Oh! Margy!

John Held, Jr.'s *Oh! Margy!* exemplifies the visual wit of 1920s newspaper comics. The strip's sequential panels—a formal invention still developing in this era—propel a three-beat gag: a girl approves of her boyfriend's new turtleneck sweater, admires his English drinking suit, then discovers the suit was soaked through. Held's economy of line and exaggerated proportions typify the style that made comic strips central to daily papers. Recurring characters and recurring gags anchored reader loyalty, establishing patterns that would structure comic books when they emerged in the 1930s. The Sunday page format allowed artists room for both visual storytelling and comedic timing impossible in static illustration.