Judge, 1906-12-15 · page 16 of 16
Judge — December 15, 1906 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip satirizing military incompetence and bureaucratic absurdity, likely from the early 20th century. "Nervy Nat" appears to be a clever civilian who outwits military officers through audacious schemes. The narrative follows Nat's plan to kidnap or transport a high-ranking military official (possibly a mayor or general) by disguising himself as a soldier and exploiting military confusion. The satire targets: officers who are easily fooled by uniforms, the rigid hierarchy of military transport ("third-class carriage"), and soldiers' lack of awareness. The recurring joke is that Nat repeatedly succeeds through sheer nerve and quick thinking while authority figures remain oblivious. References to "Hungarian goulash," "Versailles," and the officer's obsession with "counting money" suggest wartime profiteering and bureaucratic corruption. The humor relies on readers finding military pomposity ridiculous and celebrating the clever everyman outsmarting officials.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
You know I look the martial boy. all rig jut through that will make all these c jer why they never thought of it Im 0 bulldoze. Ah, I think I see a brace of « 5, Nexvy Nat—"'Take him to a third-class carriage, and. mind you, if 6, Nenvy Nat—"*Here's where | light out before any con:rlications set he attempts to escape, make a Hungarian goulash out of him. I'll come in. I get so peevish when I'm questioned. Can't you just see the comic to you when we reach the city. Now, I don't want to be disturbed. 1 get opera that will take place when those soldier Johnnies find the mayor on absolutely uncontrollable if I'm disturbed while counting money.” their hands! Oh, la, la! If Caduc could only see me now!"” NERVY NAT’S BRILLIANT COUP. comicbooks.com