More of Dave Berg's Merton

"The Case for Comic Books" from the people who brought you Mister Mystery

Mister Mystery had some of the most lurid covers of the pre-code horror era (and that's a high bar to clear). Whether that gives their defense of the industry more weight or less is a matter I'll leave up for discussion.

From Mad's Dave Berg -- Meet Merton

Though Dave Berg will always be remembered for The Lighter Side, most fans have forgotten that he was already a prominent comic book artist as early as the mid-Forties.

From 1953

RESTRICTED 1949 Navy recruiting cartoon from Famous Studios

Another Frazetta PSA

With a most unexpected theme.

From Airboy vol. 9 n. 7 via Just a Pile of Old Comics

WWII PSAs

The thing that always strikes me about these Wartime public service announcements is the sense that everyone had a role to play and everyone was expected to do their part. It seems completely alien to the America I grew up in.

Higher-quality versions of these images can be found in the "Puzzles Go to War" section of Classic Puzzles for the Classroom.

Another early effort from a very young Alex Toth

And by very young we mean early teens. It's understandably crude in places but there are still clear indicators of the talent  that was about to emerge.

Courtesy of the Four Color War.

From Heroic 33