Abe Martin (comic strip)

Abe Martin was an American newspaper gag-a-day comic strip, drawn by Kin Hubbard and published from 1904 until 1937 in The Indianapolis News and other newspapers.^[1]

Abe Martin
First recognized Abe Martin cartoon
Author(s)	Kin Hubbard
Current status/schedule	Concluded gag-a-day strip
Launch date	December 17, 1904
End date	1937
Syndicate(s)	John F. Dille Co. (c. 1916–1937)
Publisher(s)	The Indianapolis News
Genre(s)	Humor comics

Character

Abe Martin was an anti-hero character, making wisecracker jokes and uttering sayings which became popular over the country. He made his first appearance on December 17, 1904.^[2] Originally the character's locality wasn't specified, but in a strip from February 3, 1905, he announced: "I'm goin' ter move ter Brown County Tewmorrow", which he did.^[3] At the time the character's popularity was such that by 1910 over 200 newspapers carried the strip and special almanacs were made.^[4] Notable fans were George Ade, Will Rogers, and James Whitcomb Riley.^[2] In an interview with Dick Cavett, S. J. Perelman said Groucho Marx read and quoted Hubbard's writing.^[5]

Early version

The Indianapolis News published a cartoon by Hubbard on September 15, 1904, featuring another character named Abe Martin.

An earlier character by Hubbard named Abe Martin, September 15, 1904

Other one-panel cartoons of the era

• Ching Chow
• Hambone's Meditations

External links

• "List of Hubbard's 'Abe Martin' books". The Indianapolis News. August 7, 1944.