COMIC Strips

Comic Strips While this section concentrates on comic strips that are printed in newspapers, some examples of single strips are included for comparison purposes.

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Amend, Bill
[Water pail on a door gag strip]

Publisher : Foxtrot, Universal Press Syndicate, May 28, 2000.


Anderson, Carl et. al.
Henry

Publisher : King Features Syndicate, 1934-present.

Comment : Reprinted from the Saturday Evening Post in Henry, Greenberg Publisher Inc., 1935.

Translated in Dutch as Rikske.






Arnot, J.P.
Fables In Pantomime

Publisher : San Francisco Chronicle, 1913.


Backer, Henk.
Adolphus: 1940

Publisher : Stripstift, 2008.

Page


Baker, George.
The Sad Sack

Publisher : Yank, 1942-1945; Bell Syndicate 1946-195?

Comment : The eternally-put upon Army private. Reprinted in The Sad Sack, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1944.



Basset, Brian.
[strip on dogs in convertible cars]

Publisher : Red and Rover, Washington Post Writers Group, August 6, 2000.


Bateman, Henry Mayo.
[wordless strips]

Publisher : Punch, 1915-?

Comment : One of his most famous strips is The Boy Who Breathed on the Glass at The British Museum, Punch, October 4, 1916, now in the British Museum. Reprinted in Punch 150th Anniversary Exhibition catalogue, 1991.

: See http://www.hmbateman.com/index.htm.

The Man Who Drew the 20th Century : the Drawings of H.M. Bateman

Publisher : London, Macdonald & Co., 1969.

Comment : 178 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm. Introduction by Michael Bateman

The Boy Who Breathed on the Glass at The British Museum

Publisher : London, Henry Pordes, 1976.

Comment : Reprinted from Punch 1916


Bechdel, Alison.
Real World Dykes to Watch Out For #374

Publisher : Oct. 3, 2001.

Comment : Silent strip, showing the World Trade Center attack on a television set, and reactions to it, including hugging, anger, violence toward Arab Americans, American flags, the peace symbol, meditation and demonstration, unplugging the television coverage, and contemplating George W. Bush.

-- Randy Scott, Michigan State University Comic Art Collection


Borkovic, Toso.
Toso.

Comment : Yugoslav daily strip.



Born, Bob van den.
Professor Pi volumes 1-4

Publisher : Amsterdam: Stripantikwariaat Lambiek presenteert, 1978.

Comment : ...a surreal Dutch strip that one of the Amsterdam comic shops used to publish in collections.

Recommended. -- Steve Whitaker

The newspaper strip started in 1955. An example: First panel: Pi (little bald man with glasses and whiskers, not unlike Tournesol in Tintin) is babysitting, he reads a book and rocks a babybed with one hand. Second panel: Pi looks bemused as the baby leans over the side and throws up.

-- Andy Konky Kru

 Page
Professor Pi Geniaal!

Publisher : Stripstift 2008.

Comment : .


Brady, Pat.
Rose is Rose

Publisher : United Feature Syndicate, October 1, 2000.


Caran d'Ache (Emmanuel Poire).
Histoires sans parole

Publisher : in Le Chat Noir, 1886-?

Comment : Caran d'Ache is the greatest master of the art of telling a story in pictures, without words.... He combined the perfection of the droll story with superb draftmanship, and an astounding observation and knowledge of humanity. For me he defies criticism--I simply admire. -- H.M. Bateman

...master of the silent comic. - - Paul Gravett
Maestro

Publisher : Musee de la Bande Dessines, 2001



Cartier, Eric.
[untitled strip of drilling for oil to fill Stakhano trucks]

Publisher : Stakhano Newsletter #9, October 15, 1996.


Cartier, Eric and Joan.
[introducing Stakhano]

Publisher : Stakhano Newsletter #7, January 24, 1996.


Cho, Frank.
Liberty Meadows

Publisher : Creators Syndicate, November 5, 2000.


Crane, Jordan.
A Sweet Nothing

Publisher : Pulse!, February 2000, p. 72.


Davis, Jim.
Garfield

Publisher : Universal Press Syndicate, September 3, 2000
Garfield

Publisher : Universal Press Syndicate, September 10, 2000
Garfield

Publisher : Universal Press Syndicate, January 28, 2001.



Deix, André
Professor Nimbus

Publisher : 1930s.


