Kevin's Top Ten Syndicated Newspaper Comic Strips

If you know me, you know I like cartooning. If you know me well, you may know that being a syndicated comic strip cartoonist is pretty much my dream job. You may not be as into the comics page of the newspaper as I am, but I think everyone enjoys perusing through the funnies every now and then. Many of the currently syndicated strips have been around for decades and are no longer done by the original artists/writers so the comics have gotten a reputation for being corny and dry. Also, some of them (*cough* Garfield) just are plain unfunny. So here is a list of my favorite newspaper comic strips, that you may want to check out if you are looking for quality cartooning and writing. Some of these strips may not be available in your local newspapers so you may not be familiar with them, but I still suggest you check them out. You'll notice that all of my favorites are more recent strips from the eighties and beyond. I like some of the older strips as well, like Beetle Bailey and Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, but I much more greatly appreciate the edgier and more intriguing comics of the new era.

10. Calvin and Hobbes
Like the international phenomenon Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes is another classic comic strip that has broken into the mainstream arena. I like it better than Peanuts because of its consistent wit and social awareness.



9. Non Sequitur
Non Sequitur is one of the first strips I became a fan of. I believe it is the first comic strip that made me laugh out loud. True to its name, Non Sequitur switches back and forth between random one-shot editorial comics and a continuous storyline featuring the popular protagonist, Danae and her pet horse, Lucy.

8. Foxtrot
Despite the fact that it began in the 80's, Foxtrot remains notedly "current". While Beetle Bailey is still wearing 1950's era army uniforms, the characters in Foxtrot are watching Harry Potter movies and fiddling with their iPods. Bill Amend, it's creator, must be some kind of geek, as nerd-jokes are commonly found in the strip. It makes this list because it is consistently humorous and almost never corny.

7. Rose is Rose
I originally got into Rose is Rose after reading some old collections and noticing the amazing artwork.
 The original drawing for Rose is Rose are by far my favorite artwork in any comic strip. The dynamic drawings and exaggerated features of the characters really pop off of the page. Now that everything is done completely digitally, the strip has lost a good bit of its flair. I still love Rose is Rose though because it's just so darn cute. It's one of the few comic strips (or fictional mediums of any sort) where the characters are all happy and in love.



6. Zits
Zits has amazing artwork and is hilarious. Wikipedia tells me that it's writer, Jerry Scott is 55 years old. Despite this, he has a dead-on impression of both what its like to be a teenager in todays world, and what it's like to be a parent of a teenager. It's one of those "it's funny because it's true" strips. Zits is also notable for its abstract visualizations of the characters' feelings through surreal exaggeration in the artwork. I love it.

5. The Far Side
Gary Larson mastered the art of the single panel comic strip. It's done, he's got the title. Dennis the Menace, move over. Marmaduke, take a seat. The Far Side wins. The jokes are so clever and timeless and Larson's use of animals for most of his characters only adds to the humor.

4. F Minus
F Minus is a strip that I stumbled upon randomly and it's here for one reason and one reason alone. It is friggin' brilliantly hilarious--and consistently at that. I don't know how Tony Carillo comes up with his ideas, but they are so far out, yet brilliant and often laugh out loud funny.



3. The Boondocks
All the strips in the top 5 are there mainly because they make me laugh out loud on a consistent basis. The Boondocks is no exception. But The Boondocks is also notable for its spot-on satire of the current events during the time of its run. Sadly this comic strip is no more, and Aaron Mcgruder has taken his characters to the small screen. The show, while hilarious, doesn't have the same political voice and smart humor that the strip did, however.

2. Pearls Before Swine
Pearls Before Swine is one of the most daring and in your face comic strips around. It's also side-splitting. I don't even know how Stephan Pastis gets away with some of the stuff he's gotten away with in this strip. Pearls Before Swine is an interesting strip because its characters routinely break the fourth wall--they know they're characters in a comic strip. Pastis is also know for making fun of older, cornier strips (like Garfield).



1. Dilbert
Dilbert is a very crudely drawn strip. Scott Adams doesn't compare to many of the other artists on this list when it comes to drawing ability. Luckily for him, he's a genius at writing jokes. No comic strip has made me laugh as much as Dilbert. The dry dialogue of its wacky repertoire of characters is so brilliantly written and has made me laugh long and hard many times before.



Honorable Mentions: Mutts, Heathcliff, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, Get Fuzzy, Peanuts, Baby Blues