Top Notch Laugh Comics #39

A sunny beach scene sets the stage for this September 1943 MLJ humor anthology, with a flustered lifeguard perched atop his stand being distracted by a dark-haired bathing beauty while an assortment of beachgoers — including a sunbathing man, a woman in a polka-dot swimsuit, a child in a sombrero, and a startled larger woman at the water's edge — add to the delightful chaos all around him. Don Dean's cover art captures the breezy, irreverent spirit that made Top-Notch Laugh Comics a reliable source of gags and good-natured fun. At just a dime, this issue delivered a full slate of comedic stories — including "Mugging Monster Terrorizes City!!!" — that kept wartime readers smiling.