Gasoline Alley

Frank King, Gasoline Alley Sunday

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I really tried to find the date for this strip, but couldn't find it anywhere. If anyone happens to know, feel free to comment.

Gasoline Alley is, I think, unique among comic strips in that all of its characters have aged over the years in real time over its entire run. It's had quite a long run, too. It began in 1918, and new strips are still produced to this day. It began with the main character, Walt Wallet, finding a baby on his doorstep, who is nicknamed "Skeezix." Walt, Skeezix, and most of the rest of the characters (there are some "timeless" ones) are now quite old in the comic, and there are now five generations of Wallets. Walt is now 115 years old (!) and Skeezix is over 90.

The strip has also had some great artists working on it over the years. Frank King, the original creator, always kept the artwork fairly simple, but still managed to create amazing environments and evoke plenty of feeling and emotion. The strip you see here is a Frank King creation, and it might not look like much at first, but the more you look at it the more subtle touches you find in it. I highly enjoy his work.

This strip involves Skeezix and his little brother Corky trying to visit Santa Claus. It's a bit reminiscent of a Little Nemo in Slumberland comic, complete with Skeezix ending up falling out of his bed at the end. Frank King was much better at lettering than Winsor McCay was, though.