Crime Does Not Pay (1942-1955 Lev Gleason) 81

Cover by Charles Biro. Stories and art by George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Claude Moore, and Charles Biro. The title that launched the crime comics genre, Crime Does Not Pay was noted for its violent pre-Code content and lurid tales of underworld life. Mr. Crime narrates the tale of patrolman Al Drews, who goes up against Matt Cornish, The Scourge of the Fishing Fleets, and winds up clinging to a buoy for dear life. Police investigate a series of suspicious suicides and uncover a car-theft ring. The "Tear Gas Killers" try to escape the city by hijacking a boat, but a ham-radio operator manages to outsmart them. Cover and first page feature a photo endorsement from Detective Walter Clancy, approving of "this magazine as a strong moral force for youth." Deadly Matt Cornish, The Scourge of the Fishing Fleets!; On the Level; It Looked Like Suicide!; The Tear Gas Murders!; Our Police Hall of Fame; Who Dunnit? 48 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.