In the early 1920's Mutt and Jeff got into a situation where they were continually attempting to assassinate each other, sort of like Wily Coyote and the Roadrunner, or Joseph Conrad's
The Duellists. This was before the more conventional behavior mode developed in which Mutt would function as a straight man for Jeff's jokes.
Mutt and Jeff was created by Bud Fisher and first published in November 1907 in the San Francisco Chronicle. Published six days a week, it is generally regarded as the world's first comic strip. It quickly became a nationwide success and remained in syndication until 1982
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