Comic strips
Keane, Bil and Jeff. 5-10 Dec. 1970. The Family Circus. Retrieved from http://familycircus.com.
The Family Circus is a one panel strip depicting humorous family situations. The artwork and caption coexist; they both need the other. This strip contains simple, iconic characters and appeals to readers of all ages. Fans of For Better or For Worse might also like this strip because of similar subject matters. It is the most widely syndicated comic.
Ketcham, Hank. 1-5 Mar. 2015. Dennis the Menace. Retrieved from http://dennisthemenace.com.
Dennis the Menace features a mischievous 5-year-old, sliding down stair railings, breaking things, and repeating things his parents have said at inopportune times. This strip has a similar style to The Family Circus, but has a lot more color. Dennis is a classic cartoon style with animated sketches and a character everyone loves. This strip appeals to all ages.
Staton, Joe and Curtis, Mike. 1-14 May 2001. Dick Tracy. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy.
In this series of strips, Dick Tracy is trying to solve a crime while in an airplane with possible suspects and dapperly dressed as usual. This comic is serialized, with the story continuing each day and features classic comic book artwork with bright colors, detailed settings, and lots of dialog bubbles. The story line is fast paced and dialog driven, appealing to fans of the early Batman, and similar to You have Killed Me by Jamie S. Rich. This strip is also reminiscent of The Untouchables movie franchise.
McKay, Winsor. 1-15 Feb. 1905. Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. Retrieved from
http://www.comicstriplibrary.org/browse/results?author=2.
This heritage strip features dream-like, surreal drawings. Each installment describes a dream/nightmare a person is having from consuming too much rarebit, a danish cheese-on-toast dish. Each dream uncovered a phobia and entered into the human psychosis. Because of the subject matter, it appeals to adults. This strip was an inspiration for a film with the same name in 1906. The creator also penned Little Nemo in Slumberland.
Johnston, Lynn. 10-15 Feb. 2015. For Better or For Worse. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/forbetterorforworse/2015/02/15.
For Better or For Worse features cheery, iconic, and inviting drawings and appeals mainly to women. The strip touches on the plights of mothers, and this specific line of strips touches on a mother going back to work and her main concern is whether or not her uniforms will fit. For her cartooning work, Johnston was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize editorial cartooning in 1994.
Larson, Gary. The Far Side. Retrieved from http://www.cracked.com/funny-4637-the-far-side/.
The Far Side is a one panel strip that features iconic drawings and surreal settings with a caption to explain the joke or pun. It appeals to all ages, and often reflect on real situation people face and can sometimes provide social or political commentary. The drawing style is similar to the Dilbert comic strip but with more detail.
Coverly, Dave. 1-5 Jan. 2002. Speed Bump. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/speedbump/2002/01/03.
Speed Bump is a one panel strip featuring sketched drawings, mainly in black and white, with a surreal looking scene and a caption underneath to explain the joke. The strip appeals to all ages and is very similar to The Far Side comics with a subject matter that touches on current events, realistic situations, and social commentary.
Wilson, Woody, and Beatty, Terry. 8-12 Mar. 2015. Rex Morgan M.D. Retrieved from http://comicskingdom.com/rex-morgan-m-d#.
This comic strip carried a story line throughout the week, similar to Dick Tracy. However, the plot line carried no action or crime fighting. The story lines are similar to soap operas. The strip features simple and static drawings; this would appeal to older teens and adults.
Peters, Mike. 3-7 Feb. 2015. Mother Goose & Grimm. Retrieved from
http://www.grimmy.com.
Mother Goose & Grimm is an endearing, comical strip with animals as the main characters. The strip has simple humor and sometimes features characters from classic fairy tales. It's bright, iconic, and inviting characters make it appealing to audiences of all ages.
Trudeau, Gary. 12-16 Mar. 2012. Doonesbury. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2012/03/14.
