Tweedledum, Tweedledee & Co.

This early newspaper comic strip follows three identical boys running a mail-order envelope business from a modest setup. The four-panel sequence demonstrates the visual conventions emerging in early 1900s comics: repeated character designs, speech balloons advancing narrative, and sequential panel layout showing cause and effect. The gag structure—from initial enterprise through modest profit to unexpected complication—became standard for Sunday newspaper strips of the era. By 1903, such strips were establishing the visual language that would define comic books: distinct panels, expressive typography in dialogue, and character consistency across frames. These newspaper pages formed the foundation of American comic art before the industry formalized into dedicated comic book publications.