Atlas Comics Library #8

Part of Fantagraphics' invaluable Atlas Comics Library series, this eighth volume collects Snafu, the short-lived humor magazine where Harvey Kurtzman and Wally Wood teamed up for sharp, irreverent comedy including "The Peachy Speech!" Joe Maneely's cover sets the tone perfectly — a woman in vintage lingerie, seen from behind and holding an umbrella aloft, stands surrounded on all sides by a dense, grinning crowd of caricatured men, every one of them clutching copies of Snafu and jostling for a look. It's a wonderfully self-aware image, the magazine essentially advertising itself within its own cover art, and a fine showcase for Maneely's fluid, detail-packed linework that makes the chaotic crowd feel both rowdy and warmly comic.