Super Duck Comics #26 (June 1949, Archie Publications) — VG– 3.5
“The Cockeyed Wonder” — Al Fagaly’s Wildly Inventive Funny Animal Classic
From Archie’s stable of humor titles, Super Duck Comics #26 captures the height of Al Fagaly’s comedic absurdity — a hybrid of screwball domestic antics and madcap invention that rivaled Carl Barks’ Donald Duck for energy and personality. Published in 1949 under Close-Up Inc., this issue epitomizes late-Golden Age funny-animal humor with sharp art, full 52-page content, and early crossovers with other Archie-adjacent properties like Cubby and Ham Burger.
Cover: Al Fagaly — A prime example of Fagaly’s crisp linework and absurd domestic setups: Super Duck reading the paper while Fauntleroy nearly blasts the roof off the house.
“The Burnt Toast of the Town” — 6 pages, Al Fagaly
Super Duck invents a self-buttering toaster; chaos follows. Later reprinted in Laugh Comics Digest #14 (1978).
“The Brayin’ Specialist” — 7 pages, Al Fagaly
Featuring Dr. Brayne, a quack psychologist whose advice to “stand up for yourself” backfires hilariously.
“V.I.P. Very Important Person” — 4 pages, Al Fagaly
Super Duck checks into a high-class hotel where no one notices him, leading to slapstick overcompensation.
“Cubby” by Red Holmdale — 5 pages
A secondary strip with charming early animation-style art — Cubby ends up walking the streets on stilts as an advertising man.
“Supe Bowls” — 4⅔ pages, Al Fagaly
Bowling alley humor meets robot technology; a mechanical commentator narrates Super’s terrible game.
“Faunt Forgot to Remember” — 5 pages, Al Fagaly
Classic Super-and-Faunt pairing; Super believes his car’s been stolen — an early satire of suburban paranoia.
“For Heaven’s Sake” — 5 pages, Al Fagaly
Super Duck helps Uwanna’s nephew with a school project, ending in glorious disaster.
Plus: puzzle pages, ads for Schwinn Bicycles, Popsicle Pete, and Minit Curl, and a humorous one-page Ham Burger backup titled “On the Scent of a Cent.”
VG– (3.5) — Strong mid-grade copy with bright color retention and solid structure. Light spine wear with small stress lines, minor fraying at corners, and a faint vertical crease visible under angled light. Cover retains full gloss and registration. Interior pages cream to off-white with flexible paper. Staples intact at centerfold. Presents sharply for the grade — exceptional cover vibrancy and solid structural integrity for a 1940s Archie funny-animal book.
💡 A stellar Golden Age humor book from Al Fagaly’s creative peak — packed with inventive sight gags, satire, and dense mid-century cartooning. Later reprinted throughout the Archie digest era, this original remains the definitive way to experience “The Cockeyed Wonder.”
Super Duck Comics #26 (June 1949, Archie Publications) — VG– 3.5
“The Cockeyed Wonder” — Al Fagaly’s Wildly Inventive Funny Animal Classic
From Archie’s stable of humor titles, Super Duck Comics #26 captures the height of Al Fagaly’s comedic absurdity — a hybrid of screwball domestic antics and madcap invention that rivaled Carl Barks’ Donald Duck for energy and personality. Published in 1949 under Close-Up Inc., this issue epitomizes late-Golden Age funny-animal humor with sharp art, full 52-page content, and early crossovers with other Archie-adjacent properties like Cubby and Ham Burger.
Cover: Al Fagaly — A prime example of Fagaly’s crisp linework and absurd domestic setups: Super Duck reading the paper while Fauntleroy nearly blasts the roof off the house.
“The Burnt Toast of the Town” — 6 pages, Al Fagaly
Super Duck invents a self-buttering toaster; chaos follows. Later reprinted in Laugh Comics Digest #14 (1978).
“The Brayin’ Specialist” — 7 pages, Al Fagaly
Featuring Dr. Brayne, a quack psychologist whose advice to “stand up for yourself” backfires hilariously.
“V.I.P. Very Important Person” — 4 pages, Al Fagaly
Super Duck checks into a high-class hotel where no one notices him, leading to slapstick overcompensation.
“Cubby” by Red Holmdale — 5 pages
A secondary strip with charming early animation-style art — Cubby ends up walking the streets on stilts as an advertising man.
“Supe Bowls” — 4⅔ pages, Al Fagaly
Bowling alley humor meets robot technology; a mechanical commentator narrates Super’s terrible game.
“Faunt Forgot to Remember” — 5 pages, Al Fagaly
Classic Super-and-Faunt pairing; Super believes his car’s been stolen — an early satire of suburban paranoia.
“For Heaven’s Sake” — 5 pages, Al Fagaly
Super Duck helps Uwanna’s nephew with a school project, ending in glorious disaster.
Plus: puzzle pages, ads for Schwinn Bicycles, Popsicle Pete, and Minit Curl, and a humorous one-page Ham Burger backup titled “On the Scent of a Cent.”
VG– (3.5) — Strong mid-grade copy with bright color retention and solid structure. Light spine wear with small stress lines, minor fraying at corners, and a faint vertical crease visible under angled light. Cover retains full gloss and registration. Interior pages cream to off-white with flexible paper. Staples intact at centerfold. Presents sharply for the grade — exceptional cover vibrancy and solid structural integrity for a 1940s Archie funny-animal book.
💡 A stellar Golden Age humor book from Al Fagaly’s creative peak — packed with inventive sight gags, satire, and dense mid-century cartooning. Later reprinted throughout the Archie digest era, this original remains the definitive way to experience “The Cockeyed Wonder.”
