Popular Jokes #9

A cheerful slice of early-1960s humor from Marvel's "The Big Laugh Magazine," this May 1963 issue features a cover gag by Martin that perfectly captures the era's comedic sensibility. A stylishly dressed redhead in a red skirt poses a wonderfully awkward question to a bewildered bow-tied shopkeeper amid shelves packed with colorful greeting cards — the punchline printed right on the cover leaves little to the imagination. At just 25 cents, Popular Jokes #9 delivered exactly the kind of light, breezy laughs its title promised.