# Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller: The Man Who Created Nancy - Hardcover

by **Bill Griffith** (Author)

**From Bill Griffith, the acclaimed creator of Zippy the Pinhead, comes a history of comics as told through the life story of Ernie Bushmiller and his iconic comic strip _Nancy_.**

**"As the widest-ranging cartoon chronicler of American absurdity in our time, Bill Griffith has topped himself. This is an instant comic-strip classic!" --Matt Groening, _The Simpsons_**

From Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead and _Nobody's Fool_, comes _Three Rocks_, a biography of cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller, creator of the iconic comic strip _Nancy_. But this graphic novel is about more than a single comic book artist. It is the story of this American art form, tracing its inception to 1895 with the _Yellow Kid_, the creation of _Nancy_ in 1933, and all the strips that followed, including _Peanuts_ and _The Far Side_. When Bushmiller died in 1982, _Nancy_ was running in almost 900 daily newspapers--a number few syndicated cartoonists ever achieve.

_Nancy_ is hailed as the "perfect" comic strip by fans and cartoonists alike. The title _Three Rocks_ refers to the trope of three hemispherical rocks often seen in a Bushmiller landscape--just enough to communicate environment to the reader. This distillation is exemplary of the iconic, diagrammatic look of _Nancy_, a comic strip about the nature of what it means to be a comic strip--the perfect avatar for Griffith to expand upon his philosophy of creating comics.

**"For many years, I've devoured Bill Griffith's work. It's always inspiring and engrossing. As it never fails to do, Griffith's brilliance and consummate drawing chops shine through. _Three Rocks_ is amazing!" --Emil Ferris, author of _My Favorite Thing Is Monsters_**

### Author Biography

**Bill Griffith** is the creator of the syndicated daily comic strip _Zippy_ and the author of _Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead_. Griffith's prolific output has been included in such publications as the _Village Voice_, _National Lampoon_, and _The New Yorker_. According to Bartlett, Griffith coined the popular phrase "Are we having fun yet?" He lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

**Number of Pages:** 272

**Dimensions:** 1.1 x 9.5 x 6.6 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** August 29, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 24.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 24.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller: The Man Who Created Nancy - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/three-rocks-the-story-of-ernie-bushmiller-the-man-who-created-nancy-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-21