Bringing Up Father

Four panels follow Jiggs, the newly-rich Irish-American social climber, as he anticipates his wife Maggie's delight at a fine vase sent by friend Dinty Moore. He leans toward the door chuckling; in panel three the vase has clearly been hurled at his head — stars and shards fill the air. A neighbor outside asks "Train wreck?" Jiggs, bruised, delivers the punchline: next time, send a pillow. George McManus drew *Bringing Up Father* from 1913 until his death in 1954, syndicating it worldwide. Its crisp Art Nouveau linework, expressive staging, and recurring domestic violence gag helped standardize the four-panel daily strip format — the direct structural ancestor of the comic book page.