Old Doc Yak

This daily strip follows a scheming goat through six interconnected panels as he pursues a con: luring a freighter captain with promises of cargo business, then extracting a loan by claiming he needs to pay freight charges. The narrative unfolds through speech balloons and sequential action, with the goat's expressions and body language shifting to match each stage of his scheme. Sidney Smith's linework establishes character through exaggerated features and posture. By 1912, daily newspaper comics had become standard vehicles for recurring characters and multi-panel gags, establishing the visual and narrative conventions that would define comic strips and eventually comic books.