Those were the two I was debating between. But, though C&H was more consistently brilliant, Peanuts wins points for longevity, for breadth, for being there first (and influencing C&H), and for being, as you say, iconic.
I went with Peanuts for the same reasons you gave in the OP even though I probably got more enjoyment out of Calvin & Hobbes.
I wasn’t a big Peanuts fan until I read the amazing autobiography of Schulz by David Michaelis. It framed the strip in a new light for me and I gained a much greated appreciation for what he was doing with it. If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it.
Calvin and Hobbes, by a mile.
.
This, by another mile.
My wife will heartily disagree (she might as well have a Peanuts nativity), and the Far Side probably shaped more of my sense of humor than any other comic. But, Pogo taught me more about the world as a child without letting me know about it than any other, and is still entertaining to re-read, so it wins my vote.
“We have me the enemy - and he is us”
Calvin and Hobbes.
Bloom County was brilliant as well, but nowadays somehow seems much more of a period piece. It was much more closely tied to local politcal issues such as the US conservative revival of the 1980s, and I suspect it helped that revival.
Oh, and Asterix beats Tintin hands down. 
Peanuts. It makes me laugh, cry, nod with recognition and empathy, and admire the depth of emotive facial expressions that Schulz could convey with two dots, a curve and a line. Schulz’s dark sense of humor – sometimes even bleak humor – is right up my alley. Despite that, there was always a sweetness there, too. An amazing combo.
I greatly enjoyed Calvin and Hobbes too, but for me it didn’t do anything that Peanuts didn’t already do, and better, at least to my taste. Peanuts spoke to me more poignantly, and made me laugh more. Peanuts’ humor during its golden years was verbal, psychological and character-based, where I felt Calvin took most of its humor in Calvin’s bratty/trouble-making/fantasizing behavior, which – with some notable exceptions like the famous dead bird / lost Hobbes arcs – seemed kinda one-note to me, though definitely funny.
Maybe my appreciation of Peanuts is 'cause I first started reading it as a tot in the early '70s, which included reading the Fawcett compilations of the '50s - '60s strips. These were its best years. Anyone whose primary exposure to the strip came later, say in the '80s or '90s, was seeing the strip in its downward spiral. Which is a shame but inevitable. C&H has the advantage for maintaining its high quality for a few brief years and then retiring at a high. There are no dud years to lessen people’s appreciation of the strip – a very wise and astonishingly disciplined decision from Bill Watterson.
While I went with C&H, I wouldn’t necessarily rank it much above either of the two latter of your suggestions, were it not for the nostalgia aspect. Get Fuzzy and PBS are both consistently hilarious.
What th’ – no Mark Trail? Big-sideburned poachers everywhere are weeping.
Seriously though, I voted for C&H. Until the newspapers quit shrinking the comics to the size of postage stamps, there will never be another strip with artwork like this one.
So many choices!
In the end, C&H edged out The Far Side and Bloom County.
With life in hell, I must warn you, I have a… unique sense of humour.
As for Calvin and Hobbes, I started to read the comic when I WAS Calvin’s age. In re-reading it today, I now know that I never fully understood the deeper layers of awesomeness of the comic, but I still loved it as a child. It was great, I understood the basics to all the jokes and loved it.
I, often, pretended to be spaceman spliff with the neighbourhood kids and I would transmogrify into many different beings; I also loved to make those ghastly deformed snowmen on my parents lawn every winter. My parents hated them, but they were the permissive type to just let me do whatever I wanted creatively. Plus it kept my out of the house…
When Calvin and Hobbes ended I moved on to Foxtrot and Jason was my new hero. Just like Jason did, I would draw my very own comic book (with a good friend) and we would load them up, starring people we knew in funny situations. Ahhhhh good memories…
Thanks to my local library I also got a hold of other comics like Tintin(I loved the tv show too), Astrix/Obelisk, but my favourite one was life in hell. It was nothing like I had ever seen in comics…
Another vote for Spaceman Spiff.
I am quite concerned about Sassy!
Calvin & Hobbes.
Not even close.
I agree with this, and would point out that Watterson is a fantastic pen & ink artist. His Sunday strips were often works of art. I also love that he never sold out and licensed his characters. You’ll only find Calvin & Hobbes in the comics. And I admire him for quitting at the top of his game instead of slowly dribbling off into mediocrity or retiring and assigning his strip to a committee of subordinates.
For me, the tough choice was between Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County. But while Bloom County made me think more, Calvin and Hobbes was funnier, and ultimately I need to defer to the humor.
Peanuts certainly has a place in history, and deserves it, for the influence it had on all comic strips to follow. But though they may have been standing on the shoulders of a giant, many later comics have seen further.
You are a scholar and a gentleman for including **Krazy Kat ** on your list. Ahead of its time when published, and, judging from the votes, still ahead of its time.
What? You mean to tell me that this isn’t official?!
What’s this world comin’ ta?
I voted for Calvin and Hobbes, though *Peanuts *and *Bloom County *are high up on my list too.
One I didn’t see on the list but that I think will be on a lot of people’s lists if it keeps up for a few more years, is Frazz. Smart, literate–almost *Calvin and Hobbes *2.0 but with its own individual style. Love it!
I am completely mystified by what anyone sees in *Pogo *or Krazy Kat. I know they have a lot of fans and that’s cool, but both strips go right over my head. I just don’t think they’re interesting/funny at all.
And Life in Hell? Seriously? It might have been good when it started, but Groening’s been phoning it in for years.
I just discovered that my four-and-a-half year old loves Calvin and Hobbes. This kind of worries me … 