Doonesbury takes controversial political situations and reimagines them in comic format, clearly stating the creators opinion in a humorous manner. The comic features simple cartoon drawings with very little background and focuses a lot on dialog. This specific strip touched on the Texas abortion laws in 2012. This strip is geared towards an adult audience.
The Family Circus is a one panel strip depicting humorous family situations. The artwork and caption coexist; they both need the other. This strip contains simple, iconic characters and appeals to readers of all ages. Fans of For Better or For Worse might also like this strip because of similar subject matters. It is the most widely syndicated comic.
Ketcham, Hank. 1-5 Mar. 2015. Dennis the Menace. Retrieved from http://dennisthemenace.com.
Dennis the Menace features a mischievous 5-year-old, sliding down stair railings, breaking things, and repeating things his parents have said at inopportune times. This strip has a similar style to The Family Circus, but has a lot more color. Dennis is a classic cartoon style with animated sketches and a character everyone loves. This strip appeals to all ages.
Staton, Joe and Curtis, Mike. 1-14 May 2001. Dick Tracy. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy.
In this series of strips, Dick Tracy is trying to solve a crime while in an airplane with possible suspects and dapperly dressed as usual. This comic is serialized, with the story continuing each day and features classic comic book artwork with bright colors, detailed settings, and lots of dialog bubbles. The story line is fast paced and dialog driven, appealing to fans of the early Batman, and similar to You have Killed Me by Jamie S. Rich. This strip is also reminiscent of The Untouchables movie franchise.
McKay, Winsor. 1-15 Feb. 1905. Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. Retrieved from
http://www.comicstriplibrary.org/browse/results?author=2.
This heritage strip features dream-like, surreal drawings. Each installment describes a dream/nightmare a person is having from consuming too much rarebit, a danish cheese-on-toast dish. Each dream uncovered a phobia and entered into the human psychosis. Because of the subject matter, it appeals to adults. This strip was an inspiration for a film with the same name in 1906. The creator also penned Little Nemo in Slumberland.
Johnston, Lynn. 10-15 Feb. 2015. For Better or For Worse. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/forbetterorforworse/2015/02/15.
For Better or For Worse features cheery, iconic, and inviting drawings and appeals mainly to women. The strip touches on the plights of mothers, and this specific line of strips touches on a mother going back to work and her main concern is whether or not her uniforms will fit. For her cartooning work, Johnston was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize editorial cartooning in 1994.
Larson, Gary. The Far Side. Retrieved from http://www.cracked.com/funny-4637-the-far-side/.
The Far Side is a one panel strip that features iconic drawings and surreal settings with a caption to explain the joke or pun. It appeals to all ages, and often reflect on real situation people face and can sometimes provide social or political commentary. The drawing style is similar to the Dilbert comic strip but with more detail.
Coverly, Dave. 1-5 Jan. 2002. Speed Bump. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/speedbump/2002/01/03.
Speed Bump is a one panel strip featuring sketched drawings, mainly in black and white, with a surreal looking scene and a caption underneath to explain the joke. The strip appeals to all ages and is very similar to The Far Side comics with a subject matter that touches on current events, realistic situations, and social commentary.
Wilson, Woody, and Beatty, Terry. 8-12 Mar. 2015. Rex Morgan M.D. Retrieved from http://comicskingdom.com/rex-morgan-m-d#.
This comic strip carried a story line throughout the week, similar to Dick Tracy. However, the plot line carried no action or crime fighting. The story lines are similar to soap operas. The strip features simple and static drawings; this would appeal to older teens and adults.
Peters, Mike. 3-7 Feb. 2015. Mother Goose & Grimm. Retrieved from
http://www.grimmy.com.
Mother Goose & Grimm is an endearing, comical strip with animals as the main characters. The strip has simple humor and sometimes features characters from classic fairy tales. It's bright, iconic, and inviting characters make it appealing to audiences of all ages.
Trudeau, Gary. 12-16 Mar. 2012. Doonesbury. Retrieved from
http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2012/03/14.
