History EarlyInstallmentWeirdness / NewspaperComics

[[quoteright:204:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfiel_eiw_9878.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:204:Uh, Garf buddy, are... are you feeling all right?]]

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'':
** Susie Derkins asks Calvin to cheat and give her the answer to a test question in an early strip. In all later appearances, she is depicted as a serious student who resists Calvin's constant requests to help him cheat in any way.
** In Susie's first appearances, she and Calvin both seem to internally acknowledge that they have crushes on each other underneath their insults and animosity. This soon changes with Susie switching her affection to Hobbes and Calvin panicking over even the thought that Susie likes him.
** The very first strip features Calvin catching Hobbes in a tiger trap; this was supposed to be how they first met. However, a later strip near the end of the comic's run had Hobbes recall Calvin spent most of his infancy "burping up", hinting he had been with Calvin for much longer. This may actually have been [[InvokedTrope intentional on Watterson's part]], as a way to further blur the line about [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane what exactly Hobbes is]].
** Dinosaurs used to be drawn in a cartoony style like the rest of the strip, [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology with inaccurate anatomy and occasionally interacting with cavemen]]. After Watterson decided to research them for new story possibilities, [[ShownTheirWork he put in much greater effort in depicting them accurately]] ([[ScienceMarchesOn for his time]]). They, and other fantasies, also [[ArtShift began to be drawn realistically]] in contrast to the strip's usual cartoony look.
** Calvin was shown as a member of the Cub Scouts in a few early strips. Watterson originally thought this would provide plenty of interesting scenarios for storylines, but quickly dropped it after he realized Calvin was ''not'' the sort of kid who'd ever join up with the scouts. The RunningGag of Calvin's dad taking the family on horrible camping trips filled the same purpose and fit the strip's atmosphere much better.
** The series of strips with Uncle Max was intended to open up storytelling possibilities, but Watterson realized how awkward it was to have characters interact with Calvin's parents [[NoNameGiven without ever referring to them by name]] and dropped the idea; Max never appeared again in the comic's run.
* ''{{ComicStrip/Garfield}}'' has lots of it.
** Garfield's wildly different appearance in the early years of the strip: much fatter, more cat-like, and strictly quadrupedal.
** Jon's claim to be a cartoonist in the very first strip; this is [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything rarely mentioned again]].
** The character of Lyman (Jon's roommate and Odie's original owner) who slowly [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanishes entirely without explanation]].
** The early strips' humor also relied more on wordplay (in one early strip, Lyman jokes about watching a movie where a student puts a tack on his teacher's chair because he likes movies where "the guy gets the girl in the end"; another has Garfield calling a diet "'die' with a T") and topical references (early strips reference Creator/BrigitteBardot, ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'', UsefulNotes/{{Labor Day|InTheUnitedStates}}, [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball college football]], and Weight Watchers, among other things). Jim Davis gradually phased out wordplay and topical references in order to make the strip more marketable in other countries.
** Several early strips used more than three panels, which rarely happened again after the first year or so.
** One early strip features Jon ogling a centerfold in a bachelor magazine; Garfield doesn't appear at all, nor is he even mentioned.
* ''{{ComicStrip/Dilbert}}'' was initially focused on the personal life of Dilbert and Dogbert, and was largely ''Garfield'' except with a dog who can talk. The office-based strips came a few months later and even then only occasionally appeared. They more or less took over a few years later.
* Thimble Theater used to be about Ham Gravy and his manager until they hired a certain sailor named {{ComicStrip/Popeye}}.
* ''ComicStrip/RickOShay'' was a humor comic set in the 1950s and 60s until it transitioned to the 1860s and, while still having comedic elements, turned into more of a western adventure/drama strip with more realistic art.
* ''{{ComicStrip/Peanuts}}'' had a very different art style (far more 3/4 angles as opposed to the strip's signature style of only ever showing people from the front or side), far lighter humor, and a mostly different cast of characters (Shermy and Patty, not to be confused with Peppermint Patty). Charlie Brown was very different from the self-hating loser he'd later become: he was a cheerful kid who liked to play pranks on others and boasting about himself. Snoopy was just a normal dog, and he wasn't Charlie Brown's pet. Linus and Lucy didn't exist. (And even when they ''were'' added, Linus was a super-smart little kid as opposed to an InnocentProdigy, and Lucy was a wide-eyed CloudCuckoolander toddler before becoming her JerkWithAHeartOfGold self.)
* Early on, ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' was a lot more realistic and down-to-earth family strip that stood out with a still somewhat believeable dash of "nerd" humor. Throughout the 1990s, it began gradually shifting more and more toward [[DenserAndWackier a less reality-based strip]] with greater emphasis on "nerd" humor, pop culture references, satire, and [[BreakingTheFourthWall increasing damage to the fourth wall]]. The art was also a lot looser and more sketchy, as opposed to the stiffer, more "geometric" style the strip has had since roughly the mid-90s.
** Before Jason was established as a high achiever who loves school and is oblivious to sports, he was shown in one strip joining Peter and Paige in groveling to the parents on report-card day. In another strip, both he and Peter bring their mitts to a baseball game in hopes of catching a foul ball, and both are heartbroken when the ball they were straining for lands in Paige's popcorn. (Furthermore, Paige is indifferent to the TV cameras aimed at her.)
** One very early strip before the addition of Jason's BlackBestFriend Marcus has Jason playing ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' with Peter, something which Peter would never do once his character got more established.
* In the early ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' strips, the art was less polished, and some characters were different. Jeremy's band had a black drummer named Y.A., who [[FlatCharacter never really developed]] and [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome quit the band early on]]; he was replaced by Pierce, who quickly became an EnsembleDarkhorse. Jeremy's mom was supposed to be a child therapist, but it was only brought up a couple times. His older brother, Chad, was originally a stereotypically "[[TheAce perfect]]" guy whose face was always blocked by word balloons, before being retooled into a more "normal" character who looked much like an older Jeremy with a goatee. A few early strips have Jeremy as TheNarrator, a trait which was quickly dropped.
* ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' evolved massively. Early on, it was a bunch of people living in a boarding house, with Milo as the main focus. Over time, many details were fine-tuned, many characters were dropped, and the strip shifted to the main focus of Milo, Binkley, and [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins Opus the penguin]]. (Berkeley Breathed himself has said that he felt the strip didn't really find its focus until Opus became a regular.) The art style was also very blobby and unrefined, with a different lettering style.
* When it started out in the 1960s, ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyCircus'' had a radically different art style; PJ didn't exist yet; and the dad was more of a stereotypical deadbeat dad/buffoon type who smoked, drank, and ignored Thel. His personality was overhauled to a more sympathetic figure, and the art was smoothed out come the 1970s.
* ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey'':
** The strip started as a comic about college students. When it didn't take off the characters enlisted in the army on a whim. Sixty years later they have yet to graduate from basic training.
** Sergeant Snorkel started out as long-faced and only mildly overweight, and he acted like an actual drill sergeant should. Most notably, during this period he never acted violently towards Beetle, instead issuing various standard army punishments, like peeling potatoes.
* In ''ComicStrip/GetFuzzy'', Rob's eyes were almost always covered up by a pair of giant sunglasses in the strip's early years, if not hidden by other means.
* Early on, ''ComicStrip/{{Pluggers}}'' was drawn and written by Jeff [=MacNelly=], creator of ''ComicStrip/{{Shoe}}''. After a few years, so many readers began submitting gags to him that he [[RunningTheAsylum made the gags entirely user-submitted]], and later handed art duties to Gary Brookins (who also took over on ''Shoe'' after Jeff's death).
----

