Outbursts of Everett True

A two-panel gag strip featuring the irascible Everett True confronting a man smoking on the street. In the first panel, True lectures his victim about smoking's health and financial costs. The second panel delivers the payoff: True responds to the complaint by blowing smoke directly in the man's face. The strip exemplifies early newspaper comic humor—reliant on exaggerated expressions, simple sequential narrative, and physical comedy. Artist Ben Bitzer's work helped establish recurring characters and visual conventions that would become foundational to comic strips and, later, comic books.