For me, the best thing about the Sunday paper has always been the comics. Well, not so much lately (hello, jobs section), but still, I love me some Sunday comics.
Well, most of them. Some comics, I wonder "Who thinks
is funny?" I mean, sure, not all comics are funny all the time. Even the Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes had their unfunny moments (very few and far between but still there nonetheless). That said, I usually read every strip, whether I think they'll be funny or not. Heck, some comics I read, knowing that they won't be funny, just to prove to myself that "Yup, that wasn't funny in the slightest." Family Circus, hello.
So, I thought it'd be interesting to pick your brains... if you still get the paper, what Sunday comics do you love? Or, hate? Or love to hate?
Going through the Sunday morning Union-Tribune (San Diego's local paper)...
Garfield. Yeah, I still read it. Sure, a lot of the jokes are kinda lame, but it still makes me laugh sometimes. Plus, it's been around so long, it's like an old standard. I don't mind Garfield at all. Now, Peanuts... well, I grew up on Peanuts. I used to love Snoopy and Woodstock. But I've definitely outgrown them. But, Peanuts is classic, and I still read it every week. Despite the fact that it never makes me laugh.
Zits. Now, this is a fairly new comic, and being a new comic, it must suck, right? Well, honestly... I think it's pretty damned funny most of the time. If you've never heard of it, it's a strip about the parents of a teenage boy, with a modern twist. As in, whoever writes the strip actually knows how teenage boys think, as opposed to some of those other strips where the writer
thinks he knows how boys think, but obviously doesn't know the first thing about it. Of course, now that I'm writing about it, I see that
today's wasn't the funniest I've seen, but generally, this strip makes me laugh.
Ah, crap. If I start listing all comics like this, it'll take forever. I don't have the patience for all that typing, and I doubt you'd have the patience to read it all. Heh. Let's start condensing...
Must reads:
Pooch Cafe. Love it love it love it. Dilbert... love that one, too.
Read, but hit and miss on the funny: Pearls Before Swine. Mutts. Get Fuzzy. Foxtrot. Baby Blues (hey, it really is funny sometimes!). Blondie. Hagar the Horrible (I grew up reading Blondie and Hagar, so of course I'll keep reading, even though they're more miss than hit on the funny). Pickles. Adam at Home. Bizarro. And it's not in the Sunday paper, but I read Fred Basset every day (well, every time I get the paper during the week), even though it only makes me laugh like, once a week.
Read, but only to prove to myself that it's never funny. Ever. Beetle Bailey (and I can't believe that I ever liked this, even as a stupid kid. It's just NOT funny). Dennis the Menace. The Duplex. La Cucaracha (bonus - it's not just unfunny; it's kinda offensive, too. You know, in the way that Carlos Mencia isn't funny as is sometimes offensive). B.C. (like Beetle Bailey, I don't know how I ever thought this was funny). And, of course, the undisputed king of crappy comics... comics I love to hate... The Family Circus.
"
And it's right there, in the corner, just waiting to suck..."
Seriously, is there anyone who actually likes the Family Circus? Don't be afraid to admit it - hell, I still read Blondie and think it's funny sometimes.
And, finally...
Don't even bother to read: Funky Winkerbean. The Fusco Brothers. Mary Worth. Cathy. Doonesbury. And, please note, The Family Circus would be in this category if it wasn't just a one-panel strip. It's just too easy to read quickly. Two, three, or four panels? I'd definitely skip it.
So, what are your favorite comics?
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