History ComicStrip / Nancy

Nancy first appeared in 1933 in ''Fritzi Ritz'', a strip created in 1922 by Larry Whittington (Bushmiller took over in 1925) which depicted Fritzi as a dizzy {{flapper}}. Nancy quickly proved to be so popular as a character that, in 1938, the daily strip was retitled to her name, with Fritzi--who was now portrayed as a stern ParentalSubstitute for her orphaned niece--largely shunted to the background. ''Fritzi Ritz'' did continue as a SundayStrip, centering around Fritzi and her boyfriend Phil Fumble (with ''Nancy'' as a "topper"), until it too was permanently replaced with ''Nancy'' in 1968.

** Happened twice to Phil Fumble. He was a recurring character in the Sunday strip until he disappeared in 1968. He later reappeared in 2012, only to disappear again when Olivia Jaimes took over in 2018.

** Happened twice to Phil Fumble. He was a recurring character in the strip until he disappeared in 1968. He later reappeared in 2012, only to disappear again when Olivia Jaimes took over in 2018.

* ComicBooks: In addition to the newspaper strips, there were several of these for both ''Fritzi Ritz'' and ''Nancy'', the latter most famously in a Creator/DellComics title written by John Stanley in the late 1950s and early '60s.

* ComicBooks: In addition to the newspaper strips, there were multiple comics titles for both ''Fritzi Ritz'' and ''Nancy'', the latter most famously in a Creator/DellComics title written by John Stanley.

* ComicBook: In addition to the newspaper strips, there were multiple comics titles for both ''Fritzi Ritz'' and ''Nancy'', the latter most famously in a Creator/DellComics title written by John Stanley.

** Nancy. She's selfish, greedy and self-centered, but she's got a good heart. The Gilchrist run heavily emphasize the "heart of gold" part, while the Bushmiller and Jaimes runs, and to some extent the Jerry Scott run, emphasize the "jerk" part.

* {{Minimalism}}: Bushmiller's artstyle is renowned by critics like Creator/ScottMcCloud for clean, simple lineart that employs the bare minimum of details to convey an idea or gag. In ''Literature/HowToReadNancy'', Mark Newgarden and Paul Kerasik favorably compare the strip to the minimalist architecture of Mies Van Der Rohe.

* MsFanservice: Up until Olivia James took over the strip, Fritzi was definitely this (especially during the Gilchrist run). Fritzi was very beautiful (something which was commented on numerous times by the strip's readers and by its other characters in-universe) and would typically wear clothing that was form-fitting and/or skimpy.

* MsFanservice: Up until OJ took over the strip, Fritzi was definitely this (especially during the Gilchrist-run). Fritzi's very beautiful (which is has been commented on numerous times by readers and other characters) and would often wear clothing that's very formfitting and/or skimpy.

* NewSeasonNewName: The strip (which started in 1922) was originally called ''Fritzi Ritz''--but once Nancy came along, she ended up becoming so popular that she ultimately took over as the lead character and the comic was retitled to "Nancy" in 1938.

Nancy first appeared in 1933 in ''Fritzi Ritz'', a strip created in 1922 by Larry Whittington (Bushmiller took over in 1925) which depicted Fritzi as a dizzy {{flapper}}. Nancy quickly proved to be so popular as a character that, in 1938, the daily strip was retitled to her name, with Fritzi – who was now portrayed a stern ParentalSubstitute for her orphaned niece – largely shunted to the background. ''Fritzi Ritz'' did continue as a SundayStrip, centering around Fritzi and her boyfriend Phil Fumble (with ''Nancy'' as a "topper"), until it too was permanently replaced with ''Nancy'' in 1968.

Bushmiller continued to draw the strip until his death in 1982. It was subsequently taken over by Al Plastino (on the Sunday strips) and Mark Lasky (on the dailies), [[DiedDuringProduction only for Lasky to pass away just a year later at age 29.]] Jerry Scott, later known for ''ComicStrip/BabyBlues'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'', took over the strip in 1984, drawing the characters in a much more broad, cartoony style. Scott also modernized the world of ''Nancy''. Scott's run lasted until 1995, when he was replaced by the sibling team of Guy and Brad Gilchrist, who created a hybrid art style that was part Bushmiller and part superhero comic. After a few years, Guy Gilchrist became the sole artist, continuing until early 2018. ''Nancy'' was then taken over by Olivia Jaimes, making her the first woman to draw the strip. Jaimes returned to a style more reminiscent of Bushmiller's work (including re-inserting his famous fourth wall breaks) and further modernized the comic.

