Wombatwarlord777
"...What?"
This is totally copied and pasted from the DeviantArt forums, but I want to hear what you guys think and don't want to retype this ridiculously long post.
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis (http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine) is probably my favorite comic strip still in circulation today. It's topical, edgy and probably the closest equivalent to South Park the funny pages will ever see. And while the humor is usually dark and all the characters are flawed, the cast is also readily relatable. In that sense, Pastis has achieved a great balance.
On the other hand, Mutts by Patrick McDonnell (http://muttscomics.com/) is perhaps the most artistically rich comic still running today. McDonnell has a great, loose style and his Sunday recreations of famous art pieces are always a joy. The overt environmentalism is a bit grating in my opinion, and the jokes aren't always cerebrally satisfying, but the overal nature of Mutts is much more playful than it is intelligent. It's a delightful comic overall.
Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson (http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac/) is interesting. When the strip first starting appearing in our area's paper, I disliked it, thinking that the writing and artwork were lazy. Since then, Cul de Sac has really grown on me. The writing is doesn't follow the conventional standards of building up a punch line, and feels more like a natural if mapcap conversation between the characters, making the comic feel satisfying throughout. And the sketchy, childlike artwork fits the tone of the strip near perfectly. I guess I should also mention that Thompson is a great watercolor painter, and employs that skills into his comic in the first Cul de Sac book.
Other comics I like include:
Liberty Meadows, by Frank Cho (http://www.libertymeadows.com/uncens.htm) (this guy has his anatomy down. His women are especially impressive)
Non Sequitur, by Wiley (http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/) (Wiley is a great political/social humorist and his storylines and charactizations are so removed from what you expect)
Lio, by Mark Tatulli (http://www.gocomics.com/lio/) (gets points for its great visual gags, almost entirely without written dialogue)
Dilbert, by Scott Adams (http://www.dilbert.com/) (Adams has a great understanding of the darker and more absurd side of human existance)
The Boondocks, by Aaron McGruder (http://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2009/10/11/) (McGruder filled the comic niche of black social / political interests superbly. I had my doubts that the comic would have enough source material to last for more than a few years, but in retrospect that's shortsighted)
Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Waterson (http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/) (THE best comic strip ever. Enough said)
Bloom Country (and, what the hell, Outland and Opus), by Berkeley Breathed (http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/pages/favorite_strips.asp) (The dialogue in this comic usually feels like a train wreck, but in a good way)
Peanuts, by Charles Schultz (http://comics.com/peanuts) (it's really, really hard not to like Peanuts)
Life in Hell, by Matt Groening (http://profron.net/fun/LifeInHell_Prozak.gif) (Groening is such a wonderful wordsmith)
Well, that's it. So, what are your favorite comic strips, and why? Feel free to include either newspaper or web-comics. My apologies if there's a recent topic like this.
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis (http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine) is probably my favorite comic strip still in circulation today. It's topical, edgy and probably the closest equivalent to South Park the funny pages will ever see. And while the humor is usually dark and all the characters are flawed, the cast is also readily relatable. In that sense, Pastis has achieved a great balance.
On the other hand, Mutts by Patrick McDonnell (http://muttscomics.com/) is perhaps the most artistically rich comic still running today. McDonnell has a great, loose style and his Sunday recreations of famous art pieces are always a joy. The overt environmentalism is a bit grating in my opinion, and the jokes aren't always cerebrally satisfying, but the overal nature of Mutts is much more playful than it is intelligent. It's a delightful comic overall.
Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson (http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac/) is interesting. When the strip first starting appearing in our area's paper, I disliked it, thinking that the writing and artwork were lazy. Since then, Cul de Sac has really grown on me. The writing is doesn't follow the conventional standards of building up a punch line, and feels more like a natural if mapcap conversation between the characters, making the comic feel satisfying throughout. And the sketchy, childlike artwork fits the tone of the strip near perfectly. I guess I should also mention that Thompson is a great watercolor painter, and employs that skills into his comic in the first Cul de Sac book.
Other comics I like include:
Liberty Meadows, by Frank Cho (http://www.libertymeadows.com/uncens.htm) (this guy has his anatomy down. His women are especially impressive)
Non Sequitur, by Wiley (http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/) (Wiley is a great political/social humorist and his storylines and charactizations are so removed from what you expect)
Lio, by Mark Tatulli (http://www.gocomics.com/lio/) (gets points for its great visual gags, almost entirely without written dialogue)
Dilbert, by Scott Adams (http://www.dilbert.com/) (Adams has a great understanding of the darker and more absurd side of human existance)
The Boondocks, by Aaron McGruder (http://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2009/10/11/) (McGruder filled the comic niche of black social / political interests superbly. I had my doubts that the comic would have enough source material to last for more than a few years, but in retrospect that's shortsighted)
Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Waterson (http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/) (THE best comic strip ever. Enough said)
Bloom Country (and, what the hell, Outland and Opus), by Berkeley Breathed (http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/pages/favorite_strips.asp) (The dialogue in this comic usually feels like a train wreck, but in a good way)
Peanuts, by Charles Schultz (http://comics.com/peanuts) (it's really, really hard not to like Peanuts)
Life in Hell, by Matt Groening (http://profron.net/fun/LifeInHell_Prozak.gif) (Groening is such a wonderful wordsmith)
Well, that's it. So, what are your favorite comic strips, and why? Feel free to include either newspaper or web-comics. My apologies if there's a recent topic like this.
