# Comic strips in other countries **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497 "2006-07-21T16:28:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/1 "2006-07-21T16:28:09Z")
While reading one of the recent threads on comic strips, it occurred to me that most, if not all, of the strips we were discussing were American. Are strips such as _Calvin & Hobbes_, _The Far Side_, _Peanuts_, etc. read and enjoyed outside the US? Do other countries (especially but not exclusively English-speaking countries) have their own cartoonists whom we would find hilarious here in the USA if we got a chance to read them? Do newspapers in, say, England or Australia or Switzerland or China have a comics page, and if so, what does it look like? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/2 "2006-07-21T17:03:36Z")
American strips (translated, when necessary, into the local language) are hugely popular in Europe and Latin America. Most Spanish- and French-language newspapers I’ve seen will have about a dozen American strips in translation and a couple of native strips so Americans don’t dominate the medium too completely. [Go.comics](http://www.gocomics.com/) has, at the end of its listings, 20 or 30 strips _en espanol_. Most are familiar to American readers. Some (like Condorito) are hugely popular south of the border, but I’ve never seen them with English translation. Go.comics even has a couple of classic English-language strips that they offer in Spanish, but not English (Mutt & Jeff, Modesty Blaise). I haven’t seen a UK newspaper in decades, but when I last did, it had mostly American strips plus some local stuff (Andy Capp, Tiffany Jones). There’s an Australian strip called Ginger Meggs; I don’t get the humor, but the artwork is phenomenal. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/3 "2006-07-21T17:09:05Z")
I can assure you that Calvin & Hobbes, The Far Side, Peanuts are all popular in Britain. Dilbert too, at least among my computer-literate friends. We have a few of our own too. I understand we export **Andy Capp** to you. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/4 "2006-07-21T17:10:22Z")
[Condorito](http://espanol.entertainment.yahoo.com/comics/condorito/chiste/). ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/5 "2006-07-21T17:12:35Z")
All those mentioned are known. The current strips in my paper (The Age): Bristow (Frank Dickens) For Better or for Worse (Lynn Johnson) The Wizard of Id (Brant Parker/Johnny Hart) Zits (Jerry Scott/ Jim Borgman Non Sequitur (Wiley) In the other paper (The Herald Sun, which I don’t have in front of me), there’s Garfield Snake Tales Hagar the Horrible and some others. Most local cartooning is editorial. The Age has at least half a dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/6 "2006-07-21T17:49:36Z")
No cite, but Calvin and Hobbes has gone worldwide. Peanuts I am sure has as well. I would further put money on that Garfield has made it as well. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/7 "2006-07-21T19:04:48Z")
Peanuts and Garfield are both well-known in the UK. Calvin & Hobbes, Far Side, Dilbert and Doonesbury are all on the second tier of popularity. The latter is printed in the Guardian, which is also home to Steve Bell’s [If…, a similarly-political (although otherwise-dissimilar) strip. These are IIRC the only regular strips in that paper, and it’s only the tabloids that print a lot of them, a mix of American imports and dire domestic creations. What the broadsheets do have are editorial cartoons, a large single political image on the comments pages. The [url=[Steve Bell | The Guardian](http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/archive/0,,1284265,00.html)]Guardian]([Comment, opinion and discussion from the Guardian US | The Guardian](http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/stevebell/index.html))'s is also often done by Steve Bell, and the Independent’s is [here](http://comment.independent.co.uk/). One of the best-known cartoons, no longer with us, was Giles. There’s some images here: [http://giles.clickhere2.net/cartoon-of-the-week.htm](http://giles.clickhere2.net/cartoon-of-the-week.htm) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/8 "2006-07-21T19:06:05Z")
Yuk. Sorry about that coding! ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/9 "2006-07-21T19:26:29Z")
In Denmark, Calvin and Hobbes and the far side are quite popular. Peanuts is not known. Also popular is the Danish cartoon [Wulffmorgenthaler](http://www.wulffmorgenthaler.com/) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/10 "2006-07-21T20:06:28Z")
> [@mr. jp](#): > > In Denmark… Peanuts is not known. I don’t know how literally you mean that - maybe it’s not in Denmark but it _was_ when Schulz was alive (it was called [“Radishes”](http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com/clips17.html)) ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/11 "2006-07-21T20:10:23Z")
“Radisserne” to be precise. Yes, it was probably known back then. Some people might now it still. But not like to the degree people know the three other comics at all. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/12 "2006-07-21T20:15:50Z")
> [@hawthorne](#): > > Bristow (Frank Dickens) That takes me back. I think he was 19th in line for Chief Buyer. I remember his boss was Mr. Fudge (_GET ON WITH YOUR WORK!_) and wherever he went on holiday he could still see the Chester-Perry building. Anyway, I have a copy of an Andy Capp comic book I bought in Italy. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/13 "2006-07-21T20:18:03Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > We have a few of our own too. I understand we export **Andy Capp** to you. Well, yeah, but who can’t see the humor in spouse-abusing alcoholics? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/14 "2006-07-21T21:55:43Z")
Oh, should’ve mentioned, the grandaddy of all political cartoons has to be [Punch](http://www.punch.co.uk/). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/15 "2006-07-21T22:30:43Z")
When visiting my familiy in Ecuador, they sometimes bring comic strips (American ones translated to Spanish) that they don’t get. Invariably, it has to do with slang, homonyms, puns, or other play-on words that lose all meaning (and humor value) when translated. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/16 "2006-07-21T22:43:28Z")
Looking again at my screw-up earlier with the coding, I realise the link to the Steve Bell archive disappeared: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/archive/stevebell/](http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/archive/stevebell/) He’s also worth mentioning for his skill at tackling really big events. [This](http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,,1524016,00.html) was printed the day after the London bombing last year. Unfortunately they don’t have earlier ones online…the only cartoon that’s ever made me cry was the one he printed after the Dunblane massacre. He did a similar thing after 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/17 "2006-07-22T02:21:36Z")
As \*\*hawthorne \*\* noted, there’s a mix of local and foreign (UK, American) strips in Australian papers. The foreign humour isn’t always translatable of course. I’ve never been able to understand what \*\*Doonesbury \*\* is about or why it’s considered even remotely funny. ---
**Author:** ![from\_a\_to\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5fc32e/32.png) [@from\_a\_to\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/from_a_to_z)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/18 "2006-07-22T02:46:09Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Do other countries (especially but not exclusively English-speaking countries) have their own cartoonists whom we would find hilarious here in the USA if we got a chance to read them? [Mafalda](http://www.turning-pages.com/mafalda/mafalda_gallery.htm) and friends are popular in various languages other than Argentinian Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/19 "2006-07-22T04:26:27Z")
> [@bup](#): > > I don’t know how literally you mean that - maybe it’s not in Denmark but it _was_ when Schulz was alive (it was called [“Radishes”](http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com/clips17.html)) Why Radishes? ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497/20 "2006-07-22T04:49:02Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > Why Radishes? For that matter, why Peanuts? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-in-other-countries/365497.md?page=2)