Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois (also known as Les amours de Mr. Vieux Bois, or simply Monsieur Vieuxbois), published in English as The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck (sometimes referred to simply as Oldbuck), is a 19th-century publication written and illustrated by the Swiss caricaturist Rodolphe Töpffer. It was created in 1827 and published first in Geneva, Switzerland in 1837 as Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois, then in London in 1841 by Tilt and Bogue editions as the book The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck, and then in New York, U.S., in a newspaper supplement titled Brother Jonathan Extra No. IX (September 14, 1842), followed by an 1849 republication as a book titled The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck, published in New York by Wilson & Co. The English-language editions were unlicensed copies of the original work as they were done without Töpffer's authorization. Oldbuck is commonly referred to as the first comic book printed in the U.S. and America's first newspaper comic. Format The format consists of sequential pictures with captions, a.k.a. "text comics", rather than utilizing the staple of word-balloons, a convention that would later be developed in newspaper comic strips. In Understanding Comics, comics theorist Scott McCloud says Töpffer's work is in many ways "the father of the modern comic". McCloud emphasizes Töpffer's use of "cartooning and panel borders" along with "the first interdependent combination of words and pictures seen in Europe". Töpffer described comics as a medium appealing particularly to children and the lower classes, and this is evident in the style of the work. It is notable that the story was never intended for publication but rather as an idle "diversion" for his close friends; however, the story achieved widespread popularity in several countries. Töpffer used a lithography method called autography, in which the pen draws on specially prepared paper, allowing a freer line than the engraving of the time. Autography lithographs also did not require the drawings to be flipped horizontally. Plot Mr. Vieux Bois encounters a young woman and instantly falls in love. His initial attempts at courting are ignored, followed by short periods of his desperation. He discovers a rival suitor and challenges him to a duel. He is better with his dueling sword and his rival has to flee. Vieux Bois contacts the parents of his girlfriend, seeking her hand in marriage. He returns home and starts to celebrate loudly. His