Favorite (and least favorite) newspaper comics

[J_Dee]

I read the comics in the local paper and sometimes the LHL about every day until I was 17 (after I graduated high school, I never subscribed to the papers like my parents and grandparent did).

The Far Side, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, and Bloom County/Outland are my favorites. I have all of the Bloom County collections.

Anybody else used to read 'em (or still in the habit)?

I need this shirt.

edit: oh god... I just realized that if I wore that, kids today would probably look at me like I looked at hippies who wore Ziggy shirts in the '80s.

 

[DoubleSecretProbation]

Pickles

 

[Popquiz81]

That c word Nancy.

 

[funKYcat75]

The Far Side is the best. Calvin and Hobbes a close second.

Family Circus was/is absolute shlock.

Haven’t looked at the comics (or a newspaper, for that matter) in a few years. Have the parents in For Better or For Worse divorced or died yet?

 

[BCD]

The Far Side — by far. Beware of Doug

 

[gamecockcat]

Far Side
Calvin and Hobbes
Dilbert (having worked in a cubicle farm, it's hilarious and too true)
Bloom County

Least
Family Circus
Blonde
Cathy
And many others

 

[J_Dee]

I've never seen Pickles but I'll check it out.

I'm in an Ernie Bushmiller Nancy fan group on Twitter.

Spoiler

And yeah I agree with yinz that The Family Circus sucks, but the Dysfunctional Family Circus is awesome. XD

Spoiler

 

[entropy13]

Bloom County/Outland
The Far Side
Calvin and Hobbes

In that order. Later on, could definitely add Dilbert to that list, though I don't think it overlapped time-wise. I still have a Dilbert desk calendar each year; helps keep me (mostly) sane. Everything else was mostly trash.

This particular Far Side cartoon has stuck with me for some reason.

 

[K86]

Bloom County, Dilbert, Garfield, Zits, Far Side.

 

[BC_Wader]

Favorite-Dilbert, Far Side
Hate- Rex Morgan, MD

 

[Glenn's take]

Ziggy

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Favorite, The Far Side. Because it’s funny.

Least favorite, lots of them. Family Circus, Marmaduke, The Wizard of Id, Cathy, to name a few. Because they’re not at all funny.

 

[Ron Mehico]

God Family Circus was a nightmare. Andy Capp, despite his delicious fries, completely sucked too.

 

[GeraldV]

Like everyone else in their 40's, my favorites are Bloom County, Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes.

There are two 'new' comics I follow when I can. Get Fuzzy is pretty great. And Pearls Before Swine is pretty killer as well.

 

[Glenn's take]

This is a sports site. No love for Tank McNamara?

 

[august-west]

Zits is the best comic out there, by far my favorite. Also like Pickles, Far Side, Bloom County, Pearls Before Swine, Bizzaro World, Baby Blues just to name a few

 

[WildcatFan1982]

Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, Pearls before Swine, and the Boondocks are the ones I always liked reading. I like Dilbert too. But I don't even remember the last time I actually read the comics in the paper.

 

[UnfrozenCatfanLawyer]

Hard to beat Mary Worth imo. Nosy bitch.

 

[christophero]

The Far Side and Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. But I haven't read a paper in years. I don't like Garfield or Ziggy.

 

[DreadLox]

Best: the tragically short-lived Cul de Sac, Doonesbury, Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side

It's unfair to single out bad ones because I didn't give the ones that put me off more than a couple of reads to begin with. People like Bloom County, but I couldn't get past its imitation Doonesbury drawing style. I think Li'l Abner was popular 60 years ago, but its was just disappearing as I started reading comics and it was incomprehensible to me. Pogo has been praised as the best ever, but it was gibberish way back when because I didn't get the topical references.

Some series were mock-worthy. Like the soap strips. Rex Morgan MD. It typically had one box that was just Rex making some comically overly serious statement. Soap Operas on the radio often had a solo organ as a sound track. A character would make a Big Statement and the organ would go nuts. Rex Morgan. One Box Classics.

Some series were simply from another era. Mark Trail. Nancy. Steve Canyon. They were un-funny or stupid or un-dramatic. I couldn't imagine who their audience was supposed to be. I haven't really read comics in recent years so I'm useless for contemporary stuff.

 

[UnfrozenCatfanLawyer]

Saw a (homemade?) bumper sticker yesterday that read, “this Christian mom HATES Garfield.” Had no clue what to make of that.

 

[Glenn's take]

Saw a (homemade?) bumper sticker yesterday that read, “this Christian mom HATES Garfield.” Had no clue what to make of that.

