Comic strips and single-panel comics occupy a unique space in the history of visual storytelling.
They are concise, rhythmic, and deceptively simple forms that blend art and narrative into compact units, often humorous, but sometimes philosophical and occasionally profound.
A comic strip is a sequence of illustrated panels arranged to convey a short narrative or gag. Traditionally published in newspapers, comic strips rely on recurring characters, consistent settings, and a rhythm that unfolds over daily or weekly installments.
A single-panel comic consists of one image accompanied by a caption or dialogue. Unlike strips, single-panel comics do not depend on sequential storytelling, but deliver a complete idea, often a joke or observation, in a single visual moment.
Producing a comic strip or single-panel comic involves several stages. These include concept development (cartoonists generate ideas, often drawing from daily life, satire, or absurdity), writing (even visual humor requires tight scripting; dialogue must be concise, and pacing must be exact), penciling and inking (artists sketch the layout, refine the drawings, and ink the final lines), lettering (text is added, either by hand or digitally, with attention to readability and tone), coloring (while optional, many modern strips are colored digitally, although historically most were in black-and-white), and syndication and distribution (syndicates historically served as intermediaries between cartoonists and newspapers, although digital platforms now allow direct publication).
Comic strips and single-panel comics appear in several standard formats, such as daily strips (usually three or four panels in a horizontal layout), Sunday Pages (larger, full-color spreads with more panels and elaborate compositions), single-panel gags (one image with a caption, such as The Far Side), webcomics (digital-native formats that may mimic traditional layouts or experiment with infinite canvases), and graphic story strips (serialized narratives that blue the line between strips and graphic novels).
Historically, comic strips were tied to newspapers, which used them to attract and retain readers. They can be found in daily or Sunday editions of newspapers, magazines, newspaper inserts, books and collected editions, websites and webcomic platforms, social media, mobile applications, and digital subscriptions. The shift from print to digital has allowed independent creators to reach global audiences without syndication, although there is still a place for syndicated comic strips and single-panel comics.
The earliest comic strips emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shaped by the rise of mass-circulation newspapers. Key milestones include The Yellow Kid (1895) by Richard F. Outcault, often cited as the first modern comic strip; The Katzenjammer Kids (1897) by Rudolph Dirks, one of the first strips with recurring characters and speech balloons; Winsor McCay's Little Nemo in Slumberland (1905), a masterpiece of early comic art that is known for its surreal visuals and innovative layouts; George Harriman's Krazy Kat (1913), celebrated for its poetic language and experimental design. These early works established the conventions of sequential art, character-driven humor, and serialized storytelling that continue to define the tradition.
While popularity is subjective and varies by era, the following comic strips often appear in rankings, retrospectives, and cultural memory: Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, Garfield by Jim Davis, The Far Side by Gary Larson, Dilbert by Scott Adams, Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau, The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé, Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, Krazy Kat by George Herriman, Pogo by Walt Kelly, Blondie by Chic Young, The Katzenjammer Kids by Rudolph Dirks, Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker, Hagar the Horrible by Dik Browne, Dennis the Menace by Hank Ketcham, For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston, The Phantom by Lee Falk, Dick Tracy by Chester Gould, Prince Valiant by Hal Foster, Mutts by Patrick McDonnell, Zits by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, Foxtrot by Bill Amend, Bloom Country by Berkeley Breathed, B.C. by Johnny Hart, and Family Circus by Bil Keane. These strips represent a century of artistic comic innovation, cultural commentary, and enduring humor.
Online resources specific to comic strips or single-panel comics that appear in print are appropriate for this part of our guide. While many of these can also be accessed online, they could still be listed here.
