Leading Comics #25
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeLeading Comics #25 (June–July 1947) belongs to the second, largely overlooked chapter of one of DC's most format-restless titles — a book that had already made history as the first DC series to abandon superheroes outright, pivoting from the Seven Soldiers of Victory to a full funny-animal anthology starting with issue #15. By issue #25, Peter Porkchops had recently taken over as the flagship cover character, cementing the direction that would carry the series all the way through its eventual retitling as Leading Screen Comics. The issue also hosts a placement of the C.C. Beck–drawn Captain Tootsie advertisement strip, one of the Golden Age's most distinctive examples of commercial comics craft embedded directly within a mainstream newsstand title.
In "How to Avoid Getting Spanked," Doodles stumbles into an unlikely moment of heroism when he picks up a cigar, thinking it’ll make him look distinguished—only to find himself shunned by everyone until he uses it to stop a robbery. Written by Jack Mendelsohn and illustrated by Howie Post, this 1947 tale of accidental bravado and smoke-filled misadventures is a quirky, character-driven slice of early comic book charm, with a cover by Otto Feuer that captures the moment with playful flair.
In this 1947 gem from Leading Comics #25, Doodles tries to impress the crowd by puffing on a cigar—only to find himself an outcast until the smoke clears and he stumbles into a robbery. With a flicker of luck and a cloud of smoke, he’s suddenly the hero, though not for long.
ComicBooks.com Value
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Leading Comics launched in Winter 1941–42 as National Publications' answer to the Justice Society of America, debuting the Seven Soldiers of Victory — a team assembled from characters already appearing across National's anthology titles. When superhero readership declined, the book became, per multiple sources, the first DC title to make the switch, converting to a humor anthology with issue #15 (Summer 1945). Peter Porkchops, created by Otto Feuer, took over as cover feature with issue #23 (February–March 1947), just two issues before #25. The Captain Tootsie advertisement strip that appears in this issue was created in 1943 by artist C.C. Beck — best known as the creator of Captain Marvel — working with writer Rod Reed; Beck later collaborated with inker Pete Costanza on the strip, which ran across numerous publishers' books through the mid-1950s.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated June–July 1947; on sale March 31, 1947 (per Grand Comics Database records for the series).
- Published by National Publications (DC Comics) as part of the ongoing Leading Comics series, which ran 41 issues in its original numbering before a title change.
- The issue falls within the title's funny-animal era: Leading Comics became the first DC series to drop its superhero format, switching to humor/animal anthologies with issue #15 (Summer 1945).
- Peter Porkchops — created by Otto Feuer and introduced as cover feature in issue #23 — stars in the lead story, which features his encounter with Mr. Goat; a secondary story features Throckmorton the Tortoise racing Harry the Hare.
- Captain Tootsie and his kid sidekick Rollo appear in the issue as part of the recurring Tootsie Roll advertisement strip. Captain Tootsie was created in 1943 by C.C. Beck (creator of Captain Marvel) and writer Rod Reed.
- Rollo is one of three young members of Captain Tootsie's 'Secret Legion,' alongside Fisty and Fatso; the group accompanied the Captain on one-page adventure vignettes promoting Tootsie Roll candy.
- The Captain Tootsie ad strip was drawn in Beck's signature clean, open-line style and appeared across a wide range of publishers' titles throughout the 1940s and into the mid-1950s — making each host issue a snapshot of how commercial advertising comics were integrated into Golden Age newsstand books.
- Captain Tootsie proved durable enough to headline two solo issues published by Toby Press in 1950, and the character later resurfaced in Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon (beginning with issue #199).
Cast · 2 characters
Full credits
Key issues in Leading Comics
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.