The amount of smoky-room poker-playing cartoons was remarkable - there was even a few comics devoted solely to the subject. The modern leagues of decency would protest today if such a thing was presented as fun. There would be letters to the editor.

I wonder if it the comic artists of the day cared a lot about making their poker cartoons better than the other guy, and felt a bit of a sting when someone got off a good one. Was Briggs regarded as the king of the genre? Or was that Knott? (Don't worry, we'll get to him.)