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Outbursts of Everett True
A.D. Condo

The Outbursts of Everett True (ca. 1906-7, by A.D. Condo and J.W. Raper) may be the comic that most succinctly captures my subconscious thoughts in a bottle.

The setup of the strip is extremely simple, in that wonderful turn-of-the-(last)-century way. In the first panel, Everett is subjected to one of the many common annoyances, indignations, and outrages that are foisted upon each of us daily.

In the second, he beats someone up.

And the rest just writes itself, folks! That's a mark of genius, as far as I'm concerned: find a great concept and work it ad infinitum, into myriad variations on a theme. The fun is in the extraordinary variety of both offenses and ways to punish them.

However, Everett is no sociopath. He's not just running around taking umbrage at petty offenders and then sockin' 'em in the puss. Through the course of the series, he exhibits a very strong ethos that runs through his actions. He stands for decorum and sturdy bedrock values, but he's no reactionary. He's as likely to thrash a cop or a preacher as a blowhard or braggart. And woe betide the man whom Everett True catches mistreating animals or ogling ladies' ankles on a windy day! As well, he's got strong feelings for a variety of arcane subjects, some of which have grown even more obscure through the passage of time. Roosevelt's spelling? Race suicide?

In short, he's a lot like me, right down to the wife at home ready to call him on his foibles with the same vociferousness that he unleashes on his fellow in the street. But he's a good guy, you'll find yourself appreciating his movement to action, even if his manner of resolution is a ways on the extreme side.

And the craftsmanship!

This cartoon is the model of comic draftsmanship. There's a tremendous, palpable feeling of weight in these comics. It's important that it has this weight, which really drives the violence home in a tangible way. Outbursts of Everett True prompts a very visceral, cathartic feeling for me. The comic's impact surpasses the wry head-shaker that you pin up on your office wall, a'la "They'll Do It Every Time", it provokes a sly grin and a chortle of delicious schadenfreude.

Well, it does for me, anyway. And I bet it will to you, as well. Of course, you and I are reasonable, rational people who would never dream of inflicting bodily harm on our fellow human beings.

Well, maybe we'd dream about it. Enjoy the strip.