Joe Palooka Comics #3
In "The Secret Mission," Joe and Big Mike find themselves in the Serbian countryside, where a moment of casual bravado—donning German helmets as souvenirs—leads to a tense misunderstanding. When a Serbian woman mistakes them for enemy soldiers and opens fire, Joe is wounded and Mike is knocked out, setting off a quiet but urgent chain of events as she tends to Joe and sends Mike on a crucial errand for medicine. Written and illustrated by Ham Fisher, this 1946 adventure blends wartime tension with unexpected humanity, all captured in Fisher’s distinctive style on the cover by Ham Fisher.
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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 near by 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.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).