 Virtually from the beginning , McCay innovated with the forms of his chosen media . He varied the size and shape of comic strip panels for dramatic effect , as in the second instalment of Little Nemo ( October 22 , 1905 ) , where the panels grow to adapt to a growing forest of mushrooms . Few of McCay 's contemporaries were so bold with their page layouts . Near @-@ contemporary George Herriman with Krazy Kat was the most notable example , but it was not until a generation later that cartoonists such as Frank King with Gasoline Alley , Hal Foster with Prince Valiant , and Roy Crane with Captain Easy attempted such daring designs on their Sunday pages . 
