Impromptu comics survey

It's that quiet time here at the ol' You Write the Caption blog -- that dead zone where the cartoon caption entry deadline has passed but the new winner won't be announced until Friday.  This might be a good time for the You Write the Caption Community to do a little sharing -- specifically about what our favorite comic strips are.  You may have noticed this has become a hot topic of conversation in our editorial page's Buzz column.  Folks can use the space here to expand on their feelings if they wish.

So, to get things started, I'll start with mine.  It may give you new insights in what I think is funny -- info that could either help you win, or realize you will never understand my warped sense of humor.  And vice versa, of course, when you tell me yours.

No surprise to anyone, of course, is my number one pick,  Garry Trudeau's 'Doonesbury':

But the strip that makes me actually laugh out loud, almost every day, is a relative new-comer on the comics scene -- Darby Conley's 'Get Fuzzy':

And I think Stephan Pastis' 'Pearls Before Swine' is genius:

And even though he's been dissed in the Observer's 'Buzz' column lately, Judge Parker is good, campy fun, especially since the artistic chores have been taken over by Eduardo Barreto!

But now it's YOUR turn!  You write the survey:  What are your favorite strips?  Just click on the 'Comments' link below to leave your answers.

Comments

[Authority]

The best comics are web-exclusive content these days. The printed paper is a dying medium. I personally like xkcd.com the best.

[Candy]

I also love Get Fuzzy. That's the only strip that makes me laugh out loud. Doonesbury and its highly liberal bent wore out its welcome a long time ago. Dennis the Menace and Family Circle need to go; the kids in reality would have grown up and moved out ages ago. Not everyone finds kids' antics funny, not even a little. Most of the rest I don't read because they're just not funny. I don't know how some of these writers keep their jobs, because their material is just not funny, or even interesting. If any strip could come back from oblivion, it should be Dilbert.

While you're at it, can you do anything to remove the half page of ads attached to Sunday's comics? They don't belong there and drive me nuts every Sunday.

[CW]

It's almost shorter to list the ones I don't like, but here goes. I enjoy Lio, Non-Sequitur, Pickles, and Zits, and of course, Doonesbury. I still enjoy FBOFW, though miss the artwork since she semi-retired. I miss seeing Curtis and a single panel comic that I can't remember the name of. The W-S Journal carries it, so I get to see it occasionally at my in-laws.

[Kernunnos1367]

Lio for sure, as well as a number of comics that the Observer does not have, but you can find online, or on other newspaper websites. Comics like Foxtrot (classic and the new Sundays), Calvin and Hobbes (Classics), Bloom County, and Liberty Meadows. All of those, while no longer published, are still sometimes better than some of the comics that are available now.

Read Speedbump, or Bizzaro. Both get me laughing every day. As well as reading the Phantom for the past 25 years.

But I tend to agree with the first poster. There are a lot of just online comics that are great-Kevin and Kell, GPF, or the best one, Sluggy Freelance.

[Steven]

Not a fan of Doonesbury at all. I still find myself missing Calvin & Hobbes.

PVP Online (pvponline.com) happens to be one of my all time favorites...

Get Fuzzy is amusing as well.

[Brigolf67]

Doonesbury is fine only it needs to be placed in the editorial section. Asheville Citizen Times puts it there.

[grader]

I personally thing Pearls Before Swine is the best. Getting the daily calendar is the best move there. There are very few days where it doesn't draw a good laugh, and Pastis does a great job of incorporating random things, including poking fun at his own cartoon strip and other popular ones.

[LB]

Anybody ever check out the Comics Curmudgeon? It's an often funny blog about the comics.
http://joshreads.com/

[Brian]

Best: Get Fuzzy, Lio, Dilbert

Good: Baby Blues, Jump Start, Pearls, Doonesbury, FBOFW, Zits, Pickles.

Bad: Non Sequitur, Frazz, Hagar, F Minus

Should be retired to make way for next generation: B.C., Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace

[dubs]

Hands down Clavin & Hobbes.

Internet winner - xkcd

[Don White]

Favs: Zits, Judge Parker, Rex Morgan, Beetle Bailey, Frazz, Hagar, For Better or For Worse

Can't Stands: Doonesbury,Pearls, Lio, FMinus

[KLB]

I prefer Dilbert because it so accurately (and sadly) reflects US Corporate culture.

[Tim]

Calvin & Hobbes.
Always makes me want to see more through a child's perspective. And who can argue with a talking tiger?

The Boondocks.
Sociopolitical commentary at is finest.

[Rafael]

Ever since Calvin & Hobbes and The Far Side stopped running comics have gone downhill. There's just no creativity nowadays. The writing has been horrible. The only ones I ever read now are Zits, Baby Blues, and Outland. Non Sequitar use to be really good too until he started those stupid stories about that annoying little girl Danae. I wish Bill Watterson would make a comeback... sigh...

[Bill Palian]

Peanuts will always be #1 with me.
Pickles, Get Fuzzy, Pearls before Swine, Baby Blues and Zits are must reads.

[Don]

Favorites: 1. Dilbert (social commentary - after 35 years of corporate life I still see Dilbert at work every day); 2. Doonesbury (political commentary); 3. Pickles (social reality check - we see our grandparents, parents, GASP - ourselves); 4. B.C.; 5. Li'l Abner Classics (we have met the enemy and he is us).

[Mike]

A: Get Fuzzy, Pearls
A-: Dilbert, Lio, Foxtrot
B: Zits, Pickles, Non Sequiter, Baby Blues

Sometimes FBOFW puts a smile on my face, especially since I grew up at about the same age as the "Michael" character, so I related a lot to it.

I'm sure there are other great strips out there, and given the raves for xkcd in these comments I definitely need to check it out. I'm sure there are plenty of people who still read old strips like BC and Family Circus, so I can't really say they should be retired, but I don't really find them funny.

Like many of these commenters, I really miss Calvin & Hobbes. I loved it so much, I cut out the last original strip he did out of the paper and framed it. I still have it sitting on a coffee table.

[U.N. Owen]

* Calvin & Hobbes
* Dilbert
* The Far Side
* Non Sequitur

[Ed]

Get Fuzzy, Mutts

[Ken]

No wonder Kevin and I don't see eye-to-eye on his weekly challenge; I'm not impressed with his choice of comics either. To each his own.

Mine: Foxtrot, FBOFW, Calvin/Hobbes reruns, Dilbert, Baby Blues. F Minus has some good days too.

[Ken]

Wait, How could I forget Pickles!

[Harry Singleton]

First of all, a blank space on the comics page would be better than F Minus and I don`t get the big fuss about Get Fuzzy.
Dilbert is still a classic, hard hitting satire. For Better or For Worse is far better than most and doesn`t get the credit it deserves. Non Sequiter can be brilliant. Some of the golden oldies have run their course but they are still light years ahead of F Minus.

[Jay Morgan]

Pearls before Swine is brilliant, but I don't understand why people dislike F Minus and Lio so much. Also, why does the Family Circus or Blondie still exist?

[Martin Kvasnak]

I love Dilbert. Some of it so close to reality in the business world that it is scary. Also, I really enjoy Pearls Before Swine.

[James R. Gaultney]

There is also User Friendly

at http://www.userfriendly.org/static/

(for the computer nerds, anyway)