Seen In: New York Papers at the end of the 19th Century Quote: "WELL HULLY GEE HERE'S TO YOU" Here he is: not only the first portrayal of Asians in comics, but the first comic strip character ever, at least as most people define the comic strip. It's kind of amazing that a nonwhite got this particular distinction, but that's comics for you. So progressive. Joking aside, The Yellow Kid never rose above a sight gag you've already picked up on: his shirt or sweater contained all his dialogue in each cartoon where he appeared, though its creator, Richard F. Outcault, introduced more traditional speech bubbles to the field too. Believe it or not, this feature was popular enough to trigger the first comics circulation war, as the New York Journal and New York World ran competing versions of the strip for about a year. The Kid is also tied to the development of the phrase "yellow journalism." His history is truly fascinating... But viewed through today's eyes, he accomplishes one more impossible-seeming feat: he makes Ebony White look downright appropriate by comparison. Who'd we miss? Let us know!
T Campbell has written quite a few online comics series and selected work for Marvel, Archie and Tokyopop. His longest-running works are Fans, Penny and Aggie-- and his current project with co-writer Phil Kahn, Guilded Age.
