It typically contained four panels, the first a simple black panel with a caricature of creator Asmussen and the slogan "The lies behind the truth, and the truth behind those lies that are behind that truth". The remaining three panels were spoofs (parodies) of newspaper articles containing a mock-up of a prominent newspaper masthead (such as the Chronicle or The New York Times), a headline, a simulated photograph, and a short text introduction or lead. Images were often obviously doctored file photographs or images from recent newspapers. Often there were humorous sidebars and other graphics.
The strip grew out of an earlier effort for the paper titled The San Francisco Comic Strip. Its first topic was the recall of Governor Gray Davis in 2003. It then covered the 2004 presidential election and subsequent events.
