The 25 Best Sunday Comic Strips of All Time

This isn't news: Newspapers are dying. Which means that newspaper comic strips are dying as well. Online greats like xkcd, The Perry Bible Fellowship, and Achewood offer digital satisfaction, but how long will it be until you can no longer pick up a newspaper, leaf past the news, and arrive at the comics?

Rather than sweat out how many days the world has left until Marmaduke is put to sleep and Cathy stops complaining, it's best to honor the the greatest cartoons to have ever been black and white and read all over (and the ones in color, too).

These are the 25 Best Sunday Comic Strips of All Time.

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Written by Brenden Gallagher (@muddycreekU)

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Creator: Mort Walker

Published: 1950-present

Innumerable comic strips and cartoons have followed the same premise as Beetle Bailey: A larger, more powerful character (here, Sergeant Snorkel) attacks the weaker, wilier character (Beetle). Either the quick character outsmarts the big one, or he gets his ass kicked.

Because of the strip's well-worn premise, it's strange to think that Beetle Bailey has been censored. But after 60 years spent engaging with the same conflict, it's inevitable that Walker's exploration of the power dynamic between an officer and enlisted man would get thorny—and piss some folks off.

Beetle Bailey is at its best when the characters joke about their relationship, when they become self-aware of the roles they're forced to play. This self-awareness is what's made the strip amount to more than a military "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon.

Creators: Dik Browne and Chris Browne

Published: 1973p-present

Hägar the Horrible lacks the explicit political dimension of many of the great newspaper comics, but it nails the satisfaction of slapstick. There are endless ways to raid a castle, negotiate barbarian hordes, or retreat in the heat of battle, and they're all hilarious in the hands of the Browne clan.

Creator: Richard Thompson

Published: 2004-2012

During its short stint, Cul De Sac presented a darkly humorous view of the suburbs from the perspective of a 4-year-old girl. The strip's intense pessimism is balanced by the magic that Alice, the protagonist, finds in everyday life.

From the zany stories of her father's tiny car, to shoebox dioramas recounting the history of man, the strip's ability to find strange beauty amid lonely monotony in suburban America marked it as special—and all without having to make any plastic bags dance. #SHOTSFIRED #MENDES #BAGSAMAKEHERDANCE

Creator: Johnny Hart

Published: 1958-present

Because of certain views and beliefs, conservative humor doesn't usually hit our ears correctly. Humor on the right is sad landscape, with Dennis Miller at one end and Larry the Cable Guy at the other.

In that bad place, B.C. is an oasis. Johnny Hart pulls off his old-fashioned view of the world with goofy puns and caveman antics that actually amuse. Yes, there are moments where his religious beliefs dull the comedic effect of his work, but his earnest, optimistic strip offered a hopeful message the other sections of the newspaper don't touch.

Creator: Jim Davis

Published: 1978-present

The fat orange cat has taken a lot of heat in recent years, with the hilarious Garfield Minus Garfield andLasagna Cat taking the cartoon to task for its perceived lameness—and in wildly different ways.

With Jim Davis leaving most of the artistic tasks to other artists while he runs his media empire, it's not surprising that the good jokes have dried up. But who among us can say they regret owning one of those colorful rectangular collections of Garfield comics back in the day? The lasagna-lover may be past his prime, but the strip's effect on pop culture cannot be underestimated.

Dope TV Christmas special, too.

Creator: Jim Toomey

Published: 1991-present

Sherman's Lagoon feels a bit like a CBS sitcom, but with sea creatures instead of Kevin James. The comic rises above the level of mere relationship comedy, however, by providing much-needed real talk about the environment. No, really—hear this out.

Toomey tackles eco-tourism, fishing ethics, and environmental stewardship. He's invited readers to take a stand on behalf of marine life. This isn't some direct-to-Netflix doc that no one will watch. This is a lively comic strip with solid jokes that asks timely questions. And that's a good, necessary thing.

Creator: Jeff MacNelly

Published: 1993-present

Pluggers has taken its fair share of (not entirely unwarranted) criticism over the years, but there's something sweet about a strip that follows "stuck in their ways" folks celebrating the out-of-touch moments that multiply as they get closer to death. Think Michael Haneke, but kinder.

They're comics designed to be magnetized to the fridge at your grandparents' house. That said, when Pluggers becomes actually relevant for us, get the death panels together.

Creator: Chester Gould

Published: 1931-present (Gould stopped working on the strip in 1977)

"He got his two-way wristwatch in 1946. In 1969 he became temporary police chief of the moon. In the 1970s he grew a mustache." This brief synopsis of Dick Tracy's career, from a Time Magazine retrospective on long-running comic strips, says it all.

In the history of pop culture men, the original square-jawed badass has earned his place of distinction. The incredible juxtapositions of macho absurdity and real grit (anger at the system; the victimization of the innocent; a surprisingly deep look at the motives of criminals) makes Tracy a must-read, even in 2013.

