The Top Ten Newspaper Comic Strips of All Time

Do you realize it has been over twenty years since the last of the great American comic strips were introduced to the world? Following over 60 years in which it seemed as if a classic comic strip was introduced every ten years or so, the dry run ended with the almost simultaneous rise and resignations of Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side. Since their demise...nothing. Unquestionably, this dearth has little to do with lack of imagination. Several factors have combined to remove quality from the funnies pages of American newspapers. One of those is the utter lack of respect shown comic strip creators by the newspaper conglomerates. In the golden age of comic strips, these glorious little snatches of Americana received the full treatment of respect awarded to advertising for toilet paper today. Comic strips were actually large enough to read and allow the artists to create wondrous worlds. Today's little one inch square panels are an embarrassment. No wonder that any artist worth his salt has eschewed the limitations of newspaper management for the wide-open vistas of the internet. The internet is the place where you will find the next great comic strip, trust me.

And so, having written a eulogy for the newspaper comic strip, allow me to list one man's opinion of the ten greatest newspaper-based comic strips of all time. I tried to limit this list to those comic strips that are best known in that medium. Many comic books have been translated into strips and many strips have found more success as cartoons, either as short subjects preceding movies or on television. In addition, I've also limited the list to those comic strips that are considered mainstream. While Matt Groening's Life in Hell is certain a fantastic comic strip deserving of a place in the top ten, it remains an alternative strip. The comics on this list all rose to prominence in daily newspapers across the country. May they not rest in peace, but find new life in spectacularly-designed reruns on the internet.

10. B.C.