Bazooka Joe Comics

by Bazooka

1953 – 2012 RARE REVIVALS

Mostly gone. Bazooka dropped the comics in November 2012 and swapped in brainteasers and codes for online games. They have come back only in special runs since: a 2019 throwback pack and a 2025 set of athlete comics. Sources split on whether the strip began in 1953 or 1954.

Last verified Nov 2, 2026

A comic strip the size of a postage stamp, folded around a pink brick of gum and starring a kid in an eye patch. For nearly six decades you read the joke, groaned, and chewed anyway.

🧾 One more thingEvery strip ended with a fortune at the bottom. Years after the comics were dropped, Bazooka's brand manager said the number one request the company got from fans was simply "Bring back the comics!"

Filed under: Candy & Gum · the ’70s & earlier

🎲 Remember another one 🛒 Test your memory

📅 Timeline

1953Topps product chiefs Woody Gelman and Ben Solomon brought in cartoonist Wesley Morse to draw Bazooka Joe and His Gang for the gum's wrappers; some sources date the debut to 1954.
1967Jay Lynch became the strip's main writer, a job he held until 1990.
2012In November, Bazooka Candy Brands, part of Topps, announced it would drop the comics as gum sales fell, replacing them with brainteasers and codes for online content.
2019In April, Bazooka launched a Throwback Pack in the classic red, white and blue look, which brought the comics back.
2024DC and Bazooka started a series of eight digital crossover comics in March, beginning with Wonder Woman.
2025In September, Bazooka released a limited set of 36 printed comics pairing Joe and his gang with 12 professional athletes.

❓ People also ask

Why did Bazooka stop putting comics in its gum?

Sales were falling. When Bazooka Candy Brands dropped the strips in November 2012, it filled the inserts with brainteasers and codes that unlocked online videos and games instead, and said Joe and his gang would still appear on the packaging now and then.

Does Bazooka gum still come with comics?

Only in special editions. The comics came back in a 2019 Throwback Pack and in a September 2025 run of 36 athlete comics sold in special packs. Standard Bazooka gum does not include one.

Who drew Bazooka Joe?

Cartoonist Wesley Morse drew the original strips, with Joe in his trademark black eye patch. Jay Lynch was the main writer from 1967 to 1990.

🧾 Sources

NPR, Say It Ain't So, Joe: Bazooka Bubble Gum Is Killing Its Tiny Comics (2012)
ConfectioneryNews, Bazooka's throwback pack looks to the '80s for modern-day sales (2019)
Wikipedia, Bazooka Joe (2026)

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