🎯═══════════════════════════════🎯 ⚡ DENNIS THE MENACE #45 - SEPT. 1960 ⚡ 🎯═══════════════════════════════🎯
Hank Ketcham debuted Dennis Mitchell on March 12, 1951 - a five-year-old terror in overalls modeled directly on his own son - and within a year the single-panel newspaper strip had landed in over a hundred papers nationwide. By 1960, Dennis had conquered print, spawned a hit CBS television series, and was appearing monthly in his own comic book courtesy of Hallden/Fawcett Publications. This is that comic book, issue #45, cover-dated September 1960, right in the thick of the Dennis the Menace golden age.
The art inside is the work of Al Wiseman, the primary illustrator of the Hallden/Fawcett Dennis comics from the very beginning, working from scripts by Fred Toole. Wiseman's clean, expressive linework and gift for suburban physical comedy is on full display here - particularly in the lead story "Poolin' Around," where Dennis and Joey convert the family's ironing board into a diving board for their inflatable wading pool, with the predictable result that Henry Mitchell ends up at the bottom of it. The interior also includes a charming "Day by Day with Dennis" single-panel spread walking through a full week of neighborhood chaos, a time-telling lesson that goes exactly as badly as you'd expect, and a neighborhood pageant story involving competitive cookie bribery that remains politically relevant. This book is a genuine time capsule - the inside front cover even carries a reminder to "Watch Dennis Sunday Nights on Your CBS TV Station," placing it squarely in the era when Jay North was terrorizing Mr. Wilson on prime-time television every week. A terrific reader copy for Dennis collectors, nostalgia hunters, or anyone who finds 1960s suburban family panic inherently funny. Please read the condition notes below before purchasing.
⚡ WHAT'S INSIDE: ✦ "Poolin' Around" - the ironing board diving board incident; Henry Mitchell did not consent ✦ "Day by Day with Dennis" - a full week of single-panel gags including a tattoo, a motel, and a falling star ✦ Time-telling lesson story - the clock does not survive ✦ Platypus story + Margaret/Gina/Sally playground pageant - democracy via chocolate cake ✦ Cookie Jar newsletter page: meet the #1 Dennis fan in Hawaii (it's a whole thing) ✦ Cookie jar midnight raid back cover strip ✦ CBS TV show plug: September 1960, Season 2 was just kicking off
🔍 CONDITION: GD 2.0 Multiple pen/marker signatures written across the front cover in at least two different hands - clearly visible and fully disclosed in photos. Additional cover defects include heavy corner wear with partial paper loss at lower right, deep surface scratches across the cover, and spine stress. Interior pages show age toning throughout but colors remain bright and readable. Book appears complete with no missing pages. This is an honest reader copy - priced and described accordingly.
📦 No Returns Accepted unless product doesn't match description and photos.
🚚 Packaged safely and securely, shipped via USPS Ground Advantage.
🗂️ DETAILS: Publisher: Hallden / Fawcett Publications Issue: No. 45 Date: September 1960 Cover Price: $0.10 Page Count: 36 Grade: GD 2.0 Character Creator: Hank Ketcham Writer: Fred Toole Artist: Al Wiseman Featured Characters: Dennis Mitchell, Henry Mitchell, Alice Mitchell, Joey McDonald, Margaret Wade, Ruff Story Titles: Poolin' Around; Day by Day with Dennis; Vote for Margaret/Gina/Sally Country of Production: United States Materials: Newsprint, staple binding, color ink
💡 FUN FACT: Al Wiseman drew the Dennis the Menace comic books so prolifically and so well that the first issue sold out its entire print run - an almost unheard-of feat at a time when most comics sold only half their copies. Issue #45 falls near the very end of his primary run, just one issue before #46, which is noted by collectors as the last consecutive issue featuring his artwork.