The Smithsonian Collection (4 Points)

 The Smithsonian collection provides a comprehensive snapshot into the history of comic strips from their introduction to newspapers across the country and going forward. It shows just how much things have changed and how much they have stayed the same within this specific niche of the comics industry. 


The specific strip from this collection I would like to focus on is “Wash Tubs”. The strip tells the story of two young men who are drugged and then swindled into working on an old fashioned whaling vessel by an evil and crafty first mate. The strip is heavily story driven for a story that was originally cut into multiple parts in the paper. At times it is hard to tell exactly when it splits from one strip to the next, since most choose to leave on a tense cliffhanger. Reading in this collected format however, the reader Immediately gets the payoff.

An aspect that i really enjoyed about this strip was its attention to detail in the sailor’s day to day lives at sea as well as the whaling process. On top of the tension felt between our unfortunate protagonists and the first mate Sluggs, we get to learn a bit about the old fashioned whaling industry. We see the dangerous, barbaric, and gross process rendered out in front of us on top of Sluggs’ abuse and feel for their struggles.

The narrative also takes quite a few twists and turns but isn’t too dramatic or emotionally intense like comics written specifically for the graphic novel format. In other works, it works well as an easy but captivating read for the paper.  

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