Bringing Up Father

George McManus's *Bringing Up Father* ran in American newspapers from 1913 until 2000, becoming one of the longest-lived strips in syndication history. This four-panel daily shows the eternal McManus triangle: nouveau-riche Maggie and daughter freezing out beleaguered Jiggs after a domestic quarrel, while Jiggs grows so maddened by the silence that he turns on the radio — only to have a broadcaster announce a women's fashion talk. The gag lands on his groan of defeat. McManus drew in a distinctive Art Nouveau line, his interiors filled with decorative wallpaper and rounded furniture. Strips like this one were the raw material from which comic books were literally assembled: in 1933, *Funnies on Parade* reprinted newspaper dailies, stapled them, and the comic book format was born.