Buzz Sawyer ain’t bad. 
I don’t know what year the “killer snow goons” came out, but here in Topeka we had a really heavy snowfall while the strip series was going on. I built a snow goon in my parent’s back yard. Along one side of the yard there’s a sidewalk leading to a nearby elementary school. So the snow goon was right out there in full view. Two heads, three arms, an awful scowl on it’s face. A young woman leading a young kid came by, stopped and looked at my creation, and actually recognized it for what it was.
“Oh! You’re building a snow goon!” It made my day.
You left out Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, BC, Sad Sack (in Yank), and The Wizard if Id. Not to mention Prince Valiant.
Meh.
Prince Valiant is cool.
All great strips, though not as good as Calvin and Hobbes in my book – except for Prince Valiant, but I’ve always had a hard time thinking of *PV *as a comic strip. It’s an illustrated story. To me, that’s an entirely different medium.
Agreed, but I’ve read very few Buz Sawyer strips, so I can’t judge it fairly. I’ve only seen individual strips in books on comics history. I’ve never read a full story arc.
Truly one of the best lines in literature (possibly the one most applicable to my daily life), and from probably the best comic ever.
comics kingdom has reruns.
Thanks! I’ll check it out.
I found the drawings of WWII aircraft cool when I was a child.
He is working for an oil company in the currently run strips, later founds “Troubleshooters, Inc.” and in the 1950s or early 60s is called back into the Navy.
Snow goons were terrific! I may still have that volume on the shelf somewhere, too.
The link was horrid, unfortunately. The images were too tiny to see or read well, and add to that a distracting background, ugh.
Cool.
Wow! Thanks for that.
If we’re allowed to include “The Far Side” in a list of best comic strips, I’d have to say “Willie & Joe” was the best.
Hard to call that “copy cat”,imho. All of those Linus snowmen bits seem to be a way to play out some “ruler of men” fantasy, unlike the twisted scenarios of Calvin. I am surprised anyone could put Peanuts near the top of there list of fav strips, personally. So preachy and when I accidentally read about the origins and ongoing feelings behind the story of the little Red Head Girl, it always felt quite sour.
“I’m tryin’ to get down, Joe, but my buttons is gettin’ in the way.”
Bumped.
I just got the illustrated catalog to last year’s C&H exhibition at OSU, which includes a long new interview with Bill Watterson. Highly recommended: http://budsartbooks.com/prod.cfm/pc/EXCHO/cid/38
I seem to remember that Peanuts was really refreshing when it was new. Perhaps it dragged on too long.
Calvin & Hobbs did not.