Ratty Didn't Notice Tab Name

This newspaper strip demonstrates the visual conventions solidifying in early 1900s comics: sequential panels arranged in a grid, speech balloons advancing dialogue, and a recurring character—Ratty—caught in slapstick situations. The narrative unfolds across six panels: Ratty discusses paintings with an acquaintance, the conversation shifts indoors, and escalates into physical chaos ending in violence. The artist employs heavy black silhouettes and crosshatching typical of period reproduction, with exaggerated postures conveying motion and emotion. Such strips ran in Sunday editions and daily papers, establishing the grammar later adopted by comic books: panel borders, word-image integration, and character continuity that made sequential art a distinct medium.