Bad Bill, the Western Wildcat

This Sunday comic strip follows a scheme to capture the outlaw Bad Bill by trapping him in a barrel. The narrative unfolds across six panels, using speech balloons and sequential action to convey plot: a sheriff posts a reward, a character attempts the trap, and the final panels reveal the trick's failure as Bad Bill escapes on horseback. The strip exemplifies early newspaper comics' visual grammar—panel borders directing eye movement, exaggerated character design, and dialogue advancing a complete story within a single page. By 1911, such strips had become standard in Sunday editions, establishing the formal conventions that would define the emerging comic book medium.