From the Book - First Fantagraphics Books edition.
An introduction / James Elkins
The strip. August 8, 1959
The script. The gag ; The last panel ; Dialogue ; Balloon placement
Sluggo ; Nancy ; The extras ; Nancy AND Sluggo ; Ernie Bushmiller
Props and special effects. The water gun ; The pistol-grip nozzle ; The leaky spigot ; The hose
Costumes. Strip uniforms ; The cowboy outfit
Production design. The horizon line ; Background ; The fence ; The house ; Forces of nature
Staging. Action ; Nancy and the fence ; Second-panel shifts
Performance. Character design ; Gesture ; Facial expression ; Lines of vision
The cartoonist's eye. Composition ; Spotting blacks ; Negative space ; Rhythm
The cartoonist's hand. The inked line ; Lettering ; Balloon design ; The modified silhouette ; Motion lines
Details, details, details. Surface pattern ; Punctuation ; Type
The reader. The panel gutters ; Panel size ; The fourth panel
The strip (again). August 8, 1959: drawing some conclusions
Appendices. Inspiration ; Further contexts ; Single-panel gag ; "Too many words" ; Enter Sluggo ; "Hey! Where have I seen that gag before?" ; Architecture ; Tableaux vivants ; Aunt Fritzi's other relatives ; Luncheon of the Boating Party ; Sunday strategies ; Black ink ; Degeneration gap ; Unfinished business ; Assistants ; Ben Day and Ben-Day ; How they read Nancy ; How to/how not to
