Bringing Up Father — 29 October 1925

George McManus's Bringing Up Father follows Jiggs, the Irish-American social climber perpetually at war with his own pretensions. In this four-panel daily he preens before a mirror, dons a hairpiece, struts down the avenue congratulating himself on his handsome appearance — then a passing sprinkler drenches his 'fine hat.' The final panel finds him soaking, ruefully reconsidering the wig. McManus's line is confident and loose, his figures rubbery and expressive, the gag mechanics precise. Launched in 1913, the strip ran for decades and was syndicated worldwide. Its speech balloons, recurring cast, and panel-to-panel continuity represent the daily newspaper comic at full maturity — the direct formal ancestor of the comic book page.