"The newspaper cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller once admitted that "all my characters are conceived in desperation." Nancy was no exception. She was the niece of the star of his other strip, Fritzi Ritzi, and meant to serve as a throwaway gag character. But Nancy could not be contained: Within a few years, Bushmiller's strip had been renamed for her, and she had begun her ascent into the pantheon of cartooning greats. Nancy, along with on-and-off boyfriend...