What is, or maybe was, your favorite (syndicated) comic strip?

I love Doonesbury, but I read it online.

Foxtrot. It makes me sad that it’s now Sunday only, because the story arcs were the best. It was like XKCD before XKCD.

Calvin and Hobbes.

It was funny, because I read those when I was little, and skipped the strips with too much text, so I could check out the more simple stuff, like when Calvin’s dinner attacks him. Later as I got older though, I read the more complicate ones, and I marveled…at one time, I even wanted to start my own comic strip…I’m an old bitch now, but to this day, I learn something new everytime I go through the series. It’s a wonderful comic, and fuck anyone who thinks otherwise.

Anyways I have no idea what a syndicated comic is, but I’m sure Bill could make a fun joke about the irony of that.

I think Get Fuzzy is kind of funny. To be honest, most syndicated comics seem kind of stale to me. Considering that many of them are now on second or third generation artists or a team actually writes them—I think there is a lot less creativity in those comics than there used to be.

The Comics Curmudgeon blog has made syndicated comics much more fun for me. The site maintainer has a snarky sense of humor that makes me appreciate even the most lackluster comics like Family Circus and Marmaduke.

http://joshreads.com/

I like Peanuts
I was sad when Charles Schultz passed but he left his comics, and holiday cartoons. So I’m good.

I always loved Garfield the best, then those awful movies went and ruined it all.

Bloom County

Berkley Breathed was a genius. Opus the Penguin; Bill the Cat; Steve and the gang…great stuff.

I agree with @Symbeline, Calvin and Hobbes is my personal favourite.

It’s a tie between Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County. So much laughter over those ever since I was a kid.

I have all of the Calvin and Hobbes books, and my daughter started reading them last year. I’d hear her back in her room, laughing her butt off. I still get the urge to make crazy Calvin-style snowmen every time it snows.

And Bill the Cat…ack! I used to have Bloom County books too, but somewhere along my travels in life they disappeared. Now I’m going to have to start collecting them again!

Oh, and The Far Side! How could I nearly forget that one?

I think Doonesbury would have to be my all-time favorite. I used to get my news from it. But back when (way back when), I used to love the dramatic series: Judge Parker, Mary Worth, Rex Morgan, M.D., Steve Roper (and Mike Nomad), Apartment 3-G. And long before Doonesbury and Peanuts, it was Li’l Abner.

You said “comic strip,” which to me means an episode with panels (the strip), unlike The Far Side, which was single-panel and hence a cartoon. If you meant to include cartoons, I would certainly have Gary Larson on my list.

@Jeruba Technically, you’re right. I did struggle a bit with the wording of the question. What I was going for was the kind of “cartoon,” either single of multiple panel, that used to be found almost exclusively in newspapers or magazines. I didn’t use “cartoon” because I thought that could be confused with animated cartoons and I didn’t use “comic” because I thought that could be confused with comic books; so… I settled on ”(syndicated) comic strip” though I wasn’t quite satisfied with that wording of the question either.

As personal favorites, I’d have to choose The Far Side or Calvin & Hobbes, in that order.

Calvin & Hobbes. I love that kid. he reminds me of me.

Yeah… me too.

Calvin and Hobbes. I could read his books all day and laugh my ass off. I have my own kids now and often feel like his parents. Bloom County The Far Side.