Ratty, Algy and the Vase

This comic strip demonstrates the visual conventions that emerged in early newspaper comics: sequential panels with speech balloons, recurring characters, and slapstick narrative. The strip follows Ratty's attempt to hide broken vase damage from Algy through escalating chaos. The artist uses black silhouettes and crosshatching typical of 1900s lithographic printing, while the six-panel layout guides readers through cause-and-effect comedy. Newspaper comic strips of this era were foundational to the medium—the daily and Sunday pages established the panel format, word-balloon placement, and character-driven humor that would define American comics.