Four Color #138

This cheerful 1947 Dell issue brings Walter Berndt's Smitty to life with a wonderfully goofy outdoor scene: a heavyset fellow in a red-and-black checkered shirt scratches his head in bewilderment at a colorful totem pole, while Smitty and a younger boy have somehow clambered up to its top — clearly up to no good while the boss is away. The bright yellow sky and lush green backdrop give the whole cover a sunny, carefree energy that captures the lighthearted spirit of Berndt's long-running comic strip perfectly.