Joe Palooka comic books issue 3

Cover art by Ham Fisher. Scripts and art by Fisher. "The Secret Mission"; Joe and Jerry drop radio equipment over Montenegro and follow it down to make sure it gets into the hands of the underground; When it does, Joe and his compatriots have to keep it from being seized by German troops. "The Narrow Escape"; Joe and Big Mike are making their way through the Serbian countryside and decide to put on German helmets (souvenirs) instead of carrying them; However, a lady swimming nearby sees the helmets and shoots, wounding Joe and knocking out Mike, thinking they are German; She is Serbian, treats Joe's wounds and has Mike carry him to her cabin, then sends him to the Americans for some sulfa. "The Crisis"; Big Mike returns with the sulfa, but Joe develops a high fever and Nada is worried; She wishes she had chicken broth to feed Joe, so Big Mike volunteers to go behind German lines to snatch some chickens. "Jerry Falls in Love"; Big Mike gets the chickens and Nada begins to fix the broth, and Joe, after eating some, begins to feel better; Then Jerry shows up and when he sees Nada, falls for her like a ton of bricks. "Joe's Recovery"; Joe is recovering quickly and soon it is time for him to return to his friends; Nada goes with him, telling him along the way that she is out to get every German she can because they murdered her entire family. "The Hidden Evidence" text story by Peter Irving. "Luck Piece" text story by Pat Fenton. 52 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover pencils by Ham Fisher. Untitled story, script and pencils by Ham Fisher; Joe's company puts out to sea. By coincidence, another boxer, Biff Williams is also on board; They put on an exhibition bout for the crew, but during the bout, the ship lurches, and Biff goes overboard, with Joe diving to his rescue; A Nazi sub attempts to capture them, but Joe and Biff overwhelm the crew and capture the sub. Untitled story, script and pencils by Ham Fisher; The ship lands in an undisclosed location, where the Allies are gathering for an imminent Axis assault; Joe is met by his younger brother Steve; While waiting for the action, a boxing exhibition is staged. Jerry is KO'd by a Scottish boxer with whom he had previously had words. Untitled story, script and pencils by Ham Fisher; Joe and Jerry are chosen to patrol the forest to round up reported Nazi paratroopers; The patrol captures all but one Nazi, and Joe trails the Nazi as he meets a fifth-columnists; Joe attempts to capture the saboteurs, and learns that the paratrooper is none other than the German boxer, Schmeller, whom Joe had fought in New York. 52 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

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Cover by Marat Mychaels (W) Mike Bullock (A) Fernando Peniche An all-new set of challenges face MMA fighter Joe Palooka when Joe meets a man who will (for better AND worse) change his life forever. While being hunted down for a murder he didn't commit, Joe catches the eye of billionaire MMA fight-team owner, Tommy Chang. But when the mysterious and eccentric Mr. Chang takes Joe to Asia for a grueling martial arts boot camp the question becomes if this zany billionaire is a friend, an enemy or something in between? Cover price $3.99.

Limited 1 for 10 Variant Cover by Jace McTier (W) Mike Bullock (A) Fernando Peniche An all-new set of challenges face MMA fighter Joe Palooka when Joe meets a man who will (for better AND worse) change his life forever. While being hunted down for a murder he didn't commit, Joe catches the eye of billionaire MMA fight-team owner, Tommy Chang. But when the mysterious and eccentric Mr. Chang takes Joe to Asia for a grueling martial arts boot camp the question becomes if this zany billionaire is a friend, an enemy or something in between? Cover price $6.00.

Issue #3. Reprinting Joe Palooka's daily strips from April 2, 1943 - June 12, 1943; July 30, 1943 - December 31, 1943; and December 28, 1944 - April 7, 1945. Ham Fisher's boxer was one of the most patriotic newspaper strip characters during the war. Horizontal format even though the issue is saddle-stitched along the 11-in. side. 11-in. x 8 1/2-in., 77 pages, black and white.