Pep Comics #45

From January 1944, this MLJ issue captures a wonderfully goofy scene: Archie Andrews has somehow gotten himself tangled up in a giant kite, soaring helplessly into the sky while the Shield — visible both in a corner inset and on the ground below, clutching the kite string — looks up at the predicament. Harry Sahle's cover art delivers a lighthearted charm that perfectly captures the humor Archie brought to a wartime anthology still headlined by superhero fare. The bold declaration "Archie Sure Is Flying High!!" says it all about the cheerful, comedic energy packed into this ten-cent package.