Hap Hazard Comics #22
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeHap Hazard Comics #22 (October 1948) occupies a meaningful structural moment in Ace Magazines' publishing history: it is one of the final three issues of the series before Ace retitled the book Real Love with #25 in April 1949, pivoting the numbering and concept entirely toward romance comics — a genre shift that reflected the seismic industry-wide turn away from teen humor after Archie's market dominance became undeniable. As a late-run issue of Ace's primary teen-humor franchise, it sits at the crossroads of two eras, with the familiar slapstick Hap Hazard character appearing in his twilight issues before the same indicia numbering was inherited by a romance title that ran until 1956. The series as a whole represents Ace's sustained, if secondary, contribution to the teen-humor boom that Archie sparked in the early 1940s, offering a window into how mid-tier Golden Age publishers chased and eventually abandoned that genre.
This anthology issue features several humorous stories. "Dotty" follows a character who discovers a note on Abigail's leg suggesting they've won a prize, leading to comedic misadventures involving a buzzard and confusion about the Foreign Legion. The issue also includes a collection of short jokes and gags covering topics ranging from farmers and horses to divorce proceedings, job interviews, and restaurant mishaps. Additionally, a story depicts slapstick comedy involving characters in various domestic and public situations, with physical humor and mistaken circumstances driving the narrative.
In a lighthearted hijinks-filled adventure, Hap Hazard and his friend Zip find themselves stranded without circus tickets, so they volunteer to help at the circus grounds—only to end up accidentally flooding an elephant with a fire hydrant. As the duo scrambles to escape the soaked beast and their escalating misadventures, they stumble into a sideshow where their mistaken identities lead to a wild mix-up involving a two-headed man from Mars and a pair of very wet, very embarrassed teens.
Hap Hazard stumbles into a bizarre chain of events after buying a junky model plane for ten dollars, only to find it accidentally launched into the sky—leading to a chaotic chase through town, a near-accident on a rooftop, and a wild ride that lands him in trouble with his boss. When the plane crashes, he’s forced to face the consequences, but a surprising twist at the end turns the whole mess into a moment of unexpected redemption.
In "Hypnonsense," a mischievous Hap Hazard is accidentally hypnotized into believing he’s a bold hero, leading to a series of increasingly absurd chores and a wild detour to a jazz jam session. As he zips through town, trying to impress Rita Vale and fulfill his new "dashing" persona, his friends and rivals react in disbelief—and jealousy—until the spell finally breaks.
Dotty and Clara accidentally switch a bottle of wave lotion for glue at the beauty parlor, leading to a series of mishaps when Dotty tries to help Lester Chadwick prepare for a reunion. As the mix-up unfolds, chaos ensues when Lester arrives, only to find himself tangled in a sticky situation—literally—while trying to impress his friend.
When a radio prank claims a special pigeon named Abigail will deliver $50 for every package of birdseed owned, the Hazards spring into action, mistaking the bird for a money-making miracle. As they chase Abigail through town, their antics draw attention from the Beamishes, who had orchestrated the hoax — but now find themselves outwitted in a twist neither expected.
Hap Hazard is pressured by his girlfriend Babs to prove his strength after her friends' boyfriends boast about their athleticism, leading him to reluctantly agree to face the fearsome wrestler Bruiser Bullski at the Jangling Carnival. With help from his clever uncle Ben, Hap devises a scheme involving a phone trick to outwit the brute, but chaos ensues when a real police officer interrupts the match.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Hap Hazard Comics launched in Summer 1944 under Ace Magazines — the comic-book arm of Aaron A. Wyn and Rose Wyn's publishing operation, which had roots going back to pulp magazines under the Periodical House and A. A. Wyn's Magazine Publishers names since the late 1920s. The series ran for 24 issues through February 1949, published under various Ace imprints including Reader Research; the indicia for at least one early issue (no. 3) listed the publisher as Red Seal Publications, Inc., reflecting Ace's habit of using multiple corporate shells. Artist Sam Singer — who also contributed covers and interior art to earlier issues and would later become known as a television animator — was a key visual contributor to the series across its run. Issue #22 falls in the book's penultimate stretch, published in October 1948 when the title was already trending toward its romance-era transformation.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Published October 1, 1948, by Ace Magazines; one of the final three issues of the Hap Hazard Comics series (which ran issues #1–24, Summer 1944 – February 1949).
- The series' numbering continued uninterrupted into Real Love (Ace Magazines, 1949 series) starting with #25 in April 1949, representing a complete genre pivot from teen humor to romance comics.
- The title was a teen-humor series in the vein of Archie Comics, featuring the recurring bumbling lead character Hap Hazard alongside supporting strip characters including Flophead, Zippermouth, Stella the Starlet, Ben Blowhard, and a 'Slap-Haps' illustrated joke page.
- Artist Sam Singer — identified across multiple issues by comics scholar Jerry Bails — was a recurring cover and interior artist on the series; Singer later transitioned to television animation.
- Ace Magazines was founded by Aaron A. Wyn and Rose Wyn and published comics between 1940 and 1956; Hap Hazard was among its humor-genre titles operating under the Reader Research imprint.
- The indicia publisher for at least one issue (no. 3) was listed as Red Seal Publications, Inc., illustrating Ace's multi-imprint corporate structure across the run.
- No dedicated key-issue databases (Key Collector, GoCollect editorial) or retailer articles with issue-specific writeups for #22 were located; the issue carries no documented first appearances or landmark story events distinguishing it from the surrounding run.
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.