Rip Van Winkle

Stepping straight out of American folklore and into the pages of the Platinum Age, Rip Van Winkle made his comics debut in the pages of Judge way back in 1901, brought to life by the pen of illustrator Hy Mayer. This legendary sleepyhead — one of literature's most recognizable dreamers — found a natural home in the satirical world of early American comic illustration, sharing pages with none other than Uncle Sam himself. What's remarkable is the sheer span of his comics life: from those earliest Platinum Age appearances through to Tales Designed to Thrizzle a full century later, Rip proves that some characters simply refuse to stay asleep.