A complete, restored issue of Penny Dreadfuls from 1898 — all 36 pages of cheap serialized Victorian sensation fiction — crime, horror, and lurid melodrama, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

← Back to Penny Dreadfuls All exhibitions

Home › Exhibition › Penny Dreadfuls › Read

A complete issue · 36 pages · 1898

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains

1898 · Free to read

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 2 of 36 — 2 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 3 of 36 — 3 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 4 of 36 — 4 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 5 of 36 — 5 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 6 of 36 — 6 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 7 of 36 — 7 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 8 of 36 — 8 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 9 of 36 — 9 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 10 of 36 — 10 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 11 of 36 — 11 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 12 of 36 — 12 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 13 of 36 — 13 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 14 of 36 — 14 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 15 of 36 — 15 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 16 of 36 — 16 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 17 of 36 — 17 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 18 of 36 — 18 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 19 of 36 — 19 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 20 of 36 — 20 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 21 of 36 — 21 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 22 of 36 — 22 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 23 of 36 — 23 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 24 of 36 — 24 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 25 of 36 — 25 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 26 of 36 — 26 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 27 of 36 — 27 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 28 of 36 — 28 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 29 of 36 — 29 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 30 of 36 — 30 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 31 of 36 — 31 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 32 of 36 — 32 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 33 of 36 — 33 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 34 of 36 — 34 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 35 of 36 — 35 / 36

The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains — page 36 of 36 — 36 / 36

About this issue

This issue of Adventure Weekly (March 26, 1898) features "The Idol's Stratagem; or, Buddha's Yankee Brains," the opening installment by Douglas Wells of a military adventure serial set among American officers commanding troops in China. The narrative follows Captain Bruce, a lanky young officer, who awakens to find his face blackened with burnt cork powder by Lieutenant McCarthy as a prank. Ignorant of his altered appearance, Bruce proceeds to inspect his troops' quarters, bewildered by the laughter of his men and nearby Chinese soldiers. Upon discovering the deception via a mirror, Bruce seeks revenge, becoming convinced that fellow officers orchestrated the scheme. The issue contains additional departments including editorial comment, reader correspondence, and humorous content. The series emphasizes practical joke-driven comedy within a military adventure framework.

Browse this issue page by page

Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.