Dickenson, Steve and Todd Clark.
[Old ladies on a park bench lifted by City Parks workers]

Publisher : Lola, Tribune Media Services, May 28, 2000.


Dobric, Milorad
Ljuba Truba.

Publisher :

Comment : Yugoslav daily strip.


Doty, Roy.
Wordless Workshop

Publisher : Popular Science Magazine, 197?-?

Comment : Handyman strip which demonstrates simple projects for the home. Compilations include Wordless Workshop, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987 and The Wordless Workshop, Reader's Digest, 1996.


Dunkel, Courtney.
Hannah

Publisher : Mclure Syndicate, 1944-1947.


Emerson, Hunt.
Citymouth

Publisher : 1990s.

Comment : An odd idea for a cartoon character that probably came from a doodle, Citymouth developed into a series of comic strips without words which has been published in many countries, notably Britain ('Talking Turkey,' Galaxy Publications), France ('Psikopat,' Editions du Zebu) and Finland ('Myrkky,' Semic). -- Hunt Emerson

(http://www.largecow.demon.co.uk/boucheville/index.html).



Engel, Jim.
[Pals?]

Publisher : The Comics Reader.


Fago, Vincent.
?

Publisher :

Comment : Fago once wrote me and told me of a silent strip he was doing. Fago: terrific strip and comic book artist. Seemed like it had a bit of new age feel if I remember correctly.

-- Craig Yoe


Frost, A.B.
Gentleman tires of raking the garden, enlists helper

Publisher : Harper's Bazaar, October 1884.

Comment : Online at http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/~ronan/Platinum/raking.jpg
A Tale of Two Tails in The Bull Calf

Publisher : 1893.

Comment : Frost did MANY wordless strips.

-- Craig Yoe. Online at http://www.cnbdi.fr/coconinoworld/coconino6.html


Gardner, Jim.
At Sea

Publisher : Graphic Story Magazine #8, 1968.



Gayo, James.
Kingo.

Comment : Tanzanian comic strip. An example can be seen in Packalén's International Journal of Comic Art article.



Get (Orla Getterman)
?

Publisher : Televiews, 1959?-?



Giles, Carl Ronald.
Young Ernie

Publisher : in Reynolds' News, 1940-1943.



Giovannetti, P.L.
Max

Publisher : New York: Macmillan, 1954

Max Presents

Publisher : New York: Macmillan, 1956.

Nothing but Max

Publisher : New York: Macmillan, 1959.

Comment : Gag strips from Punch starring a humanized woodchuck.
Birds without Words

Publisher : New York: Macmillan, 1961.
The Penguin Max

Publisher : London: Penguin, 1962


Gross, Milton.
Judge Magazine strips.

Publisher :

Comment : Milton Gross did tons of silent strips inside various magazines. He regularly did a five-panel silent strip in the pages of the weekly (20th century) Judge Magazine, in which a sixth panel was left blank for readers to submit a final panel/end to each strip, in an ongoing contest (the winners and several runners up would have their panels printed near the new strip, along with a smaller sized reprinting of the strip they were finishing).

Comment : -- Doug Wheeler
I Won't Say A Word About - William Faulkner's Novel 'The Wild Palms'

Publisher : KEN, April 6, 1939: 61.

Comment : Comic strip book review,

online at http://cccw.adh.bton.ac.uk/schoolofdesign/MA.COURSE/LComics03.html



Hanan, Harry.
Louie,

Publisher : Press Features / NY News, 1945-1976.

Comment : British strip started in 1945, migrated to US in 1947. Had several syndicates.



Several Authors
Histoires sans paroles du Chat Noir,

Publisher : Angoulême, France: Musée de la bande dessinée, 1998.

Comment : Contents:

Bertrand et Raton, ou le deuxième larron (Marcel Capy - #487, 16.05.1891);

Une idylle au champs (Lucien Pissarro - #385, 01.06.1889)

Un procédé vraiment ingénieux pour capturer l autruche (Gustave Verbeck - #600, 22.07.1893)

Le portrait (Gustave Verbeck - #616, 11.11.1893)

Voilà comme nous étions en 1808! (H. de Sta - #525, 06.02.1892)

Chaud's les marrons!! (Uzès - #205, 12.12.1885)

Les patineurs (Uzès - #252, 06.11.1886)

Dilemme (Uzès - #220, 27.03.1886)

... La Dame blanche vous regarde... (Caran d'Ache - #201, 14.11.1885)

Des goûts et des couleurs (Caran d'Ache - #233, 26.06.1886)

