• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Sight Gags
1 1

3 posts in this topic

Interesting topic!  If this counts, it looks like sight gags might have been part of early comic books since the get-go, or at least our first comic book, which kicked off the Victorian Age.  The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck was originally published in French in 1828 by Swiss caricaturist Rodolphe Töpffer, and here is p27 of the first English edition published by Tilt & Bogues (London: 1841): 

image.thumb.jpeg.c6402668f8a2f571b00b704323fa8dc7.jpeg

In the first panel, the main action--as described in the short caption below it--relates to the discovery of the love letter, but there is something curious/humorous going on with the dog and rats in the background.  This book arguably was a "first" in various ways, and it's cool to see how certain aspects continued/evolved over the centuries now.  

Edited by Pantodude
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/29/2023 at 7:46 PM, Pantodude said:

Interesting topic!  If this counts, it looks like sight gags might have been part of early comic books since the get-go, or at least our first comic book, which kicked off the Victorian Age.  The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck was originally published in French in 1828 by Swiss caricaturist Rodolphe Töpffer, and here is p27 of the first English edition published by Tilt & Bogues (London: 1841): 

image.thumb.jpeg.c6402668f8a2f571b00b704323fa8dc7.jpeg

In the first panel, the main action--as described in the short caption below it--relates to the discovery of the love letter, but there is something curious/humorous going on with the dog and rats in the background.  This book arguably was a "first" in various ways, and it's cool to see how certain aspects continued/evolved over the centuries now.  

That is interesting. I could see this straddling a finer line of humour and grim reality - on the latter, of how bad things were at the time with rodents, in terms of their invasiveness, and the potential threat posted to food supply and spread of disease. On the former, his dog as some pied piper or trained "rat-catcher. It's got the "double-take" factor going for it, thanks for the share!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
1 1