# Comic strips that are funny **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386 "2006-02-27T22:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/21 "2006-02-28T09:32:24Z")
It’s easier for me to think in terms of “Comic Strips I Enjoy” than “Comic Strips That Are Funny”, really. **Mutts** , for example, is often not funny, but its warm, gentle tone is still a joy to read. **Arlo and Janis** , though I suspect relating to this one is on the unwritten “You know you’ve been married too long when” list. **Barkeater Lake** , for anyone who’s ever lived in a small town, or a city that still thinks it’s a small town, or… **Doonesbury** - again, often not funny, but with a great cast of characters and a story line that almost always amuses, and often surprises. **For Better or for Worse** - again, good characters, interesting story line, though the gags often fall flat **FoxTrot** - Jason Fox grew up, I married him. **Frazz** - intelligent humor on the comics page! **Get Fuzzy** - reveals what Garfield could have been **Heart of the City** - not always funny, but an intelligent strip about real kids. Also makes me miss SE Pennsy. **Lucky Cow** - the Mon-Fri story line isn’t always strong, but the Saturday strips and the Sunday splash panels are worth the wait. **Non Sequitur** - Obviousman can make my day **Pearls Before Swine** - really good social commentary hiding behind poorly drawn animals **Zits** - generally good at finding the humor both from the teenager’s point of view and the parents’, without being condescending to either, and that’s vanishingly rare. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/22 "2006-02-28T13:05:07Z")
**Unshelved** - [www.overduemedia.com](http://www.overduemedia.com) It’s a funny take on a wacky library and its crazy patrons and a walking, giant beaver as its mascot. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/23 "2006-02-28T14:06:35Z")
The funniest stuff by far (at least lately) are the editorial cartoons. Check out [Ted Rall](http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/tedrall) . ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/24 "2006-02-28T14:20:52Z")
From the _Washington Post_ offerings: USUALLY GOOD: Pearls Before Swine Foxtrot Frazz Get Fuzzy Mutts SOMETIMES GOOD: Zits Non Sequitur Candorville Rhymes With Orange Baldo Red And Rover Big Nate Frank And Earnest On The Fastrack Dilbert ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/25 "2006-02-28T14:23:49Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > You might try [User Friendly](http://www.userfriendly.org/) Although I suspect it has limited appeal (comp sci geeks primarily.) My favorite specialized-appeal webcomic is Order Of The Stick (fantasy RPG). ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/26 "2006-02-28T14:57:50Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > agree with > > Dilbert > Get Fuzzy > Pearls Before Swine further agreement with Sherman’s Lagoon and, especially, Big Nate. Big Nate is great! There are some other ones I enjoy, but these rise to the top. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/27 "2006-02-28T16:31:10Z")
Frazz is my favorite–smart _and_ funny, a rare combination. My other favorite is [Order of the Stick](http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=1)–you kinda have to be a gaming geek to get the full effect, but it just keeps getting better. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/28 "2006-02-28T16:38:58Z")
Pearls Before Swine Foxtrot Ozy & Millie 9 Chickweed Lane Dilbert (at times) ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/29 "2006-02-28T17:11:59Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > My favorite specialized-appeal webcomic is Order Of The Stick (fantasy RPG). Man I love this, possibly more than Knights of the Dinner Table. Get Fuzzy has some WTF days, but mostly it is gold. If you don’t get the “Dead Duck” strip – you don’t get it – it is funny. Remember when Woody Allen was a comic strip character? – Hah, Charlie Brown beat him to it. Most days, Dilbert’s not bad, but it doesn’t soar like it did in the days before it had it’s own failed TV show (which was great). Can you imagine trying to make a daily strip out of “Family Guy” or “The Simpsons” – how fast would they tank? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/30 "2006-02-28T18:19:13Z")
