# Worst comic strips, past or present **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920 "2018-05-10T14:35:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/41 "2018-05-10T21:17:58Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [I find it hard to believe that Bushmiller ever did a “hair club” joke.](https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/1996/03/14) OK, that one actually manages to match Bushmiller’s style of humour without aping a specific joke. Ironically, it’s the same basic formula as Jaimes’s first strip, which you’ve claimed is not Bushmillery, or [this Bushmiller strip](https://www.gocomics.com/nancy-classics/2018/03/05?ct=v&cti=635909) - character commenting about something going on off-panel, then revealing what they seemed to be talking about wasn’t what they were talking about - the difference being in the Gilchrist, Nancy’s as in the dark about what’s really going on as the audience, whereas in the Bushmiller and the Jaimes’, Joe and Nancy’s teacher know what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/42 "2018-05-10T21:41:34Z")
I’ll join the voting on Zippy the Pinhead. I expected it to be funny as hell, and it is damned creepy. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/43 "2018-05-10T21:50:54Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’ll join the voting on Zippy the Pinhead. I expected it to be funny as hell, and it is damned creepy. At the time, I don’t think ANYone expected it to be “funny as hell”? It was an underground comic, meant to be an anti-comic strip. It was meant to subvert the boring strips of the time. That’d be like asking “Why wasn’t _Eraserhead_ funny like the other movies I’ve seen?” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/44 "2018-05-10T21:51:09Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Ironically, it’s the same basic formula as Jaimes’s first strip, which you’ve claimed is not Bushmillery, or [this Bushmiller strip](https://www.gocomics.com/nancy-classics/2018/03/05?ct=v&cti=635909) - character commenting about something going on off-panel, then revealing what they seemed to be talking about wasn’t what they were talking about - the difference being in the Gilchrist, Nancy’s as in the dark about what’s really going on as the audience, whereas in the Bushmiller and the Jaimes’, Joe and Nancy’s teacher know what’s going on. Joe has a name and is conversing with Nancy, therefore is not some [random](https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2018/04/10) [talking head](https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2018/04/11) providing narration. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/45 "2018-05-10T22:26:01Z")
> [@golffan1963](#): > > Agree with the poster about strips dying with their creator. That was the genius of Charles M. Schulz. As sad as his death was and as difficult as it was for me as a fan to let the strip go, his was the right call. Class all the way. I agree, but _Peanuts_ was fairly unusual in that Schulz kept doing it all himself up to the end. Many long-running strips have had other people doing all or part of the work long before the original creator’s death. It’s been a few years since I regularly read the comics, and when I do once in a while read through a newspaper’s comic section, my reactions have mostly been cringes, winces, shrugs, and “People actually like this stuff?” And I react that way at least as much to the newer, more unfamiliar strips and to the old legacy/zombie strips. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/46 "2018-05-10T22:27:00Z")
Zippy was always about absurdity and non sequitur. I can see how people could not understand the point, but it was a pretty good strip if you understood what was going on. Worst right now is [Thatababy](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.gocomics.com/thatababy&ved=2ahUKEwigl7PEl_zaAhVDTt8KHXZBCpsQFjAAegQIBxAD&usg=AOvVaw16zcb2uE6nWwsuCLUvis2O). It isn’t even on the same planet as funny. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/47 "2018-05-10T22:34:27Z")
Oh Andy Capp, you wife-beating drunk… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/48 "2018-05-10T22:38:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I agree, but _Peanuts_ was fairly unusual in that Schulz kept doing it all himself up to the end. I adored \*Peanuts \*from childhood on. But, by the last few years of the strip, it seemed, to me, like it had gotten strange, and Schulz’s sense of humor wasn’t as sharp as it once had been. (To be fair, he’d suffered some health issues.) At that time, part of me wished that Schulz would have realized that the strip was a shadow of what it had once been, and retire it. And, of course, once he did announce his retirement, due to health issues, he died just weeks later. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/49 "2018-05-10T22:42:21Z")
