Joe Palooka
| Joe Palooka | |
|---|---|
 Ham Fisher's Joe Palooka (June 25, 1939)
(Full size here) | |
| Author | Ham Fisher (1930–1955) Moe Leff (1956–1959) Morris Weiss (1959–1984) |
| Illustrator(s) | Ham Fisher (1930–1955) Moe Leff (1955–1959) Tony DiPreta (1959–1984) |
| Current status/schedule | Concluded daily & Sunday strip |
| Launch date | April 21, 1930 |
| End date | November 24, 1984 |
| Alternate name | Joe the Dumbbell |
| Syndicate(s) | McNaught Syndicate |
| Publisher(s) | Columbia Comics Harvey Comics IDW Publishing |
| Genre | Sports |
Joe Palooka, an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, was originally created by cartoonist Ham Fisher. The strip debuted on April 19, 1930, and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers. The McNaught Syndicate cancelled the strip with effect from November 1984.
Adaptations and spin-offs of the comic strip include a 15-minute CBS radio series, 12 feature-length films (chiefly from Monogram Pictures), nine Vitaphone film shorts, a 1954 syndicated television series (The Joe Palooka Story), comic books and merchandise, including a 1940s board game, a 1947 New Haven Clock and Watch Company wristwatch, a 1948 metal lunchbox featuring depictions of Joe, Humphrey, and Little Max, and a 1946 Wheaties cereal-box cut-out mask. In 1980, a mountain in Pennsylvania was named for the character.