Yes, Buddy Tucker

A Sunday newspaper strip following young Buddy Tucker as he takes on odd jobs, here hired to deliver a baby to an address. The six-panel layout tracks the boy's journey from errand assignment through comic mishap—a structural approach that became standard in early comic strips. Speech balloons advance plot and character voice, while sequential panels show cause and effect across time. By 1905, newspaper comics had established the visual grammar still used today: recurring characters, dialogue balloons, panel progression, and gag payoffs. Sunday pages like this one were the immediate predecessors to the comic book format, proving that illustrated narratives could sustain reader interest across multiple panels and episodes.