Recommended Resources
The long-running newspaper comic strip is centered on the married couple, Blondie and Dagwood, known for Dagwood's towering sandwiches and domestic misadventures. The strip blends family humor with everyday gags and has been a staple of syndicated comics for decades. Created by Chic Young, the modern strip is produced by Dean Young and John Marshall with contributions from a larger team. Blondie can be read on Comics Kingdom, which hosts the strip and related features.
https://comicskingdom.com/blondie
This is an online survey of Arthurian legend as represented in comics, created and maintained by Alan Stewart. It aims to provide scholars and enthusiasts with an overview of comic-strip and comic-book treatments of King Arthur and related material, organized into thematic sections and supported by bibliographic pointers and external resources. The site covers retellings of the original legends, new stories about traditional Arthurian characters, and original characters derived from the legend.
http://www.camelot4colors.com/
Debuting in 1951 and originally written and drawn by Hank Ketcham, Dennis the Menace is a daily syndicated gag cartoon featuring Dennis, an energetic, well-meaning but trouble-prone boy whose antics drive the adults around him to frustration. It remains in newspapers worldwide under King Features Syndicate. The Comics Kingdom page hosts the strip, an overview, an archive of strips, and editorial features such as blog posts and collections. Recent strips and related content may be viewed.
https://comicskingdom.com/dennis-the-menace
Written by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, Doonesbury chronicles the adventures of several characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the U.S. president to the title character, Mike Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college student to a youthful senior citizen over the decades. Created in 1970, the strip is frequently political. Current and recent strips may be viewed on the GoComics website, which also sells themed items, including subscriptions.
https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury
The long-running comic strip and archive by Alison Bechdel chronicles a cast of lesbian characters and political life. It began as a serialized comic strip that blends character-driven humor with political and social commentary. The website hosts the comic strip and related materials, serving as a central archive where readers can access strips, learn about the creator, and explore the recurring characters and themes that made the work influential in queer culture and comic history.
https://dykestowatchoutfor.com/
Originally, "The Family Circle, also 'Family-Go-Round," "The Family Circus" is a syndicated comic strip created by Bil Keane, and currently written, inked, and rendered by his son Jeff Keane. The strip usually uses a single captioned panel with a round border. It debuted in 1960 and has been in continuous production ever since. The strip was modeled after the original author and his wife, while the children are composites of their actual children. Strips may be viewed via the website.
https://comicskingdom.com/family-circus
Created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, The Far Side is a single-panel comic that ran from late 1979 to early 1995, when Larson retired as a cartoonist. The surrealistic humor characteristic of the work is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, logical fallacies, bizarre disasters, and twisted references to proverbs. The official site offers a daily selection of cartoons, archives, and an online store.
https://www.thefarside.com/
This is Lynn Johnston's authoritative hub for reading the strip by this name, meeting characters, browsing archives, buying merchandise, and getting news about the franchise. The site hosts daily and archives strips, along with character pages, games, and an online store. The comic strip follows the Patterson family, and is notable for aging its characters in real time, its frank treatment of everyday life, and its global syndication since 1979, reaching thousands of newspapers worldwide.
https://www.fborfw.com/
Written and illustrated by Bill Amend, FoxTrot is an American comic strip that was launched in 1988. Initially running seven days a week, since the end of 2006, new strips have appeared only on Sundays. The strip centers on the daily lives of the Fox family, consisting of parents (Andy and Roger) and their children (Peter, Paige, and Jason). It covers a wide range of subject matter, including spoofs of pop culture fads, nerd culture, complex math, and popular consumer products.
https://foxtrot.com/
Created and illustrated by Bob Thaves, and later Tom Thaves, Frank and Ernest is an American comic strip that debuted in 1972 and has since been published daily in over 1,200 newspapers. It is distributed to Spanish-speaking countries as "Justo y Franco." The comic strip features two title characters who deliver one-panel jokes built almost entirely on wordplay and visual puns. A search feature can be used to find subjects, and a cartoon of the day is featured.
https://www.frankandernest.com/
Launched in 2005, GoComics was originally a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones and later expanded to include online strips and cartoons. Currently owned by Andrews McMeel Universal, the site publishes editorial cartoons, mobile content, and daily comics. Comics are arranged into feature pages that display the latest comic scripts (14-day archive for non-users, 30-day archive for registered members, and the entire archive for premium members).
