U.S. Air Force Comics #26

Charlton's U.S. Air Force Comics #26 puts a lone airman front and center — parachute deployed, enemy jets closing in from both sides as he shouts "They're coming right at me!" — a tense mid-air moment that sets the stakes perfectly for the featured story, "Joyride!" The cover, penciled and inked by Dick Giordano, fills that bright yellow sky with a burning, smoke-trailing aircraft and a second enemy fighter bearing down, making clear this is indeed "a test of courage for a fearless flier." With interior work by writer Joe Gill and the art team of Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia, this 1963 Charlton offering delivers the kind of straight-ahead aviation drama fans of the series came back for month after month.