Barney Google — The Washington Times, November 21, 1920

Billy DeBeck's Barney Google debuted in 1919 and quickly became one of the most popular strips in American newspapers. This full Sunday page, syndicated by King Features, follows the derby-hatted Barney as he flees New York's crowds for small-town life — only to find rural America equally chaotic. Twelve panels track his encounters with locals, a newsboy, a biplane landing nearby, and his opportunistic scheme to hitch a ride back to the city. DeBeck's line work is loose and kinetic: figures lean and lurch, speech balloons cluster naturally into conversation, and panel borders guide the eye with confident economy. Sunday pages like this one — printed in sections, distributed nationally — were the direct ancestors of the comic book format, establishing the recurring character, sequential visual storytelling, and commercial syndication model that defined American popular graphic art for the century ahead.