The Handy Man from Timbuctoo

This Sunday newspaper comic strip follows a six-panel narrative: summer boarders hire a man from Timbuctoo for a dance; he tames frightened guests and a tiger through musical performance; the band signals the start; he and the tiger dance together; they perform an impressive "top-top" number; finally, all dance together before the tiger and performer exit. The strip employs the visual conventions emerging in early newspaper comics: sequential panels, speech balloons, recurring characters, and escalating gags. The artist uses bold black ink lines and heavy shading typical of turn-of-the-century Sunday supplements, which served as the direct precursor to the comic book format.