Joe Palooka Comics #5

Joe Palooka — billed right on the cover as "America's Most Famous Comic Hero" — throws a haymaker at a dark-haired opponent in a carnival setting, with a crowd of onlookers and a striking red-haired woman watching the action unfold near what appears to be a carnival ride. Harvey's 1946 issue promises "The Great Carnival Murder Mystery," wrapping a whodunit around the hard-fisted excitement the series was known for. Ham Fisher pencils and inks both the cover and the interior, delivering the crisp, energetic linework that helped this title move over a million copies per issue.