Hero vs. Grandstander Among Dogs

By Albert Payson Terhune, this Sunday newspaper strip follows two dogs—the modest hero and the showy grandstander—through a riverside rescue. The narrative unfolds across multiple panels with sequential art showing the collie's brave action retrieving a drowning child, while the other dog demands attention. Terhune's strip exemplifies the visual storytelling conventions emerging in early 20th-century comics: bordered panels advancing the plot, speech balloons carrying dialogue, and recurring animal characters whose contrasting personalities drive the humor. The dense text block anchors an adventure narrative typical of Sunday supplements, blending illustration with prose-like exposition in the hybrid format that preceded modern comic books.