Straight Arrow #31

Fred Meagher's multi-panel cover for this 1953 Magazine Enterprises issue puts Straight Arrow right in the thick of a fiery standoff — his determined face fills the center medallion while, around him, he rides his horse Fury through walls of flame, a torch-wielding rider rallies in the background, and panicked outlaws cry out that they're hemmed in. The cover's bold speech balloons — "Fire will be our army!" versus "We're hemmed in!" — frame the tension beautifully, teasing a confrontation where fire itself becomes a weapon on both sides. With "The Treasure of Pedro Bomba" as the story on deck, this is a lively slice of early-'50s Western adventure done with real energy and craft.