Laugh Comics / Laugh #39
Laugh Comics #39 (June 1950) is a prime example of the Archie anthology format at its Golden Age peak, gathering the Riverdale core cast alongside two of the publisher's other signature strips — Bill Woggon's Katy Keene and the Wilbur Wilkin feature — under one cover. By 1950, Katy Keene had already grown from her 1945 debut in Wilbur Comics #5 into one of Archie's most culturally distinctive properties, with her interactive fan-submitted fashions representing a genuinely novel form of reader participation in comics storytelling. The issue's story 'A Woman's World,' which sends Laurie Lake and Linda Moore down a comic path sparked by a 'Women's Revolt,' reflects the era's self-aware engagement with shifting gender norms in teen humor. Taken together, the issue encapsulates how Laugh Comics served as Archie's broadest showcase, running for over 400 issues from 1946 into the 1990s.
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Laugh Comics launched in 1946 as a continuation of Black Hood Comics, inheriting its numbering from issue #20. By issue #39, the title had settled into a reliable multi-feature anthology format, with cover art on this issue by Samm Schwartz — one of the key Archie staff artists of the era — and interior contributions attributed to Bill Woggon (Katy Keene), Bill Vigoda, Ray Gill, and Samm Schwartz. Bill Woggon's Katy Keene segments had been a fixture in Laugh Comics since issue #20, cross-pollinating with the character's home title (Wilbur Comics) and eventually her own dedicated series that launched in 1949.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: June 1950, published by Archie Publications; cover art by Samm Schwartz.
- Laugh Comics began with issue #20 in 1946, continuing the numbering of Black Hood Comics, and ran for over 400 issues through the 1990s.
- Katy Keene, created by Bill Woggon, appears in an untitled story set on a Hollywood movie lot; Woggon's Katy Keene feature had been running in Laugh Comics since issue #20 (Fall 1946).
- Katy Keene was first introduced in Wilbur Comics #5 (Summer 1945) and received her own title in 1949; her comics were notable for inviting readers to submit fashion designs, which were credited by name — a genuinely interactive publishing model that nurtured future designers including Anna Sui and Betsey Johnson.
- The Wilbur Wilkin strip also appears in the issue; like Katy Keene, the Wilbur feature began appearing in Laugh Comics with issue #20 after originating in Wilbur Comics.
- 'Base Brawl' features Coach Kleats recruiting Jughead to pitch on the baseball team after witnessing his trick pitching — a vintage example of the Riverdale sports-gag format.
- 'A Woman's World' features Laurie Lake and Linda Moore being inspired by a 'Women's Revolt' movement to act more assertively — an unusually topical comic premise for a 1950 Archie anthology.
- The issue also includes 'Sweet Mystery of Life,' in which Betty attempts to use Jughead to make Archie jealous, and a 'Self Service' Suzie story featuring Ferdie and supporting cast.
Cast · 21 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
When Laurie and Linda are influenced by the "Women's Revolt" into being more assertive, Wilbur and Red decide to act like the girls (taking forever to choose an outfit, talking about attractive actresses, etc.) on their double date.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).