What is a comic strip?
A comic strip is a sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, they have been published in newspapers and magazines. With the advent of the internet, comic strips have also begun to appear online as web comics.
The Phantom is one of the earliest popular comic strip characters in the United States. Created by Lee Falk who also illustrated and wrote the comic strip with The Phantom as its main character, he was a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional country of Bangalla originally Bengali. The strip debuted in newspapers on February 17, 1936. Falk also created and illustrated Mandrake the Magician strip.
What is a comic book?
Comic books are publications that consist of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialogue contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. The term comic book derives from American comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone.
The introduction of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's character Superman in 1938 turned comic books into a major industry and ushered in the Golden Age of Comic Books. Siegel and Shuster’s Superman debuted in the Action Comics #1 comic book, published by Detective Comics (predecessor of DC Comics).
In August 2016, a rare copy of the Action Comics No. 1 comic book was sold by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions for $956,000 – almost $1 million. According to CBS News, it is one of about 100 copies of the edition known to exist. The comic book had an original cover price of 10 cents.
Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939.
Detective Comics (later retitled as Batman Detective Comics) is also an American comic book series (like Action Comics) published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. Most of its publications take place within the fictional DC Universe and feature superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Aquaman; as well as famous fictional teams including the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Teen Titans, and the Suicide Squad. The universe also features an assortment of well-known supervillains such as the Joker, Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, the Reverse-Flash, Brainiac, and Darkseid.
Marvel Comics is a New York City-based comic book publisher that was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics. The Marvel era began in August 1961 with the launch of The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and numerous others. Marvel counts among its characters such well-known superheroes as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel, as well as popular superhero teams such as the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Its stable of well-known supervillains includes Doctor Doom, Magneto, Green Goblin, Kingpin, Red Skull, Loki, Ultron, Thanos, Kang the Conqueror, Venom, and Galactus.
Beetle Bailey
Beetle Bailey is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Mort Walker, published since September 4, 1950. It is set on a fictional United States Army post called Camp Swampy (inspired by Camp Crowder, where Walker had once been stationed while in the Army), which is located near the town of Hurleyburg at "Parris Island, S.C." (a real-life Marine Corps base). In the years just before Walker's death in 2018 (at age 94), it was among the oldest comic strips still being produced by its original creator. Walker's sons, Neal, Brian and Greg, have continued the strip since he passed away.
Beetle was originally a college student at Rockview University. During the strip's first year, he quit school and enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he has remained ever since. Private Bailey was as lazy in college as he would be in the service where he usually took naps and avoided work. He and the other characters never seem to see combat themselves, with the exception of mock battles and combat drills. He is always seen with a hat or helmet which covers his forehead and eyes. The uniforms are the same as those in the late 1940s to early 1970s Army, with green fatigues and patrol caps as the basic uniform, and the open jeep as the basic military vehicle.
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of the title characters: Calvin, a precocious, mischievous, and adventurous six-year-old boy; and his friend Hobbes, a sardonic tiger, that is either a stuffed toy and/or Calvin’s imaginary friend. The setting of the comic strip is the suburban United States of the 1980s and 1990s. At the height of its popularity, Calvin and Hobbes was featured in over 2,400 newspapers worldwide.
Curtis by Ray Billingsley
Curtis is a nationally syndicated comic strip written and illustrated by Ray Billingsley, with a predominantly African American cast. The comic strip started up on October 3, 1988, and is syndicated by King Features. The comic strip portrays the daily life of a middle-class Black family living in a large American city, especially that of Curtis, the eponymous main character. It frequently chronicles aspects of African American culture and history.
Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written, and illustrated by Hank Ketcham. The strip made its debut on March 12, 1951, in 16 newspapers and was originally distributed by Post-Hall Syndicate. It is now written and drawn by Ketcham's former assistants, Marcus Hamilton, Ron Ferdinand, and son Scott Ketcham. It is distributed to at least 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and in 19 languages by King Features Syndicate. It usually runs for a single panel on weekdays and a full strip on Sundays. It has been adapted to other popular media, including several television shows, both live-action and animated, and several feature films, including theatrical and direct-to-video releases.
