This is a traditional lithograph. That is the drawing was made on Bavarian limestone and copies made by printing. But if you just try making a drawing and inking the stone, you'll end up with a block of Bavarian limestone covered in ink. So to make a lithograph, you have to prepare the stone so that the image will take ink but the rest of the stone doesn't.
But if you pick up a book and read a description of why lithography works, then it's easy to respond as did Captain Mephisto's assistant did when Captain Mephisto explained how the Secret Transforming Machine turned a normal 1940's businessman into an evil, robust pirate and back again. But to avoid that embarrassment, CooperToons will attempt an explanation of the chemistry of lithography which you can read in a new series of windows if you just click here.
Then you can honestly say,
"I understand."
The Invention of Lithography, Alois Senefelder (L. W. Muller, Translator), English Reprint of 1818 German Publication, Fuchs and Lang, 1911. Some people doubt lithography was discovered by writing a laundry list on a bit of stone, but here Alois himself tells the story.
Stone Lithography, Paul Croft, Watson-Guptill, 2003. A modern text.
Manhunt of Mystery Island, Republic Pictures, released in shorter form as Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine.