Joker Comics #19

This Summer 1945 issue of Joker Comics delivers a wonderfully absurd aquatic scene: a glamorous blonde in an anchor-print swimsuit leans over the side of a boat, scolding "Skidsy! Stop playing submarine!" while the hapless, wide-eyed Skidsy gurgles "Glub!" beneath the surface, clinging to a pole and drifting perilously close to a large turtle lurking on the seafloor. The split above-and-below-water composition is genuinely clever, giving readers a full view of the underwater chaos complete with seaweed, a cheerful fish, and a starfish scattered across the sandy bottom. Ten cents bought a lot of laughs in 1945, and this cover promises exactly the kind of breezy, good-natured comedy that made Timely's humor titles such a fun escape.