Tessie the Typist Comics #1

Tessie the Typist swaps her desk for the big top when she answers an ad to join the Bailey, Barnham and Barnham Circus, quickly turning heads as a surprisingly skilled lion tamer. With rival circus owner Spike Lenkins watching closely, her sudden rise puts her in the spotlight — and right in the middle of a very competitive act.

In this 1944 humor tale from *Tessie the Typist Comics #1*, Tessie the Typist sets her sights on landing a role in a play, only to find her dreams upended when Skidsy, eager to steer her toward a more "patriotic" task, swaps the audition signs with those for apple picking. Chaos ensues as Mr. Seedy, Jones the press agent, and Mr. Topps the producer all end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, each reacting to the mix-up in their own uniquely exasperated way.

In the quiet moments between missions, Joe 'Lucky' Dugan finds himself haunted by memories of home—his younger brother John, his sister Mary, and the eccentric neighbor Percival 'Poicy' Van Farring—back in a world far from the smoke and thunder of the Pacific front. Though only sixteen, Lucky’s courage in the skies is matched only by the weight of the life he left behind.

In a wartime defense plant, a determined woman named Tessie takes on a man’s job and stumbles upon an abandoned machine she somehow gets running—only to watch it churn out tanks with alarming ease. With a wink to readers and a nod to the spirit of the era, she shares her bold message: if you're a woman, step into the workplace and free a man for the front lines.