Little Max Comics #25

Ham Fisher's cover for this October 1953 Harvey issue captures Little Max hard at work with a foot pump, industriously inflating a large red balloon — already shaped suspiciously like a little house with a window — while a "Balloons 10¢" sign sits nearby and two other kids in the background hold their own colorful balloons. It's a cheerful, warmly drawn scene with just enough mischief in Max's rosy-cheeked grin to suggest things might not go entirely as planned. A delightful slice of mid-century all-ages fun from the Joe Palooka universe.