My 5 Favorite Comic Strips Ever

I've always been a huge fan of the Sunday funnies, but never liked the smaltzy crap like Family Circus or Peanuts. I get it already, the Sarge likes to physically assault Beetle Baily, Garfield hates Mondays but loves lasagna, Dennis is a smart mouth who needs his tail worn out and Ziggy gets dumped on daily. Enough. I've always been more a fan of the stuff that was a little more offbeat or creative. There are actually a couple running lately that give some of my old favorites a run for their money.

Here are my 5 favorite comic strips of all-time.

5. Pearls Before Swine
Creator: Stephan Pastis

At its heart, it's the comic strip tale of two friends: a megalomaniacal Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn't know any better. Together, this pair offers caustic commentary on humanity's quest for the unattainable. The title of the strip comes from the New Testament, and is taken from the phrase, "Don't cast your pearls before swine." In this case, Rat believes that he is an endless source of wisdom, and that it is wasted upon Pig, who is rather slow. In truth, neither of them is very smart, but while Pig is content with his humble status in life, Rat is always on a futile search for fame, riches and immortality. This is currently syndicated daily in thousands of newspapers and online.


4. Bloom County
Creator: Berkeley Breathed

Man how I miss this comic. It examined events in politics and culture through the lens of a fanciful small town in Middle America, where children have adult personalities (and vocabularies) and animals can talk. It starred characters like Opus the penguin, Bill the Cat, Milo Bloom and Portnoy the groundhog. Opus, Hodge Podge, and Bill once formed a heavy metal band called "Deathtöngue". It ran from December 8, 1980 until August 6, 1989.



3. The Far Side
Creator: Gary Larson

This was the original one-panel odd-ball syndicated comic in my opinion. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, or the search for meaning in life. The strip ran from January 1, 1980 to January 1, 1995 but many knockoffs still try to reach the level of greatness that was The Far Side. Few do with any regularity.



2. Get Fuzzy
Creator: Darby Conley

A wry portrait of single life, with pets. At the center of this warm and fuzzy romp is Rob Wilco, a single, mild-mannered ad executive and guardian of Bucky and Satchel. Bucky is a temperamental Siamese cat (is there any other kind?) who clearly wears the pants in this eccentric household. Satchel is a gentle Shar-pai pooch with a sensitive soul who tries to remain neutral, but frequently ends up on the receiving end of Bucky's mischief. Together, this unlikely trio endures all the trials and tribulations of a typical family... more or less. This strip is currently running and always good for a daily laugh. Sometimes poor Satchel and his expressions even break my heart. I still hold out hope that someday he will turn it loose and start just mauling Bucky Katt.



1. Calvin and Hobbes
Creator: Bill Watterson

I think this is still to this day the smartest, most creative comic ever written and it was just beautifully drawn. It followed the humorous antics of Calvin, an imaginative six-year old boy, and Hobbes, his energetic and sardonic—albeit stuffed—tiger. The pair are named after John Calvin, a 16th century French Reformation theologian, and Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century English political philosopher. These guys could philosophize on life better while screaming down a hillside in a wagon than most people achieve in a lifetime. The strip was syndicated daily from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995. Of note... contrary to the belief of most rednecks and their bumper stickers, Calvin doesn't whizz on everything they dislike.