The setting is a middle-class suburban neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas. The Mitchell family, including Dennis – the main character, lives in a two-story house on Pine Street. The Wilson family lives next door to the Mitchells on Pine Street. Dennis Mitchell is a freckle-faced 5-year-old boy with a troublesome but soft-hearted and helpful personality. His long-suffering parents are Henry and Alice Mitchell. Dennis owns a dog named Ruff, and two cats named Hot Dog and Barney. George Wilson, Sr. is Dennis's cranky, cantankerous, middle-aged next-door neighbor, a retired mail carrier and (at least as far as Dennis is concerned) his best adult friend.
Dilbert
Dilbert is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title character. Dilbert appears online and as of 2013 was published daily in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and 25 languages.
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip that was first printed on October 26, 1970 as a continuation of Bull Tales, which appeared in the Yale University student newspaper, the Yale Daily News, from 1968 to 1970. It is written by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau and illustrated by by Don Carlton, Todd Pound, and George Corsillo. It chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury. it is noted for a liberal viewpoint. The name "Doonesbury" is a combination of the word doone (American prep school slang for someone who is clueless, inattentive, or careless) and the surname of Charles Pillsbury, Trudeau's roommate at Yale University.
Doonesbury debuted as the first comic strip from Universal Press Syndicate. It became known for its social and political commentary. It has a large group of recurring characters, with 24 currently listed at the strip's website. The main characters are a group who attended the fictional Walden College during the strip's first 12 years, and moved into a commune together in April 1972. Most of the other characters first appeared as family members, friends, or other acquaintances. In May 1975, Doonesbury became the first daily comic strip to win a Pulitzer Prize, taking the award for Editorial Cartooning. By the 2010s, it was syndicated in approximately 1,400 newspapers worldwide.
Garfield and Friends
Garfield is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as Jon in 1976 (later changed to Garfield in 1977), then in nationwide syndication from 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, Odie the dog, and their owner Jon Arbuckle. The setting of the strip is Jim Davis's hometown of Muncie, Indiana. Common themes in the strip include Garfield's laziness, obsessive eating, love of coffee and lasagna, disdain of Mondays, and dieting. Garfield is also shown to manipulate people to get whatever he wants. The strip's focus is mostly on the interactions among Garfield, Jon, and Odie, but other recurring characters appear as well.
Garfield has been adapted into television specials, two animated cartoon television series - The Garfield Show and Garfield and Friends, two live-action/computer animated feature films Garfield: The Movie (2004) and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)., and an animated feature film titled The Garfield Movie (2024). The Garfield franchise also includes merchandise, video games, books, and other spin-off merchandise. As of 2013, the comic strip was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and journals and held the Guinness World Record for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip.
Hagar the Horrible
Hägar the Horrible is the title and main character of an American comic strip created by cartoonist Dik Browne and syndicated by King Features Syndicate. It first appeared on February 4, 1973 (in Sunday papers) and the next day in daily newspapers. The strip is a caricature commenting on modern-day life in the United States through a loose interpretation of Viking Age Scandinavian life. It is based on Browne’s family and the title is based on a nickname “Hagar the Terrible” given to Browne by his sons. Hägar is a shaggy, scruffy, overweight, red-bearded Norwegian Viking who regularly raids England and sometimes France. The setting is the Middle Ages in an unnamed coastal village somewhere in Norway.
Dik Browne's experience as a courtroom illustrator and illustrator of maps of important World War II battles before 1942, plus his experience as an illustrator (Staff Sergeant) attached to a U.S. Army Engineer unit where he drew technical diagrams, maps, and other documents. Before Hägar, Browne was best known for co-creating the comic strip Hi and Lois with his partner, Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker. Browne was reportedly the real-life inspiration for the character Plato, the intellectual private in Beetle Bailey.
Herb and Jamal by Stephen Bentley
Herb and Jamaal is a comic strip by Stephen Bentley syndicated by Creators Syndicate. It is published daily and centers on the eponymous friends who run a diner together.
Jump Start by Robb Armstrong
Jump Start is a daily comic strip drawn by cartoonist Robb Armstrong. It portrays the trials and tribulations of a young African American couple as they try to balance the demands of work and raising their young children. Syndicated by United Feature Syndicate, Jump Start is set in the Philadelphia area, where Armstrong grew up.
The Boondocks by Aaron McGruder
The Boondocks was a daily syndicated comic strip written and originally drawn by Aaron McGruder that ran from 1996 to 2006. Created by McGruder for Hitlist.com, an early online music website, it was printed in the monthly hip hop magazine The Source in 1997. As it gained popularity, the comic strip was picked up by the Universal Press Syndicate and made its national debut on April 19, 1999. A popular and controversial strip, The Boondocks satirizes African American culture and American politics as seen through the eyes of young African American radical Huey Freeman.
