Judge, 1904-07-23 · page 5 of 16
Judge — July 23, 1904 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This six-panel comic satirizes the absurdity of European (specifically French) dueling culture when confronted with American practicality and irreverence. **The setup:** A working-class American ("Nervy Nat") insults a Frenchman over a woman. The offended Frenchman's friend challenges Nat to a formal duel, expecting swords. Nat instead proposes cream puffs as weapons—a ridiculous substitution the French accept. **The satire:** The joke mocks both French honor-culture (taking insults so seriously) and their inability to recognize American humor and mockery. Nat's casual dismissal of dueling as medieval ("relic of the middle ages") represents the modern American viewpoint. The Frenchman, depicted with exaggerated accent and mannerisms, is portrayed as both pompous and gullible, outmaneuvered by Nat's working-class wit. By the final panel, Nat has thrown actual cream puffs, and the Frenchman also employs *savate* (French kickboxing), turning the "duel" into pure slapstick chaos—suggesting American common sense defeats European pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a “AUT y 14 L Nervy Nar—" By Jove! she’s a pippin. And, if I'm a judge, she’s rather taken with my extremely classic features. Gee! and look what she got out of the grab-bag—a measly little frog-muncher!”* Monsieur’s rrieno—'' Messieurs, | am ze Baron de Skumpay. | have ze plaisir to represent ze gentleman who was insult, What weapons will monsieur choose, if you please?” Nervy Nat—" This is my friend, the Viscount of Third Avenue—he will be my second. I name cream-puffs at ten feet distance, and the meet- ing-place the open lot over yonder. Mosicur’s rrieno—'*As monsieur wishes. Ze puffs a la creme | know not of, but if monsieur will provide them we will be of an obligedness."” Nervy Nat—"'This method is much quicker than using rapiers, isn’t it? and not likely to be any more fatal."" Monsieur—"'Sacre, stop! It is that | am suffocate! My honaire it {s satisfied—I have plenty satisfaction!" NO. 34.—NERVY NAT CHALLENGED TO A DUEL. 2, Moxsieur—" Ventre de St. Gris! you have insult ze lady, you large pig! You have wink ze face and make ze eyes of goo at my frien’. it mus’ be wiped out by blood. My frien’ will call upon you to arrange ze meeting. You shall die any way you like.” Negvy Nar—"‘As you will, my infinitesimal Gallic potato-bug!”” Monsieur—"' Ah, zey arrive! Ze scoundrel in ze opera-hat shall bite ze grass! | am not acquaint wiz ze puffs a la creme. | suppose zey explode.”* Nervy Nat—"' James, you see that little grasshopper? In five min- utes I'll make him look like a custard pie—mark me! | was pitcher for our nine.” 6. Monsieur—"*Ze puffs a la creme are pretty good, but how do you like ze ‘savate Nervy Nat—"* Ouch! What in purple blazes was that? I'm going to see the authorities about this wretched dueling. It's a relic of the mid~ dle ages, and has no place in this land of freedom." comicbooks.com