Joe Palooka Comics #17
In "Here's the Story Behind the Cover," Joe Palooka and his pal Knobby find themselves stranded in the wilderness after a forced landing, sparking a chain of unexpected encounters—from a budding romance with aspiring actress Sally Grepps to a tense meet-up with a fugitive known only as "Mr. Clink." Written and illustrated by Ham Fisher, this 1948 adventure blends rugged frontier suspense with the charm of classic comic strip storytelling, all rendered in Fisher’s distinctive style. The cover by Ham Fisher captures the moment’s tension, setting the stage for a tale that’s just beginning.
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On a flight to Hollywood, the plane Joe and Knobby are on is forced to make an emergency landing in a wilderness area. They learn the pilots somehow got off course and the plane was low on fuel. Joe and one of the pilots take off, in different directions, to try and find help. In the meantime, Knobby falls in love with Sally Grepps, a young woman wanting to become an actress. A search plane finds the downed aircraft and lets the passengers know that a rescue party will be sent out shortly. The pilot returns and a couple of cowboys find the group and lead them to a nearby town. Joe returns later, only to find everyone gone. Seeing the horse tracks, he starts out to follow them and encounters an old rovin' hand (referred to as "Mr. Clink" by Joe later on) who is on the run from the law. Clink starts out by threatening to shoot Joe but later, after finding out Joe was actually Joe Palooka, becomes friendly. Guilty only by associating with a rustler, Clink is on the run. Joe offers to help him reclaim his innocence, but Clink decides to move on. He points Joe in the direction of the nearby town. When Joe reaches the town, Knobby runs out to greet him. The story is to be continued in a future issue.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).