Here we have a classic comic strip premise–the ne’er-do-well grifter–with a terrific gimmick: he’s a hypnotist! But while Professor Hypnotiser‘s powers are infallible, the results are never what he expects or wants. (Note that the strips from 1908 are reprints; the feature ran only through 1905.)
Gabe is an ably crafted strip about a clever and mischievous boy. Gee, I’ll bet you’ve never heard that setup for a comic strip before! Gabe is a little bit different, though, in that he’s as often the butt of the mischief as he is the perpetrator; beset upon by two other boys, but managing to turn their depredations back upon them. In this, he’s got a bit of that Tom and Jerry quasi-underdog feel, where he’s kind of the victim, but is shown to be just as capable of cruelty as his tormentors…
It’s a very cute and well-rendered strip. About fish. Living their little Fish Stories.
Lazyest Gallery cannot access Fish Stories/
It’s a very cute and well-rendered strip. About bugs. Living in Bugville. Not to be confused with the feature by Gus Dirks from 1901, or the ones by Morton Thayer or Percy Crosby, either. Bugs were more popular than one would realize, I guess…
Y’know, I like this strip a lot. It’s a funny, well-drawn feature with characters that I personally find utterly charming and unique in comicdom. The Dippy Dudes are Robby and Reggie, Victorianesque swells who must have seemed anachronistic even in 1905 when they appeared in the papers. Their affected lisp (the strip was initially called “Wobby and Weggy”) and effete “sissy” mannerisms read as overtly homosexual to modern eyes, and I have a hunch that they did at the time as well, since later strips introduce a recurring, fruitless interest in vying for the attentions of “Mith Dolly”. Whether they’re a burlesque of gay stereotypes or simply preening and pretentious poseurs, they have some funny little misadventures, and deserve a little exposure.
