The Cartoon History of the Universe

Larry Gonick’s ambitious, self-drawn series for Rip Off Press, The Cartoon History of the Universe (1978–1992), reimagines world history as a sprawling, witty comic strip. Spanning nine issues, Gonick serves as both writer and artist, distilling everything from the Big Bang to the Renaissance into accessible, irreverent panels. It’s a pioneering work of educational comics, proving that complex historical narratives could be both accurate and wildly entertaining.