Briggs was also an early pioneer of graphic novels, as some of his key works coincide with or even pre-date Will Eisner’s A Contract With God. Gentleman Jim is the story of Jim Bloggs, an imaginative toilet cleaner who, dissatisfied with his station in life, devotes his time to envisioning a world beyond it. Encouraged by his wife, also eager to incorporate more adventure into her life, Jim sets out to bring these dreams to fruition by accumulating various accoutrements, only to discover that the life of an executive, an artist, or a cowboy is more complicated and costly than it appears.

Gentleman Jim was originally released in England in 1980 and is now regarded as one of the first English-language graphic novels ever published.