Life — July 31, 1924 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a six-panel comic strip titled "Skippy" depicting a child's mischievous encounter with a violent thunderstorm. The narrative follows a predictable trajectory: Skippy steals an apple from a store, his friend warns him about the lightning outside, Skippy dismisses the danger, then a crash of thunder frightens both boys. The comic plays on the moral lesson that wrongdoing invites punishment—here, divine retribution via the storm itself. The humor derives from the exaggeration and the child's fatalistic acceptance: "it'd be just my luck to get struck dead, then find there was a worm in the dark thing!" The final panel shows Skippy running home in daylight, his friend noting the irony that such a small creature causes such dramatic consequences. The strip reinforces period-appropriate moral instruction through slapstick comedy and providential consequences.