La brave petite vivandière (V.A. Poirson - #434, 10.05.1890)

Divertissement d'été (V.A. Poirson - #456, 11.10.1890)

Le mauvais accueil puni (V.A. Poirson - #448, 16.08.1890)

Cas foudroyant (Godefroy - #392, 20.07.1889)

Les suites de propos aigres-doux (Godefroy - #304, 05.11.1887)

Le Major Von Giffle (Godefroy - #299, 01.10.1887)

Le cour révélateur (Godefroy - #282, 04.06.1887)

Les bienfaits de la musique (Godefroy - #377, 06.04.1889)

La guérite (Fernand Fau - #248, 09.10.1886)

Un bon tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras (Fernand Fau - #370, 16.02.1889)

Air de guitare (Fernand Fau - #266, 12.02.1887)

Maigre recette (Fernand Fau - #261, 08.01.1887)

La mort du Juste (Fernand Fau - #419, 25.01.1890)

Courez pas sur la glace! (Döes - #380, 27.04.1889)

Les précautions de M. Fouthmann de Berlin (Döes - #308, 03.12.1887)

Publisher se créent les nouvelles modes (Döes - #424, 01.03.1890)

Terme d'avril (Döes - #430, 12.04.1890)

Le placement d'une belle-mère (Döes - #358, 24.11.1888)

Trop belle! (Döes - #334, 09.06.1888)

La danse du ventre (Döes - #421, 08.02.1890)

L'amour plus fort que la mort (Döes - #459, 01.11.1890)

14, avenue Marigny (Döes - #328, 21.04.1888)

Le chat et la grenouille (Steinlen - #141, 20.09.1884)

Horrible fin d'un poisson rouge (Steinlen - #121, 03.05.1884)

Idylle (Steinlen - #164, 28.02.1885)

sans titre (Steinlen)

Ce que il advint d'une petite fille (Steinlen - #161, 07.02.1885)

Horrible fin de Bazouge ou les suites funestes de l'intempérance (Steinlen - #170, 11.04.1885)

Le roman d'un peintre (Steinlen - #139, 06.09.1884)

La pipe (Steinlen - #200, 07.11.1885)

La recherche de la paternité (Steinlen - #449, 23.08.1890)

Deux pages d'amour (Willette - #158, 17.01.1885)

C'est un conte blanc, C'est un conte noir (Willette - #150, 22.11.1884)

Le roman de la rose (Willette - #69, 05.05.1883)

Pierrot chez le Bon Dieu (Willette - #51, 30.12.1882)

--Michel Kempeneers



Henderson, Sam.
Scene but not Heard,

Publisher : Nickelodeon Magazine, 1990s.


Jacobsson, Oscar, Henry Thol and Jeff Hayes.
Adamson's Adventures,

Publisher : Consolidated News, 1922-1953.

Comment : Swedish strip with three consecutive writer/artists.



Johnson, Crockett.
The Little Man with the Eyes,

Publisher : Colliers Magazine, 1940,1943.

Comment : Although the strip never had an official name, it became known as 'The Little Man with the Eyes' for its main character, a little man whose eyes communicate his thoughts to the reader and to others in the comic. I've seen about 95% of these strips and, in all of them, the little man speaks only with his eyes and not in words. Also, the 'joke' can be subtle; you may need to look closely. 'The Little Man with the Eyes' ran in Collier's from March 1940 to January 1943. -- Phil Nel in Crockett Johnson's Early Work

(http://www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/purple/early.html#little_man)



Johnston, Lynn.
For Better or For Worse

Publisher : United Features Syndicate, August 6, 2000; September 17, 2000; October 22, 2000; January 7, 2001, May 27, 2001, July 1, 2001.

Comment : A strip that usually is not silent.


Kaz.
[Beggers.]

Publisher : Underworld, published in Washington City Paper.



[Boy walking dog on moon.]

Publisher : Underworld, published in Washington City Paper, October 27, 2000.

Bloody Buddies

Publisher : Underworld, published in Washington City Paper June 22, 2000.


Keane, Bil.
Family Circus,

Publisher : King Features Syndicate, September 3, 2000,July 1, 2001, October 21, 2001.

Comment : A strip that usually is not silent.



King, Frank.
The Phoney Nickel

Publisher : bottom strip of Gasoline Alley, 1930s?

Comment : Frequently, but not always wordless. See examples in Drawn & Quarterly, 3:1.


