Reviews of individual comics to help you decide which ones to read.
Created | Updated Jul 16, 2012
While almost nobody actually gets the paper anymore, most comic strips can be read online... for free. To introduce you to the world of comic strips, I have composed a review of several comic strips. Enjoy, and look into any that interest you.
Garfield- This comic strip is about a fat, lazy cat who lies around all day and does nothing and his dorky owner, Jon. Needless to say, the jokes are fairly limited. They tend to fall into one of the following categories:
1) Garfield eats a lot.
2)Garfield sleeps a lot.
3) Garfield hates Mondays.(as opposed to Thursdays)
4) Jon has no life.
Zits- This comic strip is about a teenage boy named Jeremy and his parents and friends. The jokes tend to be widely varied, but some of them, unfortunately, are not. These include:
1) Jeremy eats a lot.
2) Jeremy sleeps a lot.
3) Jeremy hates school days.
4) Teenagers don't know what's best for them.
In spite of these all-too-used lines of humor, reading Zits is often rewarding. While in many respects it misrepresents teenagers, it often is unique and funny.
Blondie- A comic strip about a guy with a bizarre hairdo named Dagwood, and his wife Blondie who also has an odd hairdo. This comic strip is 80 years old and written by the son of the original creator. The jokes, as listed, are limited.
1) Dagwood eats a lot.
2) Dagwood sleeps a lot.
3) Dagwood hates going to work.
4) Dagwood has a mean boss.
Not recommended for readers who wish to laugh.
Family Circus- At 50 years old, this is no new comic strip. It features one panel daily of one of the kids- Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and PJ, saying something "cute" or "funny" to the parents.
Pearls Before Swine- A new and "edgy" comic strip with an almost endless supply of black humor. The characters are:
Rat- A cynical, self centered rat (see name).
Pig- A sweet, often stupid pig.
Zebra- A zebra who has crocodile neighbors who keep trying to kill him. He also has lion next door neighbors who try to be friendly even if their wives might someday kill Zebra.
Goat- The one character who cares about political situations, very intelligent. The other characters tend to ignore him.
Crocs- Short for crocodiles, they are extremely stupid and are constantly dying.
Larry- A croc who is similar to the others. His wife Patty is constantly angry at him for his stupidity. (female crocs tend to be intelligent in the strip)
Junior- Larry and Patty's son (Croc of course). He is intelligent, caring, a vegetarian, and has a zebra girlfriend named Hope.
Guard Duck- A mentally unbalanced, violent, duck whose girlfriend has left him, and broken his heart, twice. Once saved Zebra from certain death. (you can guess)
Snuffles- Zebra's pet cat. Only says "meow" and looks like a furry rectangle with a face. He is constantly associating with terrorists and teaming up with Guard Duck.
Stephan Pastis- The creator of the comic strip, constantly humiliated by his characters.
This comic strip is strongly recommended. It almost always breaks down the forth wall; the characters are aware that they are comic strip characters.
Baby Blues- This comic strip is about a family of five. Most of the jokes are oriented around the cuteness or uniqueness of children, and should be most amusing to those with families of their own. The characters are not particularly distinct in personality, so there is no real need to go into details.
Cathy- The jokes in this comic strip fall into the following categories:
1) Dieting
2) Swimsuits
3)Trying to stay organized.
While there isn't any variation, the jokes are funny. The first time you see them used. After the fifth time, well...
Get Fuzzy- A comic strip heavy with dialogue that centers around Rob Wilco and his pets Bucky a mean cat and Satchel, a dog. Generally lacks the obvious cymbal crash punchline. It appeals to some but not others.
For Better or for Worse- A comic strip that does not attempt to be funny most of the time. Often there is no punchline. It follows the lives of several people, often taking weeks to make one point such as "April wants to be a veterinarian." Recently the cartoonist reached the end of her story, ran a Sunday comic strip explaining what happened to all the characters in the end, and started over the thirty years of comic.
Candorville- A comic strip that often focuses around issues like racism and politics, so not preferable to one who only wants light humor. The main characters include:
Lemont- A nerd who writes stuff for a paper and watches star trek.
Clyde- Doesn't have a job and steals stuff from Lemont, his friend.
Susan- Sensible, a little self centered.
I would recommend this for people who are oriented around politics, which make up nine out of ten of the jokes.
