The Human Torch #27

From 1947, this Timely Comics thriller introduces readers to the Asbestos Lady right on the cover — a poised, green-clad villainess standing confidently amid swirling flames, clutching a money bag in one hand and a bundle of cash in the other, while two fiery animal figures writhe around her. Syd Shores and Vince Alascia's cover work makes her look utterly at home in the inferno, which is a pretty unsettling quality in an opponent for the Human Torch. With a full-length action story promising to "Meet the Asbestos Lady," this is a ten-cent package that delivers a genuinely striking antagonist right from the first glance.