Dennis the Menace #43

Perched in a tree with his school bag slung over his shoulder, Dennis has apparently introduced a loudly ringing red alarm clock to a very startled owl — wings flared, eyes wide, talons scrambling — in this delightful 1960 Hallden/Fawcett entry. Al Wiseman's cover art captures the strip's signature mix of innocent mischief and slapstick perfectly, with the rattling clock sending the poor bird rocketing off the branch in a puff of smoke. At a dime a copy, Dennis the Menace #43 promises the kind of cheerful chaos that made this series a staple of early-'60s humor comics.