British Comics at the Fin de Siècle
“A Wild Night’s Adventure with Spring-Heeled Jack,” Illustrated Chips (1899)
Artist: Tom BrowneTom Browne, the creator of this strip, ranged far and wide in the visual arts. He spent two years in art school before dropping out to draw strips for Scraps. To keep himself afloat financially, he designed humorous postcards, posters, and advertisements. He also contributed many illustrations to periodicals such as Black and White, Captain, Cassell’s, Eureka, Graphic, Lady’s Realm, London, Odd Volume, Pearson’s, Pick-Me-Up, Printer’s Pie, Royal, Sketch, Strand, To-Day, and Tatler (1). Browne’s decision to drop out of art school and work for Scraps seems to epitomize his entire career. He came out of the tradition of the illustrated periodical, not the fine arts. Though an excellent draftsman, he was never a purely visual artist. He always worked in the realm of image-text.
That said, his strips do not offer much in the way of formal innovation. In “A Wild Night’s Adventure with Spring-Heeled Jack,” for instance, he sticks to a word-specific narrative strategy. However, while the pictures are not essential to the narrative, they have unusual wit and complexity. Browne’s uncluttered, minimalist linework catches the eye; his characters, the rotund Tim and the skinny and decrepit Willy, are a visually memorable pair. Each of the panels contains movement, action, and humor. Take, for example, the frightened cat in the third panel – a throwaway detail that nonetheless contributes to the zany world Browne has created. The same could be said of Browne’s dialogue, which has surprising verve:
“‘Willy, dear boy, how do I strike you?’ warbled Tim. ‘Strike me – throw me – pinch me – bust me! but you’re just too wonderful for words!” smiled Willy.”
While the words and pictures may not be interdependent, they are both necessary in creating Browne’s complex fictional universe. Only reading is required, but reading and looking are rewarded..