The Cartoon History of the Universe

A sprawling, ambitious work from Rip Off Press that began in 1980, The Cartoon History of the Universe is a single-issue comic that attempts to condense all of human history into a humorous, illustrated narrative. Created by Larry Gonick, it serves as the foundational entry in his acclaimed series of educational comics, blending rigorous research with witty cartooning to make history accessible and entertaining. Though only one issue in this initial run, it established the template for Gonick's later, more extensive volumes, marking the start of a beloved and influential approach to non-fiction comics.