Li'l Genius #38

Charlton's Li'l Genius serves up a perfectly timed bit of domestic mischief on this 1962 cover by Jon D'Agostino: the red-haired young protagonist crouches wide-eyed at a roaring fireplace, holding a set of antlers — while a mounted buck's head hangs proudly on the wall behind her, conspicuously antler-free. Two oblivious adults enter from the right, one cheerfully announcing, "Wait till you see the beautiful buck I got this year… a real beauty!!" It's a warm, funny snapshot of kid-comedy chaos that captures exactly the kind of light-hearted trouble Li'l Genius fans kept coming back for.