That Boy Next Door

This newspaper strip exemplifies early comic humor centered on the mischievous child—a stock character of the period. The narrative unfolds across three panels: a boy raids his neighbor's pantry for jam, a father discovers the theft in progress, and the culprit flees the scene. The artist uses sequential panel layout with detailed cross-hatching and expressive line work typical of newspaper comics circa 1900-1910. Speech balloons and narrative captions convey both action and commentary. Such strips appeared in Sunday editions and dailies, establishing the visual language—panel progression, character types, slapstick scenarios—that would become foundational to comic book art. The recurring "next door" antagonist became a fixture of syndicated humor.