Splinters

This Sunday strip by Steinigans follows a naughty pup through escalating mischief—torn furniture, escaped from the yard, refuge in a doghouse, and finally banishment to the pound alongside a gathering of strays. The narrative unfolds across eight panels using dialogue balloons and sequential action to tell a complete story. Early newspaper comics like *Splinters* established visual conventions that would define the medium: recurring characters, panel-to-panel continuity, and humor derived from situation and consequence. The strip demonstrates how the newspaper page became the proving ground for comic art, where artists developed the visual grammar of speech balloons, varied panel sizes, and expressive line work that later shaped the comic book form.