King - Gasoline Alley - March 22 1939

This daily comic strip was published on March 22, 1939 and features three panels. The artwork area is approximately 20” by 6”. The strip is signed “King” in the second panel and is dated “3-21” in the first panel. The strip is © 1939 by The Chicago Tribune-N.Y. News Syndicate, Inc., as per the copyright notices in the final panel. Great contrast of black and white and wonderful details by a true master of the form. Kings’s legendary feel for storytelling was married to a deft mastery of pen and ink. His technique is simply breathtaking. Strategically placed blocks of black ink and shading frame the action and story. Just brilliant. A superb pre-WWII example of King’s virtuoso writing and art, featuring Jessica and Gootch.

This daily is titled “Limited Liability” in pencil to the left of the art. Jessica, Gootch's girlfriend (who always seems to get herself in trouble), has taken to driving Skeezix's and Gootch's car on a fairly regular basis (on Gootch's days to use the car). The problem is that she is a terrible driver, distracted by almost anything, and she never pays attention to any traffic laws or the rules of the road. In the prior dailies from this sequence, Tops (Skeezix's best friend) was walking across the road, bemoaning the fact that Skeezix has become girl-crazy. Jessica nearly runs him down and Tops barely manages to jump out of the way. Tops told Nina (and asks her to pass the info on to Skeezix) that Jessica is driving his car, and is a terror on the road. In this daily, Nina speaks to Skeexiz, and gently brings him around to her way of thinking, persuading him to protect himself in case the car is in an accident on Gootch's day (fearing that Skeezix will be on the hook for Jessica's 'sure to happen' accident). Great late 1930's strip featuring the always lovely Nina, Skeezix, and Gootch (driving away in the first panel).
King's dialogue and feel for everyday conversation and life is simply dead on. His love of these wonderfully human characters pours through in every panel. This little gem of an episode, taking place at dusk, features beautifully shaded and black backdrops. The nuanced backgrounds are wonderfully rendered, spotlighting the action in the foreground. You've just gotta love how Nina asks Skeezix to "do that for me", and Skeezix, maybe not 100% sure of what's going on, but smart enough to follow Nina's advice when she offers it.
The dialogue for the final panel is written in pencil beneath the panel (partially erased but legible).