# If you could take one comic strip outta the paper forever... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366 "2003-06-17T02:40:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/61 "2003-06-17T17:51:47Z")
**Evil Death** say it isn’t so. Dennis the Menace : American… Was the Early US version anything like the UK version? Are they completely unrelated save in their name. Crying, and hoping no one will tell me Desperate Dan was an American invention, Bippy ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/62 "2003-06-17T18:00:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\*No, you haven’t. The US version actually predates the first appearance of the famous Beano character by around a year. > \*\* Are you sure about this? Everything I’ve read about the U.K. version indicates they came out at almost exactly the same time. For instance, [http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/comicinformationpages/beanopages/beanohomepage.asp](http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/comicinformationpages/beanopages/beanohomepage.asp). As for which comic strips need to be killed, I’d say since everyone’s entitled to their own tastes, let them all stay as long as someone’s enjoying them. Except for Peanuts. As **FisherQueen** pointed out, they’re all reruns. Put them in a book. Post them on a Web site. They don’t need to be in a newspaper anymore. They’re even more annoying because they get the prime real estate (top half of the first page of the Sunday comics) in the paper here (LA Times). Although I’ve never read the UK version, my understanding is that he’s a real menace, whereas the US version is more of a well-meaning nuisance. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/63 "2003-06-17T18:02:53Z")
Hey kids, see if you can put the paragraphs in the right order! ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/64 "2003-06-17T18:07:34Z")
Sigh.[Apparently, putting a “.” at the end of a URL isn’t a good idea.](http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/comicinformationpages/beanopages/beanohomepage.asp) To answer **Bippy** directly, the Dennises appear to be entirely unrelated, just one of the biggest coincidences in comix history. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/65 "2003-06-17T18:10:16Z")
Looking accross the Web, Both Denis the Menace’s started in 1951. Due to their similar antiquity, I formally withdraw my wish to see the American version destroyed. I would like more Americans to see the UK version which is far cooler though. ---
**Author:** ![Padmaraga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Padmaraga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padmaraga)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/66 "2003-06-17T18:20:41Z")
From my paper (the Portland _Oregonian_ ) I dump - in the following order: Judge Parker Garfield Ziggy Family Circus Hi and Lois Blondie Peanuts Marginal: Wizard of Id Cathy Close to Home (the artwork bugs the crap out of me - everyone is fat and has buck teeth!) Curtis Sylvia (That’s only the daily paper - I know there are some that run Sundays-only that I’d get rid of, too, like Prince Valiant, but I don’t have one handy right now). Actually, I’ve taken to getting the few I do like delivered to my e-mail through [comics.com](http://comics.com), anyway. Then you never have to look at the ones that annoy you. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/67 "2003-06-17T20:23:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dropzone \* > \*\*Many of them many, many times. He ran out of ideas decades before he ran out of time. \*\* I swear I have seen Beetle Bailey strips drawn with new characters and backgrounds but exact same jokes from a few years back. I want Mallard Fillmore to go. Shouldn’t Bruce Tinsley just spend his time on the boards at Free Republic or something? It’s not just that I disagree with him, it’s that his points are so ridiculous that they are not worth respecting or discussing, a la O’Reilly or Coulter. I will defend Doonesbury though. While the strip is leftist, it’s not like Trudeau never made fun of Bill Clinton, either. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/68 "2003-06-17T20:51:45Z")
I actually like **For Better or Worse**. The artist has done a remarkable job of ageing all of the characters and doesn’t get too sappy for a serial. The comics I _really_ hate are in “alternative” magazines like Vice. The kind that have characters talking dirty gobbledygook. ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/69 "2003-06-17T21:04:10Z")
> [@](#): > > We might get lucky, it could be someone with talent. [Most likely not.](http://www.cnsnews.com/cartoon/Leftersons.asp) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/70 "2003-06-17T21:07:04Z")
Although it probably won’t be a continual spark, I must admit this week’s _Garfield_ serial (with Garfield meeting himself from 25 years ago) is at least a change from the monotony of the strip. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/71 "2003-06-17T22:27:46Z")
One no one’s mentioned yet: [Frank and Ernest](http://www.frankandernest.com/). Nothing but crappy puns, over and over and over, not a one of them funny. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/72 "2003-06-17T23:05:31Z")
I like For Better or for Worse. But Close to Home is just… ugly. And not funny. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/73 "2003-06-17T23:27:15Z")
