Life — November 6, 1931 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Sinbad: "What's th' Matter Now?" This comic strip shows a boy (Sinbad) and his dog repeatedly getting into mischief with other children and dogs. The sequential panels depict escalating chaos—chasing, tumbling, fighting, and general roughhousing in what appears to be a neighborhood or street setting. The satire targets childhood behavior and parental exasperation. The phrase "What's th' Matter Now?" suggests an adult (likely a parent) repeatedly asking why the children keep causing trouble. The humor comes from the relentless, cyclical nature of children's play-fighting and the inevitable messy consequences—mud, torn clothes, and general disorder. This reflects early 20th-century attitudes about boyish mischief as both inevitable and somewhat amusing, though frustrating to adults managing households.