Ethel

This Sunday page from *Ethel* presents a visual gag on romantic love through contrasting panels. On the left, a woman in evening wear gestures dramatically while reclining amid luxurious furnishings and a devoted male figure. On the right, a formally dressed man sits upright and composed, labeled "The Vamp." The strip uses the emerging visual vocabulary of newspaper comics—distinct scenes, expressive figure drawing, and decorative borders—to deliver its punchline about competing forms of romantic attention. By the 1920s, Sunday comic pages like this served as the direct precursor to the comic book format, establishing panel sequencing, character consistency, and layout principles that would define the medium for decades to come.