Buddies #2

This April 1942 humor anthology from Harvey promises a whopping 84 pages of "Gals & Gags" for just 15 cents, making it a genuine bargain in wartime entertainment. The cover sets the comedic tone perfectly — a wide-eyed redhead in a pink striped top perches on the lap of a goofy-looking serviceman in a blue uniform, both reacting with exaggerated alarm to a crackling radio beside them, accompanied by the deadpan advice: "When the alarm sounds… keep cool… and continue to do what you are doing." With a "Keep 'Em Smiling" badge in the corner nodding to the home-front spirit of 1942, this is lighthearted escapism clearly aimed at lifting the spirits of soldiers and civilians alike.