Kirchner, Paul
The Bus

Publisher : Heavy Metal and alternative newspapers

Comment : Reprinted in The Bus, New York: Ballantine, 1987.


Kirkman and Scott.
Baby Blues,

Publisher : King Features Syndicate, June 30, 2000; May 20, 2001.

Comment : Single wordless strip with pictures in thought balloons.


Liss, Norm (w) and Bernard Achiron (a).
Busy Bea

Publisher : Enterprise Features, 1951-1952.


McBride, Clifford (w/a); Margot McBride (w) and Roger Armstrong (a).
Napoleon

Publisher : 1932-1960.

Comment : Two consecutive creators. Occasionally had word balloons. Continuation of earlier Clifford McBride variously-titled strip begun in 1925.

Collected in Clifford McBride's Immortal Napoleon and Uncle Elby, Castle Press, 1932;

Napoleon, Hyperion Press, 1977;

Napoleon and Uncle Elby, Robert A. McBride, 1945;

Napoleon and Uncle Elby, Saalfield, 1938.



McDonnell, Patrick
[Mooch the cat carves a table]

Publisher : Mutts, King Features Syndicate, September 11, 2000.



McDougall, Walt and Mark Fenderson.
[various panels]

Publisher : New York World, 1894-?

Comment : Walt McDougall did various other page panels during the year 1893 but it was 28 Jan 1894 when the first sequence of comic pictures in a newspaper appeared in PANELS in the same format as our comic strips to ay. It was a full page cut up into 9 panels, and PANTOMINE, NO WORDS. Most people think that PANTOMINE or WORDLESS comics are a modern invention, but, the fact is the very first strip of panels or sequence of pictures in panels was pantomine or wordless only words were the title. This page was drawn by Mark Fenderson.

The second page to appear in PANELS was an 8 panel strip, also without words except for the title. This was a collaboration job byWalt McDougall and Mark Fenderson. From then on many full page color pages of strips appeared by Walt McDougall. Also MANY pages by Mark Fenderson. It was Walt McDougall and Mark Fenderson who were the first cartoonists to draw for the Sunday newspaper comic section.

-- Bob Beerbohm quoting letters by Ernie McGee to Joe Campbell in the early 1960s


Miki, Tori (aka Mickey Bird).
Anywhere But Here

Publisher : vol 1-2, 199?

Comment : ...a 9 panel wordless strip collection in 2 vols by the Japanese artist Tori Miki. It's filled with subtleties and unique Japanese cultural references. I don't think it crosses culture so well but it's fun and non Japanese could 'get' most of it. Still, his texted (sic) comics are even more puzzling because most of the keys for the narrative are hidden in the text which you can't read and so you're unable to create the narrative.

-- David Wybenga

It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is engrossing, and funny in quiet, subtle, and sometimes very black ways. It follows a man who daydreams a lot, somewhat like an adult Calvin, and there are a lot of surreal and graphic design-y visual puns based on form, perspective, and chiaruscoro. It actually took me a little while to catch on that the surreal bits were supposed to be daydreams. As was mentioned with the European books, I can't always tell how much of my enjoyment of manga is due to cultural fascination (and frankly, they're all wordless to me ;-) but I liked this a lot...

-- Glenn Carnegy



Mikkelsen, Henning Dahl (Mik), Al Plastino, and Henrik Rehr.
Ferdinand

Publisher : United Feature Syndicate, 1937-present.

Comment : Strip with three consecutive writer/artists. Strip started in Holland in 1937, appeared in USA in 1947. Collected in Mikkelsen, Henning Mik, Adventures of Ferdinand, Graphic Books, 1955.





Miles, John.
Perkins

Publisher : Register and Tribune Syndicate, 1968-1980.


Mogenson, Jorgen (w) and Cosper Cornelius.
Moco

Publisher : Times-Mirror Syndicate, 1959-1961.

Comment : Danish strip.


Peirce, Lincoln.
[Kissing in the dark strip]

Publisher : Big Nate, NEA Inc., September 24, 2000.



Phillips, Irving.
The Strange World of Mr. Mum

Publisher : Publishers Syndicate, 1958-1974.

Comment : Reprinted in The Strange World of Mr. Mum, Henry Holt, 1959, The Best of Mr. Mum, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1965, with an introduction by Herblock and No Publisher by Mr. Mum, New York : Popular Library, 1971.