Creator: Darby Conley

Published: 1999-present

Get Fuzzy follows the exploits of a dumb dog, a sly cat, and their straight man owner. Relationships like this are a tried-and-true comic premise, and Get Fuzzy delivers on a daily basis.

But the strip really shines when it transcends its formula, and Conley goes off on a weird tangent. One example that comes to mind: In one strip, a character casually mentioned that Pittsburgh, PA "smells." Conley received mountains of hate mail, and rather than apologize, he ran a week's worth of strips mocking Pittsburghers who complained about the offending comic. Good work, Conley.

Creator: Mike Peters

Published: 1984-present

Since the 1980s, Mother Goose and Grimm has been dishing out absurd pop culture commentary. In its long history, the funniest anecdote comes from recent headlines: In 2009, the Colombian Coffee-Growers Federation threatened to sue Peters for $20 million after the strip implied that there truly was "a little bit of Juan Valdez" (i.e., an arm or an eye) in every can of Colombian Coffee.

The allegation is outrageous, but oddly appropriate for Mother Goose and Grimm.

Creator: Wiley Miller

Published: 1992-present

One of the most versatile comics ever, Non Sequitur began as a one-panel strip before evolving into a multi-panel comic with recurring characters. It doen't always utilize these characters, however, sometimes only using them to start an unrelated story. For example, a new strip may spring from a dream or thought coming from a familiar character.

All of this makes for an inconsistent strip as far as form is concerned, but the content stays suitably weird. Alternating between left-wing social commentary and simple observational humor, Non Sequitur often achieves that greatest of comedic moments: putting on paper what is lodged deeply in the back of the skull.

Creator: Stephen Pastis

Published: 2000-present

Pastis's delightfully combative strip has earned him legions of fans and enemies. The writer/illustrator doesn't limit himself to the perspective of the profane, hard-partying animals that star in his strip: He goes out his way to court controversy.

Pastis once ran a series of Pearls Before Swine strips where Osama bin Laden went to live with the characters from Family Circus and landed them all in Guantanamo Bay.

Ever sly and self-aware, Pastis went on to parody the comic community's discomfort with him, when he crafted a piece where his characters weren't invited to the 75th anniversary Blondie cross-over strip.

Creator: Scott Adams

Published: 1989-present

Few grow up dreaming of a drone job where they'll toil ceaselessly for incompetent middle managers. And yet.

Dilbert will only make a vague sort of sense to readers that have managed to escape cubicle culture, but the gags about expense reports and project management have been cathartic for desk jockeys for years.

Though a comic strip might not change the world, it can make the world a little more bearable. Which is exactly what Dilbert has done. Thanks, Scott.

Creator: Ruben Bolling

Published: 1997-present

Tom the Dancing Bug is a strange mix between absurd one-panel pieces like The Far Side and the recurring-character strips that make up most of the Sunday pages. The strip frequently revisits certain premises, like "God-Man" and "Lucky Duck" for pointed sociopolitical commentary.

There's a reason Tom the Dancing Bug often gets moved to the Op-Ed section: liberal viewpoints abound. However, the strip hits some of its best notes when it turns sweeping political statements peppered with small observations about everyday life into absurd allegories.

Creators: Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Published: 1997-present

Put the pamphlets and talk shows away. Parents and children only need Zits to work out their differences. The strip bridges the gap in a smart way by sticking closely (and with lots of empathy for) a teenager's perspective. Remember: The children are our future.

It won't always bust your guts, and it lacks the light philosophy of better strips, but you can sit down with your parents and basically have an argument (that you resolve kindly) with Zits strips. That's special.

Creator: Mark Tatulli

Published: 2006-present

Lio's out-of-control approach indicates that it isn't just the main character that has a little bit of a mad scientist thing going on. Mark Tatulli surely shares the personality type.

Cracking easy about death, monsters, the annihilation of the world, and the problems of fellow comic strips, every panel of Lio is filled to bursting with macabre energy. You can't dismiss the strip as easy parody, either; Lio's warped perspective is singular. Touches like the lack of dialogue work to turn the strip into its own weird world.

Creator: Aaron McGruder

Published: 1996-2006

The Sunday funnies need more comics like The Boondocks, and more comics need fearless creators like Aaron McGruder. Telling the story of a black family living in a white town, the strip pushed what's often the most milquetoast section of the newspaper into previously unheard of territory.

In the decade his strip lasted, McGruder never shied away from controversy. Famously, he feuded with conservative radio personality Larry Elder, and the two went back and forth creating mock awards in each other's names. It's hard to say if we'll ever see such frank cultural discussion on any newspaper page ever again.

Creator: Walt Kelly

Published: 1948-1975

In its time, Pogo had a satirical edge that would feel at home next to any of today's strips. Kelly's creation was threatened with censorship in Rhode Island for mocking Joseph McCarthy, and was the partial cause of a riot at Harvard University. Despite backlash to his political commentary, Kelly went on to take jabs as Goldwater, Khrushchev, the John Birch Society, and Richard Nixon during the life of his strip.

Predictably, Kelly dealt with calls for censorship. This drove him to create "bunny strips," wherein fluffy, non-threatening characters would present subtle reworkings of his controversial themes that newspapers could run in lieu of his more overtly political work.

