Superboy #51

From 1956, this bright yellow-covered DC gem puts Superboy front and center as he soars above an excited crowd of Smallville citizens, all clamoring to get their hands on oversized bills of "Superboy Money" — one enormous note even depicting a sailboat riding the waves. The cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye perfectly captures that distinctive Silver Age sense of wonder, teasing the story "The Secret Lives of Superboy" written by Otto Binder with art by John Sikela. As an added bonus, the issue also promises details and an entry blank for a giant $5,000 prize contest — making this a genuinely fun snapshot of mid-'50s comics at their most imaginative.