Life — August 12, 1926 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is titled "The Comic Strip Laboratory at the School of Journalism" and appears to be a humorous guide to comic strip techniques and conventions. Rather than political satire, it's instructional satire aimed at aspiring cartoonists. The page demonstrates various comic strip elements: "Today's Words" (onomatopoeia like "POW" and "BAM"), "Today's Noses" (character design variations), "Today's Bending" (action poses), and "Trouser Patterns" (clothing design shortcuts). Text annotations include jokes about comic strip clichés: "Very effective," "Funny," "This is funny," "Most amusing effect," and "Kinda silly." Characters demonstrate exaggerated gymnastics, slapstick violence, and standardized poses. The satire mocks how mass-produced comics rely on repetitive formulas, stock expressions, and visual shortcuts rather than originality—critiquing commercial comic strip production's mechanical, formulaic nature.