Gay Comics #18

This Fall 1944 issue of Gay Comics serves up lighthearted humor with a perfectly timed punchline: a blonde young woman fishing at a stream complains "Ho-hum, Tessie, it looks like I'll never get a bite!" — completely unaware that a massive, wide-mouthed bear looming directly behind her and a wide-eyed boy beside her would suggest otherwise. The playful double-meaning gag and the cheerful, cartoony art make this a charming snapshot of wartime humor comics at their most carefree. At just 10 cents, Gay Comics #18 offered readers a guaranteed smile with stories like "Herman Hearthrob" inside.