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William F. Marriner’s House of Mirth has everything one would wish from a first-generation comic strip: it’s well-rendered, anarchic, clever, and funny. The anarchic aspect is particularly pronounced in this strip about a group of children who set up the House of Mirth, a vaudeville-styled lean-to shed where the tables are turned, and the audience is actually the entertainment for the proprietors. This entertainment invariably takes the form of physical abuse. The kids have all sorts of contraptions rigged up to inflict pain on those foolish enough to pay for a show; a particularly wonderful Sunday found the boys releasing a dog on a cop!

Sadly, fairly early on in the strips’s run it switched gears to showing the kids getting their comeuppance more often than not. By me, the strip was more fun when the kids were unrepentant torturers. I suppose that says something about me. Hmm…

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Here we have another slice-of-life comic feature, this time focusing on Embarrassing Moments. The little things in life that leave you flustered and discouraged are wonderful comic fodder, and Kettner’s take on them is fun and funny.

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Here’s another title that inexplicably died way too young: There’s a Difference. Nicely drawn with a central gag that could have easily sustained itself for many, many outings. Instead, we get three – enjoy! From the gentleman who gave us the the wonderful A Trip to Mars, W. Clyde Spencer.

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Here’s a panel belonging to a category that would prove to be archetypal throughout the history of comic strips: the aggravating slice of everyday life. I love these strips, ‘cos they give such a wonderful insight into the social milieu in which they were conceived. While many of these kinds of strips have gags which seem universally applicable through time–hassles with the boss and kids and cars and etc.– “Little Irritations of Life” features a string of problems which are all wonderfully outdated, like the boy who uses a straight razor to shave his father’s hat, the shirt collar that’s the wrong size for the shirt, or the sock garter which has come undone and dangles from your pant leg. Even if these strips don’t produce the knowing chuckle and wry nod of understanding that they were intended to provoke, they’re still good lookin’ and fun.