Joseph

Joseph is the biblical husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus, depicted in Dell's Golden Age adaptation of the New Testament. He appears in nativity and sacred story contexts across multiple Dell titles rooted in Christian scripture.

Few comic characters can claim roots as ancient as the figure they portray, but this Joseph made his four-color debut in Dell's The Life of Christ Visualized #1 in 1942 — a genuine Golden Age artifact from an era when comics tackled sacred stories with the same earnest ambition they brought to superheroes and funny animals. Across a remarkable span stretching all the way to 2003, this quietly enduring figure turns up in titles as varied as A Christmas Treasury, Santa Claus Funnies, and The Bible: Eden, sharing pages with Mary, Jesus, King Herod, and even Moses. Six appearances may seem modest, but for a character born in the Golden Age and still appearing sixty years on, that's a testament to the timeless pull of the story he inhabits — well worth a second look for any collector with an eye for the unusual corners of comics history.