Judge, 1903-12-26 · page 5 of 17
Judge — December 26, 1903 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a six-panel comic strip satirizing the popular early-20th-century fad of hypnotism and mesmerism. The protagonist, "Nervy Nat," attempts to hypnotize various animals using a book on hypnotic powers, commanding them to adopt false identities (a sparrow becomes a cop, a man becomes a ballet queen, a frog behaves like a frog, etc.). The satire targets two things: the pseudoscientific craze for hypnotism that captivated the public, and Nat's incompetence—his attempts repeatedly fail or produce absurd results. The humor lies in the gap between what Nat intends and what actually happens. By the final panel, even Nat acknowledges he's overlooked crucial information, suggesting the entire enterprise of amateur hypnotism is foolish. The strip mocks both the practice itself and those gullible enough to attempt it.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
qe lly 1 2 Nervy Nat—'This ts a find! 1 shall try the hypnotic power this "You're a blg gray squirrel. Shin up that tree and Book says we all have latent within us, My first attempt will be with yon make a noise like a nut, Oh,I don't know! This Is too easy.” approaching sparrow-cop.” Nervy Nar—'‘ Here's my next patient. You think you're a dignified Nervy Nat—"‘Ah, my next! You, my boy, are a nice green, shiny old Johnny—now, don't you? Well, you're not—really, You're the Mttle frog. That's the way—hop along! And if you're a real good little queen of the ballet. ‘The light fantastic, if you please,” froggy you may jump into the beautiful muddy lake. Hoop-la!" 'm a kitten all right!" ‘There must have been a chapter on dogs in that book 5. ‘Tue voo— Nervy Nat—'' Now, this will be a severe test. You're an Angora Nervy Nat— Kitten "— that I overlooked.’ NO. 4.-NERVY NAT TRIES HYPNOTISM: OR, THE POWER THAT FAILED. comicbooks.com