The comic was also the subject of an in-depth analysis book ''Literature/HowToReadNancy'', which breaks down the elements of Bushmiller's comics--and comics in general--in exhaustive detail.

Nancy first appeared in 1933 in ''Fritzi Ritz'', a strip created in 1922 by Larry Whittington (Bushmiller took over in 1925) that depicted Fritzi as a dizzy {{flapper}}. Nancy quickly proved to be so popular as a character that, in 1938, the daily strip was retitled to her name, with Fritzi – who was now portrayed a stern ParentalSubstitute for her orphaned niece – largely shunted to the background. ''Fritzi Ritz'' did continue as a SundayStrip, centering around Fritzi and her boyfriend Phil Fumble (with ''Nancy'' as a "topper"), until it too was permanently replaced with ''Nancy'' in 1968.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nancy_and_sluggo.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Nancy and Sluggo.]]

''Nancy'' is a long-running SurrealHumor NewspaperComic strip originally created by Ernie Bushmiller. The strip centers on a precocious 8-year old girl, her Aunt Fritzi, and her best friend Sluggo.

The character first appeared in 1933 in ''Fritzi Ritz'', a strip that had been created in 1922 by Larry Whittington (Bushmiller took over in 1925). Nancy proved to be so popular as a character that, in 1938, the daily strip was retitled to her name. ''Fritzi Ritz'' continued as a SundayStrip (with ''Nancy'' as a "topper") until 1968, when it too was permanently renamed as ''Nancy''.

The character first appeared in 1933 in ''Fritzi Ritz'', a strip that had been created in 1922 by Larry Whittington (Bushmiller took over in 1925). Nancy proved to be so popular as a character that, in 1938, the daily strip was retitled to her name. ''Fritzi Ritz'' continued as a SundayStrip (with ''Nancy'' as a "topper") until 1968, when it too was permanently replaced with ''Nancy''.

Bushmiller continued to draw the strip until his death in 1982. It was subsequently taken over by Al Plastino (on the Sunday strips) and Mark Lasky (on the dailies), [[DiedDuringProduction only for Lasky to pass away just a year later at age 29.]] Jerry Scott, later known for ''ComicStrip/BabyBlues'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'', took over the strip in 1984, drawing the characters in a much more broad, cartoony style. Scott also modernized the world of ''Nancy''. Scott's run lasted until 1995, when he was replaced by the sibling team of Guy and Brad Gilchrist, who created a hybrid art style that was part Bushmiller and part superhero comic. After a few years, Guy Gilchrist became the sole artist, continuing until early 2018. The strip is now drawn by Olivia Jaimes, making her the first woman to draw the strip. Jaimes returned to a style more reminiscent of Bushmiller's work (including re-inserting his famous fourth wall breaks) and further modernized the comic.

The character first appeared in 1933 in ''Fritzi Ritz'', a strip that had been created in 1922 by Larry Whittington (Bushmiller took over in 1925). Nancy proved to be so popular as a character that, in 1938, the strip was retitled to her name.

* OffModel: [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2018/04/16 One Jaimes comic]] makes Nancy and Sluggo look so crude, that even ''they'' notice it, prompting Jaimes to blame "a Snapchat filter".

* SistineSteal: [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2018/08/12 Here]], Sluggo imagines an idealized version of himself, with the same pose and proportions as Adam from Michelangelo's ''Creation of Adam''.

* ComplexityAddiction: Olivia Jaimes's [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2018/12/31 step-by-step instructions for drawing fireworks]] involve drawing Nancy, then erasing everything but her hair spikes, multiple times.

** A variant in the [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2020/08/11 2020-08-11]] and [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2021/06/07 2021-06-07]] strips, between Nancy and her enemy/rival Mildred: they ''thought-bubble'' in unison. (They are thinking about [[MirrorCharacter how completely different they are from each other]].)

* MirrorCharacter: Mildred to Nancy, during the Jaimes run. Both are conceited, competitive, and hate being wrong.

* MetafictionalDevice: In the [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2021/06/13 2021-06-13 strip]]. Unbeknownst to Nancy and Sluggo, their word balloons are physically deflecting the sticks and stones that are about to fall down on their heads.

** A variant in the [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2020/08/11 2020-08-11]] and [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2021/06/07 2021-06-07]] strips, between Nancy and her enemy/rival Mildred: they ''thought-bubble'' in unison. (They are thinking about [[NotSoDifferent how completely different they are from each other]].)

** A variant in the [[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2020/08/11 2020-08-11 strip]] between Nancy and her enemy/rival Mildred: they ''thought-bubble'' in unison.