''The Glasgow Looking Glass'' was the first mass-produced publication to tell stories using illustrations, and as such is regarded as the earliest comics magazine. The final issue was published on 3 April 1826.

Publishing history

The title was published by Glasgow

lithographic Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

printer John Watson and its principal strip illustrator was

William Heath William Heath (March 2, 1737 – January 24, 1814) was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Life and career Heath m ...

. The fourth issue contained ''History of a Coat'', its first comic strip. After the fifth issue, the title was changed to ''The Northern Looking Glass'' to reflect broader Scottish concerns.

Format

The fortnightly publication provided satirical snapshots of Glasgow society, British culture and Nineteenth century fashions. Innovations included use of the term "

To be continued A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhange ...

" and

word balloons Speech balloons (also speech bubbles, dialogue balloons, or word balloons) are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comics, and cartoons to allow words (and much less often, pictures) to be understood as representing a charac ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasgow Looking Glass Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1825 Magazines disestablished in 1826 1825 establishments in Scotland 1826 disestablishments in Scotland Comics before 1900 Lithography Communication design Graphic design Planographic printing Printmaking Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Biweekly magazines published in the United Kingdom