Ally Sloper
Alexander "Ally" Sloper is the eponymous fictional character of the British comic strip Ally Sloper. First appearing in 1867, he is considered one of the earliest comic strip characters and he is regarded as the first recurring character in comics.
| Ally Sloper | |
|---|---|
Panels from the illustrated story Some of the Mysteries of Loan and Discount, featuring Ally Sloper and (not pictured) Iky Mo; from UK magazine Judy (1867). | |
| Publication information | |
| Format | Text comics |
| Genre | Humor |
| Publication date | 1867 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Charles H. Ross |
| Artist(s) | Émilie de Tessier |
Red-nosed and blustery, an archetypal lazy schemer often found "sloping" through alleys to avoid his landlord and other creditors, he was created for the British magazine Judy by writer and fledgling artist Charles H. Ross, and inked and later fully illustrated by his French wife Émilie de Tessier under the pseudonym "Marie Duval" (or "Marie Du Val"; sources differ).
The strips, which used text narrative beneath unbordered panels, premiered in the 14 August 1867 issue of Judy, a humour-magazine rival of the famous Punch. The highly popular character was spun off into his own comic, Ally Sloper's Half Holiday, in 1884.