The Comic Monthly

Published by J.C. Haney & Co. from 1859 to 1880, The Comic Monthly was an early American comic periodical that ran for just thirteen issues, primarily written and illustrated by the versatile Frank Bellew. As one of the first humor magazines to blend serialized comics with satirical prose, it offered a lively, often political take on mid-19th-century life. Bellew’s distinctive, caricature-driven style gave the series a consistent visual voice, making it a notable artifact from the dawn of the comic form in the United States.