** Susie Derkins asks Calvin to cheat and give her the answer to a test question in an early strip. After this, she is depicted as a serious student who resists Calvin's constant requests to help him cheat in any way.
** In the early strips with Susie's first appearances, she and Calvin both seem to internally acknowledge that they have crushes on each other underneath their insults and animosity. This soon changes with Susie switching her affection to Hobbes and Calvin panicking over even the thought that Susie likes him.
** Calvin catches Hobbes in a tiger trap in the first comics, and this was supposed to be how they first met. A later strip near the end of the comic's run, however, had Hobbes recall Calvin spent most of his infancy "burping up", hinting he had been with Calvin for much longer.
** Dinosaurs used to be drawn in a cartoony style like the rest of the strip, [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology with inaccurate anatomy and occasionally interacting with cavemen]]. After Watterson decided to research them for new story possibilities, [[ShownTheirWork he put in much greater effort in depicting them accurately]], [[ScienceMarchesOn for his time]]. They, and other fantasies, also [[ArtShift began to be drawn realistically]] in contrast to the strip's usual cartoony look.

** The series of strips with Uncle Max was intended to open up storytelling possibilities, but Watterson realized how awkward it was to have characters interact with Calvin's parents [[NoNameGiven without ever referring to them by name]] and dropped the idea.

** Jon's claim to be a cartoonist in the very first strip, which is [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything rarely mentioned again]].

* ''{{ComicStrip/Garfield}}''

** The early strips' humor also relied more on wordplay (one early strip has Lyman joking about a movie where a student puts a tack on a teacher's chair, and how he likes movies where "the guy gets the girl in the end"; another has Garfield calling a diet "'die' with a T") and topical references (early strips reference Creator/BrigitteBardot, ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'', UsefulNotes/{{Labor Day|InTheUnitedStates}}, college football, and Weight Watchers, among other things). Jim Davis gradually phased out wordplay and topical references in order to make the strip more marketable in other countries.