Pogo has faded from popular memory, but it's still beloved among cartoonists, remaining an example of subversion that can function within the system.

Creator: Matt Groening

Published: 1977-2012

Before The Simpsons, Matt Groening was a struggling animator negotiating a string of day jobs and setbacks in Los Angeles. He channeled his frustrations with life, love, and work into Life in Hell.

After a slow, piecemeal beginning, Life in Hell grew to syndication in hundreds of papers. Then, The Simpsons came along and Life in Hell, understandably, took a back seat.

With each year, the comic's format grew simpler, until 2012 when the project was retired. It's a testament to Groening's creativity that his third- or fourth-priority project is still better than most comedy you'll see today in any form.

Creator: George Herrimen

Published: 1913-1944

On the surface, Krazy Kat is a classic comic strip involving animals throwing bricks at each other. And yet the strip is remember for being so much more. What led artists and intellectuals like e.e. Cummings to praise Krazy Kat? What led to the creation of a jazz ballet based on Krazy Kat?

At a time when playing with the size and order of panels, and inserting self-referential jokes was unheard of, Herrimen introduced formal experimentation that pushed the comic strip past its perceived limits. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was a fan of Krazy Kat, going so far as to guarantee Herrimen complete artistic freedom, which allowed the artist to reach unheard of heights.

Nearly 70 years after Krazy Kat ended, artists like Bill Watterson and Michael Stipe count the strip as an inspiration.

Creator: Gary Trudeau

Published: 1970-present

While many comic strips get political, none have done so as explicitly and consistently as Doonesbury. Since 1970, when the strip turned from a feature of the Yale student newspaper into a nationally syndicated strip, the comic has kept the public abreast of the nation's politics through its existential tragicomic soap opera.

In that time, the cartoon has been no stranger to controversy. The most recent occurred after a number of papers refused to run strips critical of abortion ultrasound bills.

One of the greatest compliments Doonesbury has been paid came from President Gerald Ford, who was himself often a target of the strip. He said, "There are only three major vehicles to keep us informed as to what is going on in Washington: the electronic media, the print media, and Doonesbury, not necessarily in that order."

Creator: Berkeley Breathed

Published: 1980-1989; 1989-1995; 2003 - 2008

Whether the strip was going by Bloom County, Outland, or Opus, all of Breathed's work had a deep impact on cartooning. The authors of the zany, culturally-relevant cartoons that came after Breathed (many of them on this list) cite the Opus cartoons as a massive influence.

Scott Kurtz, creator of the webcomic PvP, went as far as to say that "so many webcomics...are nothing but Bloom County ripoffs."

There are a number of factors that make Breathed's work special, but one of the most striking aspects is how small moments, like receiving a Christmas gift or trying on clothes, can lead to larger philosophical questions. While many comic strips end with a joke, Breathed often joked his way to an ending that simply inspired more thought.

Creator: Charles Schulz

Published: 1950-2000

A Syracuse University professor once called Peanuts "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being." It seems silly to write about the influence of Charlie Brown and his gang, as it's evident everywhere you look: on t-shirts, blimps, and tattoos. Schulz has marked pop culture indelibly.

When revisiting the strips, it's remarkable how melancholy most of the humor is. The strip about children is rooted in loneliness and miscommunication.

Picture it: Charlie Brown silently observes a bunch of his friends as they swim in a pool. Rather than asking to join them, he goes back to his yard and sits in a bucket of water by himself. Entire novels have communicated less.

Creator: Gary Larson

Published: 1980-1995

Chances are, a distant relative gifted you a Far Side day calendar for a birthday long ago, and instead of being annoyed that Uncle Hal really doesn't know you as a person, you just enjoyed the hell out of it.

Larson's single panel comics used animals, hell, cavemen (he's married to an anthropologist, after all) and people marooned on desert islands to get at some great human truths, all while making us laugh at the absurd stupidity of life.

The simple sentences below the illustrations would add to or, even better, completely invert the image presented, with hilarious results. Please, if you haven't done so, go back and read them today.

Creator: Bill Watterson

Published: 1985-1995

Sweetness and pain, humor and philosophy: Calvin and Hobbes contained everything, and all through the lens of Bill Watterson's uncompromising vision.

Watterson was steadfast in protecting all aspects of his work. He fought to have the strip run at a half-page while others were running far shorter. He fought against the commercialization of his characters—though any of us who have seen a truck decal with Calvin peeing on a logo knows that battle wasn't totally won. Simply, he fought to tell the stories he wanted to tell.

The result was something of great insight and beauty. Though many of the strips on this list remained relevant by engaging in culture, Calvin and Hobbes achieved something more by walking a path independent of hot-button topics and trends.

There are precious few times in the strip's history that real people are mentioned, yet Watterson was able to make meaningful points about topics as varied philosophy, culture, and growing up.

The 3,000-strip journey of a boy and his stuffed tiger stands not only as a tremendous comic strip, but as a tremendous piece of art.