominate this raw 1953 Atlas cover by Russ Heath — a helmeted soldier straining against his opponent in what the series bills as "war adventures of spies in actual combat." Federal Agent Clark Mason's Spy Fighters always delivered gritty Cold War tension, and issue #12, featuring the story "The Silent Death!" with interior art by Mac Pakula, looks to be no exception. Heath's visceral cover art captures the brutal, close-quarters urgency that made this series a standout in early-'50s war comics.