https://www.gocomics.com/
The official website for the single-panel series "It's a Jungle out There," by Australian cartoonist Hagan, an archive of cartoons is available, along with a searchable index, archives, licensing and contact information, support options, and an online store offering physical cartoon books, e-books, other products, and promotions. Begun in 1999, the strip features cartoon animals to lampoon everyday life in a family-friendly format. New cartoons are typically posted on Mondays.
https://www.hagencartoons.com/
Created in 1934 by cartoonist Al Capp, Li'l Abner is an American newspaper comic strip that ran from 1934 to 1977, chronicling the absurdities of daily life in the fictional Appalachian town of Dogpatch. Its title character, Abner Yokum, was a muscle-bound but handsome hillbilly, and most of the men of Dogpatch were cast as essentially useless to society, while the real work was done by the women, one of whom was Daisy Mae Scragg, who was in love with Abner.
http://lil-abner.com/
Luann is a syndicated newspaper comic strip written and drawn by Greg Evans. Launched by North America Syndicate in 1985, it is currently syndicated by Andrews McMeel Syndication, and has been co-authored by Greg Evans' daughter Karen Evans since 2012. Luann is set in an unnamed suburb and focuses on Luann DeGroot, a young adult dealing with school, love, family, and friends. This is a fan site, offering insights and information about the strip, as well as links to where it can be viewed.
https://luannfan.com/
Briefly subtitled "featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown," Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip originally ran from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns thereafter. At the time of Schulz's death in 2000, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of about 355 million across 75 countries, and translated into 21 languages. This is the official site for the Peanuts franchise.
https://www.peanuts.com/
Pile Higher and Deeper (PHD) by Jorge Cham is a comic strip that satirizes graduate school, research, and academic life. Launched in 1997, it became widely popular online and in print collections. The official website features strips, news, project announcements, and an online shopping section. Daily and archived comics are organized by date and topic, and multimedia projects (PHDtv, podcasts, and outreach efforts) are featured, while books and collections may be purchased or pre-ordered.
https://phdcomics.com/
Sidewalk Bubblegum Political Comic Cartoon Strip
Running from 1993 to 2001, Sidewalk Bubblegum was an alternative political comic strip by Clay Butler, focusing on issues such as capitalism, war, racism, and the environment. The website offers the full archive, a free e-book, and a downloadable comic font, along with press reports and a comic strip tutorial. The strip intentionally avoids topical gag-of-the-week jokes and instead examines the systems behind social problems, employing juxtaposition and irony.
https://sidewalkbubblegum.com/
Begun in the early 1990s, Steve & Bluey is a comic strip created by Steven Fischer, published under the name "Blue Dog Productions," which later expanded into short animated TV pieces and a book collection. The strip ran in regional outlets and was collected into at least one book in the early 1990s. Short animated pieces were produced and aired between 1996 and 1999, with episode listings and descriptions available in TV and film databases. Contacts and ordering information are provided.
http://www.steveandbluey.com/
Launched in 1986, This Modern World is a weekly satirical comic strip by cartoonist and political commentator Tom Tomorrow (Dan Perkins) that covers current events from a left-wing perspective. Published continuously for more than thirty years, the strip appears regularly in more than eighty newspapers across the United States and Canada. It has won a number of awards, including the Society of Professional Journalists James Madison Freedom of Information Award.
http://thismodernworld.com/
The official Tintin website is a comprehensive hub for "The Adventures of Tintin," a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé (pen name Georges Remi), published from 1929 to 1976. The site offers background on the albums, character dossiers, news, features on Hergé's work, an online boutique with official merchandise, cartoons, documentaries, links to the Hergé Museum, multimedia content, and fan resources. Online discussion forums are included.
https://www.tintin.com/en
