Smitty — The Eleventh Hour

This strip follows Smitty, a young office boy navigating workplace mishaps and social situations. The narrative unfolds across four panels: Smitty arrives late to a meeting; his boss and colleagues announce they've each contributed stock to a company gift; Smitty receives the shares amid celebration; he clutches the stock certificate with delight. The comic employs the visual conventions established in early newspaper strips—panel sequencing, speech balloons, and expressive linework—to convey plot and character reaction. Smitty was among the daily and Sunday comic strips that formed the foundation of American comics, appearing in newspapers and establishing the grammar of sequential art that would define the medium.