Ranking them in this order 1. Get rid of it NOW!!!\> 5. Eh- If there was something better. Garfield- was great, now a sad shadow, due to repitition. Although Mobo85 makes a point about the newest storyline. =a 5 Boondocks. Some seem to like this, but I think it is just plain mean. Besides the writer is such as asshole- he once commented that if you don’t like his strip you are either a racist or stupid (as you don’t “get” his “subtle satire” :rolleyes: ). =2 Mallard- as Flodman said, above. What is worse, this maroon has the nasty trick of making up what the liberals will say in their own defense. He lies, and uses made up crap. =1 Peanuts. I agree with Fisherqueen. Some of his strips are amoung the greatest, but others are repetitive & derivitive. Besides- he IS dead, you know. =5 Duplex- once a cute idea; a duplex with a man, a woman & their dogs, and how “the other half live”. But basicly he dropped the other half, and it is more lame male-bashing. =3 Family Circus- I am told the kids like this one. Eh. =5 Overboard- once one of my faves, then fell into the deadly trap of sameness & meanness. =4 Frank & Earnest. An occ gem. TOO occasional. =5 Cathy- apparently the single working woman likes this. Again, repetitive. =5 Dennis the Menace. I don’t care who originated this nasty little piece of crap that plagues my daily comics. The kid isn’t funny, he is a sociopath. =1 And, I disagree with tiw about Shoe. This is very funny if you have worked at a newspaper- and where are the strips printed? Let the 4th estate have a little fun. True, he needs some orginal material. (I’m rating this a “6”- needs improvement) And I agree with Elwood about Doonesbury. Sure, the artist is too liberal for me, but he does point out the foibles of BOTH sides at times, and he is not always political. Let it live- with a warning. Bring back Tank MacNamara (yes, I know it is still published, just not out here). Watterson was smart, and we paid the price- he saw too many great strips get repetitive, and he quit 1st. I really think he had another year or 2 to go, but I guess he knows best. There was some small talk about him doing a Sunday only, with complete free rein- this would be cool. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/74 "2003-06-17T23:31:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DrDeth \* > \*\* > > Boondocks. Some seem to like this, but I think it is just plain mean. Besides the writer is such as asshole- he once commented that if you don’t like his strip you are either a racist or stupid (as you don’t “get” his “subtle satire” :rolleyes: ). =2\*\* I haven’t seen this quote - where is it? Are you sure he was serious? > [@](#): > > And, I disagree with tiw about Shoe. This is very funny if you have worked at a newspaper- and where are the strips printed? Let the 4th estate have a little fun. True, he needs some orginal material. (I’m rating this a “6”- needs improvement) A 6 on a scale of 1 to 5? 🙂 Nifty! But you know, very few of the strips have anything to do with the newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/75 "2003-06-18T00:18:58Z")
I too like **For Better or For Worse**. I also did mention Frank and Ernest, I just spelled it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/76 "2003-06-18T00:26:54Z")
Strips to be avoided at all cost: _Second Chances_ (whiny yuppies); _Baby Blues_ (whiny yuppies with a baby); _Marvin_ (whiny yuppy baby; milks same joke all week). _Overboard_ had exactly one really funny strip. Since then, I find myself reading it out of habit, even though it’s clear the artist really just doesn’t know how to tell a joke. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/77 "2003-06-18T00:28:39Z")
**Baldwin** , I can’t say I blame you for not liking _Baby Blues_, but you should see the cartoon of it - it’s much better, I think. Set when the first kid was a baby. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/78 "2003-06-18T01:11:36Z")
I agree about Cathy. Get rid of her. I couldn’t believe that a woman does that strip. I thought it was done by a raving misogynist male troglodyte. The only comics I’d keep are Get Fuzzy, Sherman’s Lagoon, Zits, and B.C. (Am I the only one here who likes B.C.?) But if I had to lose one, yeah, Cathy. Or Red and Rover, a new comic strip by Brian Basset, who I suspect is related to Fred Basset, except Brian is about one tenth as funny. Oh, wait, one tenth of zero is still zero. ---
**Author:** ![TeaRoses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@TeaRoses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaRoses)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/79 "2003-06-18T01:19:20Z")
Regarding Shoe, I thought the author of that was dead as well. Didn’t he illustrate Dave Barry’s books, and then Dave announced that he had died? Or did someone else take over the strip? ---
**Author:** ![i\_like\_bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@i\_like\_bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/i_like_bacon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366/80 "2003-06-18T01:28:21Z")
what? no one has mentioned “gasoline alley”? rex morgan, mother goose and grimm, foxtrot. I used to like for better or worse, its gotten stale tho. I still like sally forth though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-take-one-comic-strip-outta-the-paper-forever/182366.md?page=5)