Part two: This is it.

Early editorial panel.

Alex Daily, also known as Alexis E. Daily, Lex Daily, some variation thereof, or simply Daily, began their career in early editorial cartooning. Unlike other topical and political cartoonists of the era, Daily relied heavily on a single character over use of celebrity caricatures. Avi, if that character has a name at all, first appears in De Nationale Courant in March 1922, and quickly dominates the artist's early work.

First strip of Avi.

After a period of unrest, in 1940, Daily transitions the editorial panel to a long-form adventure serial once again focussed on the Avi character. The text comic format is considered "safe," even under then-hypothetical Nazi censure. The strip runs throughout the war, dodging censure by sticking to storylines rooted in mythology and fairy tale.

First appearance of Aquila the Last Eagle.

In 1951, when De Nationale Courant fuses with Het Nieuws van Nederland to become De Algemene Krant, the strip takes a short break to retool, returning in 1952 as Avi & Aquila, to reflect the second lead character it's picked up in its first decade. Storylines in Avi & Aquila re-implement some of the more socially concious tendencies of the original editorial cartoons, and the strip occasionally gets into hot water for its hard stance on progressive issues before getting formally cancelled by De Algemene Krant in 1961 after the strip's first kiss between the two leads leads to backlash from mainstream conservative readers.

Avi and Aquila kiss, 1961.

Daily returns to publishing two years later, retooling the strip as Aquila the Last Eagle, moving on from the inherently conservative text comic form in favour of now-standard balloon comics. At the advice of their editor, Daily reboots the story, and the first album is a remixed retelling of the first meeting between Avi and Aquila.

Aquila the Last Eagle 1, Avi and Aquila.

The rebooted album series produces 250 albums from 1963 to 2011. In its first decade, it introduces most of the recurring characters and concepts associated with the series today -- the Time Knife appears as early as the tenth album, the villainous Silver Otto and future usurper The Emotion appear in the twelfth album, election drama dominates an infamous run of four albums from 1967, and the Plaid Knight first descends upon the island in 1968.

Election drama in Aquila the Last Eagle 42, The Frozen Mayor.

In the 70s, Daily, frustrated by the limitation of the island setting, takes the book back off the island for the first time since the end of the newspaper strip. An increased focus on serialisation and action betrays an increased American influence.

An action panel, from Aquila the Last Eagle 75, Intergalactic Conquerors!.

80s (animation?)

90s (game boy game?)

00s (soft reboot)

10s (harder reboot)