Mr. "Tight" Wad Never Thought About the Come-Back!

A five-panel gag strip by Gale following a miserly character's comeuppance. The protagonist refuses a beggar's request for a nickel, only to find himself in need later—reversed fortunes. The strip employs the visual vocabulary of early newspaper comics: expressive figure drawing, speech balloons delivering rapid-fire dialogue, sequential panel progression showing cause and effect. By 1913, the Sunday funny pages had become a standard feature, driving circulation wars among metropolitan papers. Artists working in this period developed the formal language comics would inherit: exaggerated physicality, readable layouts, and recurring character types that allowed readers instant recognition and sustained investment across multiple installments.