Four Color #12

Harold Gray's beloved red-dressed heroine is front and center in this 1940 Dell issue, caught in a tense moment as she backs away from a looming green automobile — two shadowy figures visible through the windshield — while her faithful dog Sandy stays close at her heels. The bright yellow cover and Gray's clean, expressive linework give the scene an urgent energy that made Little Orphan Annie one of the most beloved strips of its era. At 68 pages of full color, this tenth-cent issue offers a generous helping of Annie's world.