Mutt & Jeff #41

Bud Fisher's beloved odd-couple duo is in fine form on this 1949 DC release, with the cover by Sheldon Mayer delivering a perfectly timed gag: the lanky, red-hatted Mutt leans over a bare tree and asks how anyone could know it's a dogwood, while the short, top-hatted Jeff fires back with the punchline — "By the bark, stupid, by the bark!" At ten cents for 52 pages, this is vintage comedy cartooning at its most charming, and that deadpan exchange between the mismatched pals captures exactly why Mutt & Jeff had such enduring appeal.