The strip is about Huey Freeman and his younger brother Riley, two young children who have moved out of the West Side of Chicago with their grandfather Robert to live with him in the predominantly White fictional suburb of Woodcrest (in Maryland). This relates to McGruder's childhood move from Chicago to Columbia, a diverse Maryland suburb. The title word "boondocks" alludes to the isolation from primarily African American urban life that the characters feel. Huey is a politically perceptive devotee of Black radical ideas of the past few decades. He is named after Black Panther Huey P. Newton, who was named for Huey Long. Young Huey Freeman is harshly critical of many aspects of modern Black culture. Riley, on the other hand, is enamored of gangsta rap culture and the "thug"/bling-bling lifestyle. Their grandfather Robert is a firm disciplinarian, World War II veteran, and former civil rights activist who is offended by both their values and ideas.
The Family Circus
The Family Circus is a syndicated comic strip created by cartoonist Bil Keane and, since Keane's death in 2011, written, inked and rendered (colored) by his son Jeff Keane. The characters are loosely based on Keane’s family and include the parents - Bil and Thelma, and four children - Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and P.J. They live in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is a captioned, single panel comic strip that debuted February 29, 1960, and has been in continuous production ever since. According to publisher King Features Syndicate, it is the most widely syndicated cartoon panel in the world, appearing in 1,500 newspapers.
Wee Pals by Morie Turner
Wee Pals is an American syndicated comic strip about a diverse group of children, created and produced by cartoonist Morrie Turner. When it debuted on February 15, 1965, it was the first comic strip syndicated in the United States to have a cast of diverse ethnicities, dubbed the "Rainbow Gang". When Turner wondered why there were no minorities in the comic strips that were being written at the time, his mentor, Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, suggested he create one. Turner’s comic strip, Dinky Fellas, featured an all-Black cast, but was only carried by the Chicago Defender. However, after he integrated the strip and renamed it Wee Pals, it appeared in five daily newspapers, as many papers refused to run a strip featuring Black characters. It eventually grew in popularity and soon it was featured in at least 60 newspapers by the end of the 1960s.
Wee Pals dealt with issues such as bullying, sexism, and racism, which was rare in the 1960s. It gained nationwide attention following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the four decades since, Turner who passed away in 2014 at the age of 90 years old, has inspired young artists, won several awards for his children's books, and appeared in an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Where I’m Coming From by Barbara Brandon-Croft
Barbara Brandon-Croft is an American cartoonist, best known for creating the comic strip Where I'm Coming From, and for being the first nationally syndicated African American female cartoonist. The comic strip traces the experiences of about twelve African American women and gives insight into the challenges of being an African American woman living in the United States.
Other popular cartoon and animated series’ characters that began in comic strips and comic books include Popeye the Sailor, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang, and The Smurfs.
What is comic strip syndication?
A comic strip syndicate functions as an agent for cartoonists and comic strip creators, placing the cartoons and strips in as many newspapers as possible on behalf of the artist. A syndicate can annually receive thousands of submissions, from which only two or three might be selected for representation. In some cases, the work will be owned by the syndicate as opposed to the creator. As of 2017, the leading strip syndicates are Andrews McMeel Syndication, King Features Syndicate, and Creators Syndicate, with the Tribune Content Agency and The Washington Post Writers Group also in the running. Andrews McMeel also owns and operates GoComics, a website featuring comic strips currently syndicated by Andrews McMeel, as well as discontinued titles such as Calvin and Hobbes, The Boondocks, and Bloom County; webcomics such as Pibgorn and Kliban; plus a selection of syndicated comic strips from Creators Syndicate and Tribune Content Agency.
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications. It currently distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles, and games to nearly 5,000 newspapers worldwide. Founded by William Randolph Hearst Sr. (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) and his manager Moses Koenigsberg in 1915, King Features introduced the world-famous Popeye the Sailor man character in its Thimble Theater comic strip in 1929. They went on to launch other comic strips such as Blondie (1930–present), Flash Gordon (1934–2003), Mandrake the Magician (1934–2013), and The Phantom (1936–present).
(Sources – Complex, Fresh Comics, The Daily Cartoonist, The Washington Post, TV Tropes, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia)