Hope I didn't depress anyone too much yesterday with my blog posting of "You're going to die! And so is everyone you know!" Switching moods, I thought I'd talk about my favorite section of the newspaper. Not the sports section. Not the political news. Not the film reviews. The comic strips! I may not be a fan of comic books, but I do enjoy opening the Daily News each day and turning straight to the four pages of comic strips.
With that, I present my Top 10 comic strips, as appear each day in the Daily News :
1) "Peanuts" : Despite Charles Schultz's death in 2000, the News continues running classic Peanuts strips. The antics of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang are timeless and hilarious. And keep your eyes open for Snoopy's brothers, Andy and Olaf.
2) "For Better or Worse" : One can read this strip over the years and watch the growth and development of a realistic family. The Pattersons age, mature, get married, have kids and experience life. It's realistic yet still maintains elements of surprise.
3) "Boondocks" : This has surpassed "Doonesbery" as the best liberal commentary comic strip out there. Huey rarely pulls any punches and his old fashioned grandfather and thug wannabee brother are great foils.
4) "Dilbert" : A must read for anyone who has worked in an office. No doubt, the film "Office Space" and the TV show "The Office" were influenced by hapless Dilbert, lazy Wally, angry Alice and the incompetent pointy-haired boss.
5) "Curtis" : A refreshingly positive depiction of an urban African American family. Curtis is mischievous but has a good heart. Will he ever realize that Chutney is better for him than Michelle? Not likely.
6) "Out of the Gene Pool" : A single mother raises a child while experiencing online dating. A fat slob father goes everywhere in a dirty undershirt. A minor league ballplayer juices himself with steroids while dating a pop singer. A loudmouth woman splits her time working at a fast food restaurant and writing a newspaper advice column. Eclectic? You bet. And hilarious.
7) "Blondie" : So it may be old fashioned and repetitive, but damn those sandwiches look good. And now that Dagwood and Blondie are having an anniversary party, the strip is filled with cameos of characters from other comic strips. So for the next few weeks, it is a must read.
8) "Girls and Sports" : Single guys, on the prowl, looking to pick up women. Sounds like some blogs you may read? This new strip does a good job in illuminating how awful the pickup scene can be.
9) "Zits" : Jeremy is a lazy 16-year old who thinks his father is old fashioned and wishes his mom would stop nagging him. But he's a good kid and it's easy to empathize.
10) "Mutts" : A very simple strip about two cats living the easy life of lying around all day. Or as they would say, "Yesh!"
Other good strips that didn't make the cut : "Beetle Bailey", "Cathy", "Doonesbery"
Strips that have had their time pass : "Family Circus", "Gasoline Alley"
Strip I would never like to see again : "State of the Union"
