Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #123

This September 1969 issue puts Jimmy Olsen center stage in a genuinely gripping cover scenario: Jimmy stands resolute inside a glass cage while an older red-haired man — his father — pleads desperately alongside Superman for him to come out, with the dialogue making clear Jimmy has vowed to endure a year of confinement to atone for someone else's wrongdoing. Curt Swan's pencils and Murphy Anderson's inks give the scene real emotional weight, capturing both the anguish of the bystanders and Jimmy's steely, self-sacrificing determination. Writer Jim Shooter and artist Pete Costanza bring that same dramatic energy to "The Sacrifice of Jimmy Olsen!" — a story that frames DC's most famously adventurous cub reporter as someone with a surprisingly deep streak of selfless courage.