One of my favorite books of 2017 was [_How to Read Nancy_](http://www.neworleansreview.org/how-to-read-nancy/) by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden. This book features, among other things, an 80+ page analysis of a single _Nancy_ strip. Highly recommended for anyone interested in comics. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/50 "2018-05-10T22:44:02Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Family Circus. Seanbaby loves [family](http://www.cracked.com/blog/pg13-family-circus/) [circus](http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-family-circus-cartoons-improved-with-dick-jokes/). ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/51 "2018-05-10T22:53:28Z")
I nominate [Dondi.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dondi) It’s just too painful to bother with. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/52 "2018-05-10T23:52:58Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Seanbaby loves [family](http://www.cracked.com/blog/pg13-family-circus/) [circus](http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-family-circus-cartoons-improved-with-dick-jokes/). I saw a Seanbaby byline on a comics article on [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) and then noticed it was from 2017, so he’s sorta back (but pacing himself?) His Twitter’s current, with the latest being [“The kerning in this issue of Wolverine created an unexpected plot twist.”](https://twitter.com/Seanbabydotcom/status/994566424017293313) How can you not FLlCK your mouse button and check that out? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/53 "2018-05-10T23:55:16Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Seanbaby loves [family](http://www.cracked.com/blog/pg13-family-circus/) [circus](http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-family-circus-cartoons-improved-with-dick-jokes/). " Anyone who would enjoy it is only reading the newspaper to masturbate to the obituaries." Jesus Christ, snfaulkner! ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/54 "2018-05-11T00:32:40Z")
Hehe, I didn’t write it. I just linked to it. And laughed at it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/55 "2018-05-11T00:42:32Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Hehe, I didn’t write it. I just linked to it. And laughed at it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/56 "2018-05-11T00:42:33Z")
> [@digs](#): > > His Twitter’s current, with the latest being [“The kerning in this issue of Wolverine created an unexpected plot twist.”](https://twitter.com/Seanbabydotcom/status/994566424017293313) > > How can you not FLlCK your mouse button and check that out? I was, in fact, reading that very issue about 90 minutes ago, and noticed that exact kerning problem. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/57 "2018-05-11T02:15:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I was, in fact, reading that very issue about 90 minutes ago, and noticed that exact kerning problem. 😃 Due to the ALL CAPS nature of comic book lettering (which of course was all \*hand-\*lettering until a while ago), I remember reading (back in the Silver Age) that Marvel and DC had outlawed the word “FLlCK”. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/58 "2018-05-11T02:23:50Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > “Reply All” – lame “office humor” jokes with hideous artwork This is my vote as well. Several years ago, I even started a thread about it: > **["Reply All" comic strip--what is this crap?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=665095)** > > The Chicago Tribune recently added this comic strip to its comics page. I fail to detect a joke in any of the strips. In addition, as Comic Book Guy on \*The Simpsons \*would say, the penciling is sub-Ziggy. How does this travesty of a comic strip... The gist of the thread was that the _Chicago Tribune_ added \*Reply All \*on a trial basis for three months. It then lost an online poll _convincingly_ to _Dogs of C Kennel_, 94% to 6%, and was therefore eliminated from the paper. I was so obsessed with the poll, I actually had a nightmare that _Reply All_ had crept up to 7% at one point! ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/59 "2018-05-11T02:51:02Z")
[This made me laugh.](http://www.cracked.com/article_15667_the-5-most-unintentionally-hilarious-comic-strips.html) I especially like the _Mark Trail_ talking animals. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920/60 "2018-05-11T03:21:33Z")
I’d find “Baby Blues” a lot funnier if they got rid of Wanda, who is a stereotypical spineless housewife with no outside interests, or at least changed her into a more modern woman. “Zack Hill” is ridiculous too. I liked the strip when it was about the kid and his mom and friends, but now it’s all about their housemates (he lives in a huge house with his widowed mother, who rents out their extra bedrooms). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-comic-strips-past-or-present/813920.md?page=4)