Luann- Once upon a time this comic strip focused mostly on teenager stuff, but now it seems to have expanded into climaxes, firefighters, and confusing love polygons. Not recommended for anyone who doesn't have time to read every single strip.
Garfield- This comic strip is about a fat, lazy cat who lies around all day and does nothing and his dorky owner, Jon. Needless to say, the jokes are fairly limited. They tend to fall into one of the following categories:
1) Garfield eats a lot.
2)Garfield sleeps a lot.
3) Garfield hates Mondays.(as opposed to Thursdays)
4) Jon has no life.
Zits- This comic strip is about a teenage boy named Jeremy and his parents and friends. The jokes tend to be widely varied, but some of them, unfortunately, are not. These include:
1) Jeremy eats a lot.
2) Jeremy sleeps a lot.
3) Jeremy hates school days.
4) Teenagers don't know what's best for them.
In spite of these all-too-used lines of humor, reading Zits is often rewarding. While in many respects it misrepresents teenagers, it often is unique and funny.
Blondie- A comic strip about a guy with a bizarre hairdo named Dagwood, and his wife Blondie who also has an odd hairdo. This comic strip is 80 years old and written by the son of the original creator. The jokes, as listed, are limited.
1) Dagwood eats a lot.
2) Dagwood sleeps a lot.
3) Dagwood hates going to work.
4) Dagwood has a mean boss.
Not recommended for readers who wish to laugh.
Family Circus- At 50 years old, this is no new comic strip. It features one panel daily of one of the kids- Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and PJ, saying something "cute" or "funny" to the parents.
Pearls Before Swine- A new and "edgy" comic strip with an almost endless supply of black humor. The characters are:
Rat- A cynical, self centered rat (see name).
Pig- A sweet, often stupid pig.
Zebra- A zebra who has crocodile neighbors who keep trying to kill him. He also has lion next door neighbors who try to be friendly even if their wives might someday kill Zebra.
Goat- The one character who cares about political situations, very intelligent. The other characters tend to ignore him.
Crocs- Short for crocodiles, they are extremely stupid and are constantly dying.
Larry- A croc who is similar to the others. His wife Patty is constantly angry at him for his stupidity. (female crocs tend to be intelligent in the strip)
Junior- Larry and Patty's son (Croc of course). He is intelligent, caring, a vegetarian, and has a zebra girlfriend named Hope.
Guard Duck- A mentally unbalanced, violent, duck whose girlfriend has left him, and broken his heart, twice. Once saved Zebra from certain death. (you can guess)
Snuffles- Zebra's pet cat. Only says "meow" and looks like a furry rectangle with a face. He is constantly associating with terrorists and teaming up with Guard Duck.
Stephan Pastis- The creator of the comic strip, constantly humiliated by his characters.
This comic strip is strongly recommended. It almost always breaks down the forth wall; the characters are aware that they are comic strip characters.
Baby Blues- This comic strip is about a family of five. Most of the jokes are oriented around the cuteness or uniqueness of children, and should be most amusing to those with families of their own. The characters are not particularly distinct in personality, so there is no real need to go into details.
Cathy- The jokes in this comic strip fall into the following categories:
1) Dieting
2) Swimsuits
3)Trying to stay organized.
While there isn't any variation, the jokes are funny. The first time you see them used. After the fifth time, well...
Get Fuzzy- A comic strip heavy with dialogue that centers around Rob Wilco and his pets Bucky a mean cat and Satchel, a dog. Generally lacks the obvious cymbal crash punchline. It appeals to some but not others.
For Better or for Worse- A comic strip that does not attempt to be funny most of the time. Often there is no punchline. It follows the lives of several people, often taking weeks to make one point such as "April wants to be a veterinarian." Recently the cartoonist reached the end of her story, ran a Sunday comic strip explaining what happened to all the characters in the end, and started over the thirty years of comic.
Candorville- A comic strip that often focuses around issues like racism and politics, so not preferable to one who only wants light humor. The main characters include:
Lemont- A nerd who writes stuff for a paper and watches star trek.
Clyde- Doesn't have a job and steals stuff from Lemont, his friend.
Susan- Sensible, a little self centered.
I would recommend this for people who are oriented around politics, which make up nine out of ten of the jokes.
Luann- Once upon a time this comic strip focused mostly on teenager stuff, but now it seems to have expanded into climaxes, firefighters, and confusing love polygons. Not recommended for anyone who doesn't have time to read every single strip.