Sticking just to dead-tree comics, and only ones which are currently running: _Frazz_ is probably my favorite right now. Consistently funny, and smart, as I stated in the other thread, and many have said here. _Non Sequitur_ is often quirky, but usually funny. And when it’s not funny, it’s generally insightful. The strip with the Holocaust survivor a year or two back was perhaps one of the funny pages’ greatest moments. I would say that _Get Fuzzy_’s WTF days **are** its gold. Cats really are that scatterbrained (Bucky is responsible for most of the WTFness). One of the few talking-animal strips that succeeds in depicting animals, rather than furry people. _Preteena_ and her friends are exactly the sort of folks I used to hang out with, except female. So I can relate very strongly. Were she real and about a dozen years older… _Foxtrot_ isn’t quite as good as it once was, perhaps, but every so often, there’ll be some incredibly nerdy obscure in-joke that makes the whole thing worthwhile. And even the off days are usually better than most comics. Some other comics which aren’t necessarily so funny, but can be good: _For Better or For Worse_ usually isn’t all that funny, but the characters are very well-developed, and I can relate to many of the situations. It’s more about stories than jokes, really. _Funky Winkerbean_ is also rather on the dramatic side, and isn’t quite as good at the drama as _FBoFW_, but seems to be better at humor and the occasional random silliness (Montoni’s business ideas, e.g.). _Dilbert_ still has the occasional gems that make it worth reading, but mostly any more, it’s just the same handful of jokes repeated endlessly, and half of those I can’t relate to. _Opus_ is better than Outland, but not nearly _Bloom County_. I think it suffers from the Sunday-only format, since it doesn’t really leave enough room for story development. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/31 "2006-02-28T18:25:31Z")
Absolutely break-a-rib hilarious: Calvin and Hobbes Peanuts Footrot Flats Almost always get a snicker or two: Dilbert Wizard of Id Non Sequitur [Ctrl+Alt+Del](http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php) Animal Crackers Doonesbury Occassionally funny, very occassionally very funny: Garfield Beetle Bailey Hagar the Horrible ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/32 "2006-02-28T18:29:15Z")
I had no idea there were so many other Order of the Stick fans on the boards! Yay. I don’t get the newspaper anymore, so I usually don’t read the comics. However, I have to say that I appreciate _The Far Side_ more and more each passing year. My personal Best Comic Ever. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/33 "2006-02-28T19:11:41Z")
> [@Millit the Frail](#): > > I don’t get the newspaper anymore, so I usually don’t read the comics. That’s what the Internet is for. ---
**Author:** ![rowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@rowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/34 "2006-02-28T22:14:05Z")
> [@Millit the Frail](#): > > I had no idea there were so many other Order of the Stick fans on the boards! Yay. > > I don’t get the newspaper anymore, so I usually don’t read the comics. However, I have to say that I appreciate _The Far Side_ more and more each passing year. My personal Best Comic Ever. I was going to bring up OOTS too but it’s great to see a few other people mention it before me! The Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes are my two personal all time favorites though. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/35 "2006-02-28T23:54:30Z")
Another **Frazz** and **Far Side** fan here. And I’ve grown very attached to Chris Baldwin’s kid-friendly but grown-up-funny (most days) [Little Dee](http://www.littledee.net/). ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/36 "2006-03-01T03:20:28Z")
No love for **Bizarro**? It’s usually just okay, but has exhibited jaw-dropping brilliance at times. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/37 "2006-03-01T03:27:25Z")
No mention yet of Liberty Meadows?! Frank Cho is cool. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/38 "2006-03-01T18:06:28Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > My favorite specialized-appeal webcomic is Order Of The Stick (fantasy RPG). > [@winterhawk11](#): > > My other favorite is [Order of the Stick](http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=1)–you kinda have to be a gaming geek to get the full effect, but it just keeps getting better. Thanks a lot, guys…I had all kinds of thing that I had planned to get done this morning. Instead, thanks to you two, I spent the past four hours laughing my ass off in a very unproductive manner. Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/39 "2006-03-01T18:31:26Z")
> **[Penny Arcade](https://www.penny-arcade.com/)** > > Videogaming-related online strip by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Includes news and commentary. [http://www.vgcats.com/](http://www.vgcats.com/) ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386/40 "2006-03-01T18:55:47Z")
I like _Blondie_. The gags work for me, half of the time, but past that I love the surreality that timeless cartoon characters provide. Dagwood married a “flapper”, witnessed both World Wars (the first before the strip even started), the emergence of radio, talking pictures, television, rotary and touch-tone dialing, color film, women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, gay rights, Prohibition, the end of Prohibition, and the national drinking age - he now checks his e-mails on his flat-panel LCD monitor at home, discusses the Iraq conflict with Blondie, and uses a cell phone - and he’s _still_ probably never had to get a prostate examination! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-strips-that-are-funny/346386.md?page=3)