Star Spangled War Stories #81

DC's Star Spangled War Stories #81 (1959) features a gripping Russ Heath cover that pulls you right into the heat of aerial combat: a soldier lies prone in shallow water, firing a machine gun at a swooping German aircraft blazing back with its own guns, shell casings scattering across the murky ground. Heath's draftsmanship — all orange muzzle-flash against a cool grey sky — gives the scene a raw, immediate intensity that perfectly sets the stage for the lead story, "Khaki Mosquito!" Plus, the promise of additional tales of "flaming action on fighting fronts" makes this ten-cent issue a remarkably full package of WWII adventure written by Bob Haney.