Li'l Genius #35

Charlton's Li'l Genius #35 from October 1961 delivers the kind of cheerful chaos the series does so well — the cover by Jon D'Agostino shows the red-haired little genius herself leaping dramatically out of a doorway in swim fins, mouth wide open, while a startled teenage boy throws his hands up in alarm, with a flooded sink, soap, and a stack of books completing the wonderfully absurd scene. D'Agostino's energetic linework gives the whole composition a great sense of motion and comic timing. At a still-just-a-dime cover price, this is a fun slice of early '60s all-ages humor from writer Joe Gill and one of Charlton's most charming kid characters.