Josie #18

This February 1966 Archie Series gem drops Josie and her friends right into the middle of the Pop Art craze, with a "Pop and Op Art Studio" setting that couldn't feel more of-its-moment. On the cover — penciled and inked by Dan DeCarlo and Vincent DeCarlo — a smitten artist in a red smock compliments red-haired Josie ("You're as pretty as a picture!") while she dryly fires back "Which picture?", all against a backdrop of wavy Op Art lines, a Campbell's-style bean soup canvas, and a framed hot dog on the wall. A blonde friend looks on nearby as a slapstick chase unfolds at the top of the cover, making this a wonderfully layered snapshot of mid-'60s teen humor meeting avant-garde art culture.