Pusey, J. Carver.
Benny

Publisher : 1929-194?

Comment : As I recall, it was almost totally silent, though I once had a WWII era daily where another character did Publisher on Benny not speaking. It was a strip which dealt with the 'Loose lips sink ships' theme of WWII. It did run until at least 1946, as I have one original from that date. It was being syndicated by a Philadelphia paper at that point.

-- Rob Stolzer


Qwak, Arthur.
[writer's block]

Publisher : Stakhano Newsletter #7, January 24, 1996.


Remuzat.
Grosso Modo

Publisher : Stakhano Newsletter #11, May 6, 1997.


Rouson, John Henry.
Little Sport

Publisher : 1949-1976.

Comment : This was a 'tiny' strip, and its size about the size of Peanuts in the early days was supposed to be one of its selling points. -- R.C. Harvey
Boy and Girl

Publisher : London Sunday Dispatch / General Features, 1955-1974.


Schulz, Charles.
Classic Peanuts

Publisher : United Features Syndicate, September 14, 2000 [ reprinted from 1988]; October 29, 2000

Comment : [reprinted from 1974].


Sellers, Paul.
Lancelittle

Publisher : Hall Syndicate, 1964-1965.


Shirvanian, Vahan.
No Publisher

Publisher : King Features Syndicate, 1979-1981.


Soglow, Otto.
The Ambassador

Publisher : King Features Syndicate, 1933-1934.
The Little King

Publisher : King Features Syndicate, 1934-1975.

Comment : Continued in syndication from New Yorker cartoons. Reprinted in The Little King, New York: Farrar and Rinehardt, 1933.


Taliaferro, Al.
Donald Duck

Publisher : 1936-1940?

Comment : These were frequently wordless and have been reprinted in the 1990s by Gladstone Comics in Donald Duck #280-307, reprinting 1936-1940 strips; Uncle Scrooge #309-316, reprinting 1940; and Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #623-631, reprinting 1940.


Telnaes, Ann.
Fairy godmother at the grocery store

Publisher : Six Chix, King Features Syndicate, July 16, 2000.

Comment : Not usually silent.


Tonra, Mark.
Top of the World

Publisher : United Media, 1998-present.

./Pictures/Tonra_Top_Page.jpg Comment : His Sunday strips are frequently wordless.

See http://www.comics.com/comics/topofworld/ab.html


Walt Disney Productions
Mickey Mouse And His Friends

Publisher : King Features Syndicate, 1958-1962.

Comment : Produced by several writers and artists and aimed at an international audience.


White, Brian.
Nipper

Publisher : 1930s-1940s.

Comment : Nothing spectacularly original, but amusing enough British strip published during the 1930s in the Daily Mail. 'Nipper' is a little boy, inspired by the artist's son John White. There is a 1995 reprint of a Nipper Annual 1940 (ISBN 0900804 31 9).

-- Andy Konky Kru


Wieringen, Wim van.
Simpelman

Publisher : Het Parool, 1962-1968.

Comment : Wim van Wieringen, whose full name was Wim de Mooij van Wieringen, started his career at the famous Dutch Marten Toonder Studios. For Tom Poes Weekblad, the magazine published by the studio, he created 'Simpelman' (1947), which later appeared in newspaper Het Parool from 1962 to 1968. The strip also appeared in international newspapers, such as France-Soir in France. He also worked for radical leftist magazine 'De Vlam'. Later, Van Wieringen was employed at the magazine De Groene Amsterdammer. His final work, an illustrated booklet of his poems, appeared in 1995. On July 3rd, 1999, Wim van Wieringen passed away at the age of 83..

-- Lambiek.Net

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Willem.
Anal Symphonies

Publisher : Editions Cornelius, 1996.

Comment : Scatalogical silent cartoons.
Poignees D'Amour

Publisher : Editions Cornelius, 1995.


Wright, Doug.
Little Nipper / Doug Wright's Family

Publisher : syndicated Canadian strip, 1948-1970?


Wyrauch, Howard.
The Little General in The Army Times

Publisher : Washington DC: Army Times, 1948?

Comment : Military cartoons about an ineffectual and incompetent general, much like Mort Walker's work. Compiled in The Little General.



Young, Chic.
Colonel Potterby and the Duchess

Publisher : 1934-1963.

Comment : And I seem to remember, but now I'm really reaching, that the characters in the Blondie topper Colonel Potterby and the Duchess never spoke. -- Rick Norwood


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