Lio by Mark Tatulli
The world of Lio is filled with the extraordinary - monsters under the bed, wild reptile pets, robot inventions, weird science - but it's all commonplace for this most uncommon first-grader. Mark Tatulli renders this pantomime strip in pen-and-ink style, giving the artwork a dark, spidery feel to match the strip's dark humor. Lio explores the twisted realm of a kid's imagination - at once bizarre, creepy and fun.
I wonder if there is a cartoonist in-joke here, or at least a story behind it. (BTW, that third panel is particularls brilliant cartooning.)