Atomic Mouse #25

Professor Invento's absent-mindedness reaches comic heights when a simple departure from his house goes hilariously wrong—he accidentally knocks his wife when he meant to kiss her goodbye, leaving Atomic Mouse concerned that his eccentric friend's forgetfulness has actually worsened instead of improved. What started as a simple morning mistake spirals into the professor's worst fear about his own condition.

When Professor Invento shows Atomic Mouse his latest invention—a hypnotic clock that can make anyone see wild illusions—the curious hero doesn't realize that villains Count Gatto and Shadow are watching from the shadows, plotting to steal it for their own criminal purposes. The two crooks devise a scheme to use the device against Atomic Mouse himself, but the resourceful hero discovers their deception and turns the tables in spectacular fashion.

When Atomic Mouse arrives in Africa to help build a dam, Count Gatto and Shadow trick the locals into thinking he's their enemy—but the hero quickly exposes the villains and proves his worth by besting the mighty Mumbo in a strength contest. Just as construction begins, the scheming duo sets a dynamite trap, only to have their own explosion backfire when Atomic Mouse is conveniently whisked away to meet a gift-giver, leaving a wooden statue in his place to take the blast instead.

Atomic Mouse investigates Shadow, a suspect accused of robbery by four witnesses, but when the alleged stolen item is finally brought into the interrogation room, Shadow's confused reaction reveals he's been denying the wrong crime all along. This one-page story packs a satisfying twist on a case of mistaken identity.

When Count Gatto and Shadow escape from jail with the help of a genie they've freed from a bottle, the villain wastes no time commanding the forgetful magical being to destroy Atomic Mouse—only to watch his orders hilariously backfire again and again. As the genie's absent-minded interpretations of the Count's demands go spectacularly wrong, Atomic Mouse finds himself with an unlikely protector who keeps getting in the way of every revenge scheme.

When Count Gatto is brought before a judge to answer for burgling a restaurant, his defense takes an unexpectedly aristocratic turn—the villain claims hunger drove him to crime, but his explanation for why he stole cash instead of food reveals a nobleman's twisted sense of honor. Atomic Mouse watches as the culprit's own pride becomes the centerpiece of his courtroom testimony in this 1958 tale.

When Timmy the Timid Ghost witnesses Maxie, the Tough Li'l Ghost and Gus, the Goofy Li'l Ghost locked in a heated debate over whether dragons still exist in the modern world, he decides to settle the argument once and for all. Armed with a creative logic about how everything in the world must have a practical purpose, Timmy sets out to prove his point—and the three young ghosts discover an unexpected answer to their quarrel.

On his first day of school, Li'l Genius [Ollie] returns home and his mother eagerly asks what he learned, only to get a modest response from the bright young student. Though Ollie doesn't say much about his day, he knows one thing for certain—he'll be back at school tomorrow.

Shadow and Count Gatto prepare for an unconventional bear hunt in this 1958 tale, with Shadow devising a disguise he believes will help him track down the three bears his girlfriend has requested. The scheme relies on Shadow's creative—if questionable—logic about what might attract the creatures they're after.