I think it’s just a lasagna thing.

 

[UnfrozenCatfanLawyer]

Next to it was one that said “this mom is against vaping.” Maybe Garfield vapes?

 

[christophero]

Maybe she's a dog person.

 

[Blueisbest]

No mention of Gil Thorp.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Saw a (homemade?) bumper sticker yesterday that read, “this Christian mom HATES Garfield.” Had no clue what to make of that.

I’ve read that some xians have a problem with Garfield because the creator will not say whether the cat is male or female. I’ve always assumed he was male, after hearing him portrayed by voiceover actor, Lorenzo Music, in the animated TV series.

Xians sure have lots of hangups over gender identity, don’t they? Even if it’s a cartoon character. Lol!

 

[JDHoss]

No mention of Gil Thorp.

It's almost time for the Playdowns. What do you think about the Mudlarks chances this year?

 

[JDHoss]

The Far Side - The G.O.A.T.

The rest of my favorites....

In the Bleachers
Tank McNamara
Non Sequitur
Bloom Co
Dilbert
Pooch Cafe
Tundra
Calvin & Hobbes
Bizzaro World
Get Fuzzy
Gil Thorp - Just to see how the Mudlarks are doing.

The worst...
Gasoline Alley
L'il Abner
Nancy
Family Circus
Garfield
Marmaduke
Hagar the Horrible (aptly named)
Wizard of Id
Blondie
Mary Worth
Rex Morgan
Mark Trail (and I love the outdoors)
Beetle Bailey

 

[nerdcat]

Haven’t seen anybody mention Peanuts, like or dislike. I’ve never understood it’s universal appeal. Charles Schultz depression seeped out in almost every character, except Snoopy and Woodstock.

 

[DreadLox]

The worst...
Gasoline Alley

My father called all of us "Skeezix" when he couldn't remember our names. For years I didn't know who Skeezix was until I got a huge collection of ancient comic strips for a birthday present. Gasoline Alley was ok. Very odd pacing, though.

Your list reminded me of one that hasn't been mentioned because it ended long before we all started reading. Thimble Theater. That's the strip that Popeye came out of.


(I just checked up on Thimble Theater. I'm wrong: it's still going!! The original artist -- EC Segar -- died in 1938 and the strip has passed on to other artists. )

 

[Popquiz81]

Beatle Bailey hated ‘Murica lazy son of a bitch

 

[WildcatFan1982]

Beatle Bailey hated ‘Murica lazy son of a bitch

I remember at some point around 2005 someone wrote to the Herald Leader saying that comic was so bad he hoped Beetle Bailey got sent to Iraq and stepped on an IED

 

[Popquiz81]

I remember at some point around 2005 someone wrote to the Herald Leader saying that comic was so bad he hoped Beetle Bailey got sent to Iraq and stepped on an IED

I was always holding out hope he’d die in Vietnam.

 

[Lexie's Dad]

I’ve read that some xians have a problem with Garfield because the creator will not say whether the cat is male or female. I’ve always assumed he was male, after hearing him portrayed by voiceover actor, Lorenzo Music, in the animated TV series.

Xians sure have lots of hangups over gender identity, don’t they? Even if it’s a cartoon character. Lol!

FFS, ginger cats are genetically more likely to be male. And Jim Davis said he was a boy here - https://comicsalliance.com/garfield-gender-non-binary/

I loved comics as a kid. I'd read all of them. My local paper had double comics on Fridays since there was no Saturday edition (when I was young). I would get so jealous of other cities when we traveled and their papers had better comics.

Family Circus sucked. Calvin and Hobbes, Far Side, Bloom County were great.

 

[Kooky Kats]

Doonesbury… did anyone read that? Reminded me of Jim Boeheim. Pass.

 

[JumperJack]

No newspaper but Bazooka Joe has delighted thousands and made dentists rich.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

Doonesbury… did anyone read that? Reminded me of Jim Boeheim. Pass.

I always thought Doonesbury was a bunch of miserable hippies.

 

[JDHoss]

No newspaper but Bazooka Joe has delighted thousands and made dentists rich.

I hadn't thought about Bazooka Joe in years. That was a staple for trick or treaters when I was a kid.

 

[wildcatwelder]

Yeah, Far Side is the G.O.A.T, no question.

Really, there wasn't any other comic I sought out back in the day except The Far Side.

 

[812scottj]

Hahaha, Rex…I’m going to the vet to get tutored - Far Side….laughed at that one for decades now