* ''{{ComicStrip/Peanuts}}'' had a very different art style, far lighter humor, and a mostly different cast of characters (Shermy and Patty, not to be confused with Peppermint Patty). Charlie Brown was very different from the self-hating loser he'd later become: he was a cheerful kid who liked to play pranks on others and boasting about himself. Snoopy was just a normal dog, and he wasn't Charlie Brown's pet. Linus and Lucy didn't exist. (And even when they ''were'' added, Linus was a super-smart little kid as opposed to an InnocentProdigy, and Lucy was a wide-eyed CloudCuckoolander toddler before becoming her JerkWithAHeartOfGold self.)
* Early on, ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' was a lot more realistic and down-to-earth family strip that stood out with a still somewhat believeable dash of "nerd" humor. Throughout the 1990s, it began gradually shifting more and more toward [[DenserAndWackier a less reality-based strip]] with greater emphasis on "nerd" humor, pop culture references, satire, and [[BreakingTheFourthWall increasing damage to the fourth wall]]. The shift in tone coincided with the art going from a more detailed and sketchy style to the flatter, stiffer, more "cartoony" look it has now.

[[quoteright:204:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfiel_eiw_9878.png]]]][[caption-width-right:204:Uh, Garf buddy, are... are you feeling all right?]]
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''

** The early strips' humor also relied more on wordplay (e.g., Lyman joking that a movie about teacher who sits on a tack put on a chair by a student has "the guy get the girl in the end") and topical references (an early strip name-drops Brigitte Bardot). Jim Davis gradually stopped using both once the strip got popular, feeling that their removal would help make the strip more marketable in other countries.

* Early on, ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' was a lot more realistic and down-to-earth family strip with only a few traces of "nerd" humor. Throughout the 1990s, it began gradually shifting more and more toward [[DenserAndWackier a less reality-based strip]] with greater emphasis on "nerd" humor, pop culture references, satire, and [[BreakingTheFourthWall increasing damage to the fourth wall]]. The shift in tone coincided with the art going from a more detailed and sketchy style to the flatter, stiffer, more "cartoony" look it has now.

* In the early ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' strips, the art was less polished, and some characters were different. Jeremy's band had a black drummer named Y.A., who [[FlatCharacter never really developed]] and [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome quit the band early on]]; he was replaced by Pierce, who quickly became an EnsembleDarkhorse. Jeremy's mom was supposed to be a child therapist, but it was only brought up a couple times. His older brother, Chad, was originally a stereotypically "perfect" guy whose face was always blocked by word balloons, before being retooled into a more "normal" character (but still leaving Jeremy as TheUnfavorite). A few early strips have Jeremy as TheNarrator, a trait which was quickly dropped.
* ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' evolved massively. Early on, it was a bunch of people living in a boarding house, with Milo as the main focus. Over time, many details were fine-tuned, many characters were dropped, and the strip shifted to the main focus of Milo, Binkley, and Opus the penguin. (Berkeley Breathed himself has said that he felt the strip didn't really find its focus until Opus became a regular.) The art style was also very blobby and unrefined, with a different lettering style.

* ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey''

* {{ComicStrip/Garfield}}'s wildly different appearance in the early years of the strip: much fatter, more cat-like, and strictly quadrupedal. There's also Jon's claim to be a cartoonist in the very first strip, which is [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything rarely mentioned again]], and the character of Lyman (Jon's roommate and Odie's original owner) who slowly [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanishes entirely without explanation]].
** The early strips' humor also relied more on wordplay (e.g., Lyman joking that a movie about teacher who sits on a tack put on a chair by a student has "the guy get the girl in the end") and topical references (an early strip name-drops Brigitte Bardot). Jim Davis gradually stopped using both once the strip got popular, feeling that their removal would help make the strip more marketable in other countries. Similarly, the tone of the strip also became more zany in the 80s and 90s before mellowing again in the 2000s, although in recent years it's slowly been edging back into zany territory. (Most ''Garfield'' connoisseurs would declare that the strip was at its creative peak roughly between 1985 and 1995, and in the late '80s especially.)

* ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey'' started as a comic about college students. When it didn't take off the characters enlisted in the army on a whim. Sixty years later they have yet to graduate from basic training.

*** Likewise, the series of strips with Uncle Max was intended to open up storytelling possibilities, but Watterson realized how awkward it was to have characters interact with Calvin's parents [[NoNameGiven without ever referring to them by name]] and dropped the idea.

