Chili #20

Marvel's fun-loving redhead takes center stage in this December 1972 issue, with cover art by Stan Goldberg and John Verpoorten capturing a perfectly timed comic moment: a soaking-wet Chili — still clutching scuba gear — drips her way through the front door while a blonde in a slip answers the phone and an older woman looks on in delighted disbelief, announcing that Chili "can't come to the phone — she's busy trying out her new water bed!" The tagline "Millie's Red-Headed Rival!" sets up the friendly rivalry at the heart of this series, and the story inside is titled "Soak It to Me!" — which, given that cover, promises exactly the kind of cheerful chaos Chili fans were happy to find on newsstands. At just 20 cents, this is a breezy slice of early-'70s Marvel humor comics done with real charm.