Smitty — The Homecoming

This daily strip follows Smitty, a young office boy, through comedic domestic encounters. The narrative unfolds across four panels: Smitty and a companion wonder about two dogs absent all night; they speculate the animals will return home; a noise erupts from the porch; the dogs finally arrive, covered in mud. The strip employs the visual conventions established in 1920s newspaper comics—sequential panels advancing a simple gag, speech balloons indicating dialogue, and economical linework typical of dailies reproduced at small scale. Recurring character strips like *Smitty* populated the funny pages alongside *Gasoline Alley* and *Tillie the Toiler*, establishing the serialized narrative format that would define comic book storytelling.