Behave Yourself

A Sunday newspaper comic strip employing the visual conventions that defined early American comics: multi-panel layouts, speech balloons, and recurring characters in domestic and slapstick scenarios. The strip follows a familiar comedic structure—a gentleman's attempt at polite conversation interrupted by physical comedy and visual gags. Each panel isolates a moment of action or dialogue, guiding the reader's eye through a sequence of escalating mishaps: a discarded cigarette, an automobile breakdown, children at play, and a dog fight. The drawing style favors bold outlines and clear silhouettes suited to newspaper reproduction. By the 1920s, such strips had become standard features in the Sunday pages, establishing the grammar of sequential art that would become foundational to the comic book medium.