Joe Palooka

From 1952 to 1958, Magazine Management published 67 issues of Joe Palooka, adapting Ham Fisher’s long-running newspaper strip about the gentle heavyweight champion into comic-book form. Fisher himself wrote the series, with his art joined by Al Avison’s pencils, bringing the squared-circle drama and small-town Americana of the character’s world to newsstands. While often overshadowed by superhero titles, this run stands as a substantial, creator-driven extension of one of the most popular comic strips of its era, capturing the post-war appeal of a clean-cut, good-hearted athlete.