Atomic Mouse #12

Willie the Worm and his pal Sammy the Skunk get wind of a reward for rescuing the kidnapped Mayor, and the two pals set out to track down the culprit, Black Hobart, before anyone else can. When Willie accidentally tumbles into Black Hobart's underground hideout, he and Sammy find themselves face-to-face with the criminal gang—and discover an unexpected ally in the form of a gallinipper who's been forced to pick locks for the crooks. Together, the unlikely trio must find a way to outwit the gang and save the Mayor from Hobart's clutches.

When a jewelry store owner is found murdered and a valuable diamond goes missing, cub reporter Cubby the Bear smells a headline and digs into the case alongside Detective Bloodhound—spotting clues that the skeptical detective keeps overlooking. As Cubby pieces together the evidence, he zeros in on a suspect and races to prove his theory before the guilty party slips away.

Shadow finds himself in hot water before the judge when he's caught parking a stolen car in front of a fire hydrant—and his explanation for how he ended up with the vehicle only makes matters worse. This 1955 tale delivers the kind of absurdist humor that made Atomic Mouse comics a fixture of the funny-animal era, with one misunderstanding piling onto another until justice itself throws up its hands.

When Benny decides to launch a delivery service with his pal Fuzzy, their first job seems straightforward enough—until they're tasked with hauling an enormous, unwieldy package down a steep hill. As their wagon careens wildly out of control, the two find themselves caught up in a chaotic chain of mishaps involving stolen goods, angry shop owners, and the law—all while trying to complete their delivery. It's a hilarious romp through small-town chaos that proves starting a business is trickier than it looks.

Atomic Mouse's friend Shadow lands in hot water after stealing a 5,000-pound piano, and his courtroom strategy—relying on the judge's sense of humor—backfires spectacularly in "Strong Medicine." When his joke lands a bit too well, Shadow finds himself facing a much harsher sentence than he bargained for.