The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck

Originally published in 1849 by Wilson and Company, The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck holds the distinction of being the first comic book published in the United States. This single-issue work adapts Rodolphe Töpffer’s earlier European picture stories, with English-language illustrations by Isaac Robert Cruikshank. Its pioneering use of sequential panels and word balloons marks a foundational moment in the history of American comics.