New Heroic Comics #57

When 18-year-old Philip L. McAuliffe, Jr. and his Boston College hockey teammates break through thin ice on Mystic Lake, one player goes under—and Phil realizes he's the only one who can save him, despite the freezing water and heavy gear. Pulling off a desperate rescue, Phil earns the Silver Hero Medal from the Massachusetts Humane Society, joining his father, Dr. Philip L. McAuliffe, and grandfather, Timothy J. McAuliffe, as recipients of the same honor—a legacy of courage that spans three generations.

Patrolman George Intermont's routine day in Central Park takes a desperate turn when he hears cries for help from a boy trapped in an ice-coated pond. With nothing but his nightstick and quick thinking, Intermont hacks through the treacherous ice to reach the drowning boy before it's too late. A true-life tale of split-second heroism from 1949.

Young Scout George Edward Spence recounts his harrowing 1911 experience in Leicestershire, England, when a panicked delivery horse bolts down a narrow lane toward a group of children playing in the road. With impossible odds against him, Spence makes a split-second choice to steer the maddened animal away from the children—a decision that carries devastating personal consequences. This true-life account captures a moment of genuine heroism and the price of putting others' safety before your own.

When a fire breaks out in her Seattle apartment at 2:55 in the morning, Mrs. Sarah K. Ault must fight through thick smoke and panic to reach her children—but a spring lock traps Darlene and Timmy inside while she's forced to find another way in. This harrowing true-life account follows a mother's desperate race against time and a young girl's courage in the face of mortal danger.

When a winter outing on Duck Island's frozen lake turns tragic in 1949 Brooklyn, Wilbur Schmitt, a passing motorist, witnesses a desperate struggle in the icy water and plunges in to save a drowning boy. In this true-life drama from New Heroic Comics, Schmitt races against time and his own failing strength to pull the youngster from the frozen depths before it's too late.

During the North African invasion of 1942, Sgt. Arthur J. Kostuk of the 12th Air Force is assigned to help unload supplies at Port Lyautey when disaster strikes—a sailor becomes trapped in an unloading net that's dragging him beneath the surface. With no time to think, Kostuk dives into the water to free the drowning man and bring him back to safety.

Jack Dempsey, the legendary former heavyweight champion, lends his voice and experience to combat two of America's most pressing problems: juvenile crime and intolerance. Through his work with wayward boys, Dempsey champions a message of unity and opportunity, reminding young Americans that regardless of race, color, or creed, every kid has the potential to become a champion.

When eleven-year-old Ellen Peterson wakes to find her Pennsylvania home engulfed in flames, her quick thinking and courage become her family's only hope—she must get her four-year-old brother Donald to safety while their parents fight to contain the blaze. This 1949 tale from New Heroic Comics shows how one girl's presence of mind in a moment of panic makes all the difference between tragedy and survival.

Fifteen-year-old David Johnson of San Diego spots a young girl caught in a deadly riptide at Mission Beach and, armed only with a new pair of swimming fins he's won as a prize, plunges into the boiling surf without hesitation to save her. This heroic true-life drama follows David's desperate struggle against the dangerous undertow and the fight to bring the girl safely back to shore.

When a child named Marc tumbles off the edge of Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, carpenter Robert Ramirez doesn't hesitate—he plunges fifty feet into treacherous waters to reach the boy before the tide carries him away for good. Racing against the clock and the surf, Ramirez fights to save a life in this true-life tale of split-second heroism and selfless courage.

Paolino Dimarco, a Flushing cab driver with two decades of heroic service behind him, finds himself in the middle of a police chase when criminals attempt to commandeer his taxi on a Manhattan street. When the fugitives try to force him into his cab at gunpoint, Dimarco takes a stand—risking his own safety to keep the suspects from escaping and alerting police to their location. His courage that night in July 1949 earns him an official commendation from New York's Mayor O'Dwyer, cementing his reputation as a cabbie who truly answers the call when it matters most.

When a severe mountain storm threatens to sweep away a cabin sheltering two young boys in North Canyon, D. Maeser Mabey and fellow members of the Bountiful Jeep Posse race against time and dangerous terrain to reach them. Fighting through washed-out roads, flash floods, and a treacherous landslide, Mabey pushes his Jeep and his courage to their limits in this true account of the civic volunteers who risk everything for their community.

On New Year's Eve 1948, babysitters Dorothy Kaiser and Fern Shepard wake to find their charges' house engulfed in flames and must act fast to save the two babies from the danger. What begins as a quiet night watching over the children becomes a race against time as the young heroines keep their heads and get the infants to safety. Their quick thinking and bravery prove that heroism can come from the most unexpected places.