** The early strips' humor also relied more on wordplay and topical references. Jim Davis gradually stopped using both once the strip got popular, feeling that their removal would help make the strip more marketable in other countries. Similarly, the tone of the strip also became more zany in the 80s and 90s before mellowing again in the 2000s, although in recent years it's slowly been edging back into zany territory. (Most ''Garfield'' connoisseurs would declare that the strip was at its creative peak roughly between 1985 and 1995, and in the late '80s especially.)

* Early on, ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' was a lot more realistic and down-to-earth family strip with only a few traces of "nerd" humor. Throughout the 1990s, it began gradually shifting more and more toward [[DenserAndWackier a less reality-based strip]] with greater emphasis on "nerd" humor, pop culture references, and satire. The shift in tone coincided with the art going from a more detailed and sketchy style to the flatter, stiffer, more "cartoony" look it has now.

* In the early ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' strips, the art was less polished, and some characters were different. Jeremy's band had a black drummer named Y.A., who [[FlatCharacter never really developed]] and [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome quit the band early on]]; he was replaced by Pierce, who quickly became an EnsembleDarkhorse. Jeremy's mom was supposed to be a child therapist, but it was only brought up a couple times. His older brother, Chad, was originally a "perfect" guy whose face was always blocked by word balloons, before being retooled into a more "normal" character (but still leaving Jeremy as TheUnfavorite). Another early trait that was soon dropped was having Jeremy be TheNarrator.
* ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' evolved massively. Early on, it was a bunch of people living in a boarding house, with Milo as the main focus. Over time, many details were fine-tuned, many characters (e.g. Limekiller) were dropped, and the strip shifted to the main focus of Milo, Binkley, and Opus the penguin. The art style was also very blobby and unrefined, with a different lettering style.
* When it started out in the 1960s, ''TheFamilyCircus'' had a radically different art style; PJ didn't exist yet; and the dad was more of a stereotypical deadbeat dad/buffoon type who smoked, drank, and wore a hat. His personality was overhauled to a more sympathetic figure, and the art was smoothed out come the 1970s.

* Rick O'Shay was a humor comic set in the 1950s and 60s until it transitioned to the 1860s and, while still having comedic elements, turned into more of a western adventure/drama strip with more realistic art.

* In the early ''{{Zits}}'' strips, the art was less polished, and some characters were different. Jeremy's band had a black drummer named Y.A., who [[FlatCharacter never really developed]] and [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome quit the band early on]]; he was replaced by Pierce, who quickly became an EnsembleDarkhorse. Jeremy's mom was supposed to be a child therapist, but it was only brought up a couple times. His older brother, Chad, was originally a "perfect" guy whose face was always blocked by word balloons, before being retooled into a more "normal" character (but still leaving Jeremy as TheUnfavorite). Another early trait that was soon dropped was having Jeremy be TheNarrator.
* ''BloomCounty'' evolved massively. Early on, it was a bunch of people living in a boarding house, with Milo as the main focus. Over time, many details were fine-tuned, many characters (e.g. Limekiller) were dropped, and the strip shifted to the main focus of Milo, Binkley, and Opus the penguin. The art style was also very blobby and unrefined, with a different lettering style.

* ''BeetleBailey'' started as a comic about college students. When it didn't take off the characters enlisted in the army on a whim. Sixty years later they have yet to graduate from basic training.

*** Likewise, the series of strips with Uncle Max was intended to open up storytelling possibilities, but Watterson realized how awkward it was to have characters interact with Calvin's parents [[NoNameGiven without ever referring to them by name]] was and dropped the idea.

* BeetleBailey started as a comic about college students. When it didn't take off the characters enlisted in the army on a whim. Sixty years later they have yet to graduate from basic training.

* Susie Derkins asks Calvin to cheat and give her the answer to a test question in an early strip of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''. After this, she is depicted as a serious student who resists Calvin's constant requests to help him cheat in any way.

** The early strips' humor also relied more on wordplay and topical references. Jim Davis gradually stopped using both once the strip got popular, feeling that their removal would help make the strip more marketable in other countries. Similarly, the tone of the strip also became more zany in the 80s and 90s, before mellowing again in the 2000s. (Most ''Garfield'' connoisseurs would declare that the strip was at its creative peak roughly between 1985 and 1995, and in the late '80s especially.)

*** Likewise, the series of strips with Uncle Max was intended to open up storytelling possibilities, but Watterson realized how awkward it was to have characters interact with Calvin's parents without ever referring to them by name was and dropped the idea.

[[quote:204:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfiel_eiw_9878.png]]]][[caption-width:204:Uh, Garf buddy, are... are you feeling all right?]]

[[quoteright:204:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfiel_eiw_9878.png]]

** The early strips' humor also relied more on wordplay and topical references. Jim Davis gradually stopped using both once the strip got popular, feeling that their removal would help make the strip more marketable in other countries. Similarly, the tone of the strip also became more zany in the 80s and 90s, before mellowing again in the 2000s.