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From the exhibition

Cap Stubbs — 'Cap' Wasn't a Prisoner Very Long

· July 17, 1918

Cap Stubbs — 'Cap' Wasn't a Prisoner Very Long
This four-panel Sunday strip by Edwina follows the rapid escape of a small prisoner character from captors. The narrative unfolds through sequential panels: guards attempt restraint, the protagonist ties their captor's feet, other prisoners aid the breakout, and the group flees. The strip demonstrates early newspaper comic conventions—multiple panels advancing action, speech balloons for dialogue, and a cast of recurring characters in slapstick situations. By the 1910s, such Sunday page strips had become standard features in major newspapers, establishing visual storytelling techniques that would become foundational to comic book art. Wordplay in the title and physical comedy drive the humor across the tight grid layout.

Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain