The Friendly Ghost, Casper #44

Harvey Comics' perpetually cheerful specter faces a surprisingly tricky opponent on this April 1962 cover — a thoughtful little green reptile sizing up the checkerboard across a turtle-shell game table, with Casper looking equally uncertain about his next move. The red-and-black checkered backdrop cleverly mirrors the game in play, giving the whole scene a wonderfully playful sense of design. Inside, "The Mysterious Whammy" promises the kind of lighthearted adventure that made Casper one of Harvey's most beloved characters throughout the early 1960s.