Doonesbury takes controversial political situations and reimagines them in comic format, clearly stating the creators opinion in a humorous manner. The comic features simple cartoon drawings with very little background and focuses a lot on dialog. This specific strip touched on the Texas abortion laws in 2012. This strip is geared towards an adult audience.
Web comics
Marcinkowski, Stef. Sarah Zero. Retrieved from http://sarahzero.com/index.html.
Sarah Zero is an online long-format comic. The artwork is very digital, which stems from the creators graphic design background. Everything is bright and jarring. The subject matter deals with technology ruling society's lives and the struggle we all face when trying to "keep up with the joneses." This webcomic is geared for an adult audience due to mature language and graphics, however I can see it appealing to a high school audience because of the images.
Multiple Creators. 26-30 Apr. 2015. Cyanide and Happiness. Retrieved from http://explosm.net/comics/3912/.
Cyanide and Happiness features stick figure comics in ridiculous situations. The images are very digital, simple, and bright. Each installment carries it's own joke, often using dark humor. Cyanide and Happiness appeals to older teens and young adults.
Rogers, Steve. American Captain. Retrieved from
http://americancaptaincomic.tumblr.com/tagged/comic/chrono.
Captain America is middle aged and out of the superhero scene, thus bringing readers American Captain. Through simple, hand drawn sketches, Rogers depicts the famed avenger trying to deal with everyday, normal life. This strip would appeal to Captain America fans, but is also humorous for any reader, as many can relate.
Vernon, Ursula. 1-5 Feb. 2007. Digger. Retrieved from
http://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/01/wombat1-gnorf/.
Digger tells the tale of a wombat going on an epic dig. Through black and white, very high contrast artwork, Vernon creates an endearing character. This web comic is both character and plot driven, as it tells more of a story than most other web comics that feature individual installments. Digger has received a 2005 & 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for Outstanding Black & White Art, a 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic, a 2006 Eisner Award Nominee for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, and a 2012 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.
Jacques, Jeph. Questionable Content. Retrieved from
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2939.
Questionable Content depicts everyday life and situations through digital & bright illustrations with iconic characters that are easily relatable. This webcomic is character driven and appeals to older teens and adults. The creator of this webcomic earns his living through creating the comic, which is unusual for most webcomic artists, who usually do it as a hobby.
Beaton, Kate. Hark! A Vagrant. Retrieved from
http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php.
This humorous webcomic features classic characters from famous novels, famous artists, comic book characters, etc. as the protagonists of the installments. Cute, but simple illustrations carry these characters. This web comic appeals to a wide range of ages and a wide range of interests, as history buffs, literary fiends, and comic book hounds can find a comic that reflects their interests. Kate Beaton has been a webcomic creator that was also able to get her creations published in a book. Beaton's work has also been featured in several magazines and won several awards: 2009 Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent, 2011 & 2012 Harvey Award for Best Online Comics Work, 2011 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic, 2012 Harvey Special Award for Humor in Comics, & a 2012 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist.
Sarah Zero is an online long-format comic. The artwork is very digital, which stems from the creators graphic design background. Everything is bright and jarring. The subject matter deals with technology ruling society's lives and the struggle we all face when trying to "keep up with the joneses." This webcomic is geared for an adult audience due to mature language and graphics, however I can see it appealing to a high school audience because of the images.
Multiple Creators. 26-30 Apr. 2015. Cyanide and Happiness. Retrieved from http://explosm.net/comics/3912/.
Cyanide and Happiness features stick figure comics in ridiculous situations. The images are very digital, simple, and bright. Each installment carries it's own joke, often using dark humor. Cyanide and Happiness appeals to older teens and young adults.
Rogers, Steve. American Captain. Retrieved from
http://americancaptaincomic.tumblr.com/tagged/comic/chrono.
Captain America is middle aged and out of the superhero scene, thus bringing readers American Captain. Through simple, hand drawn sketches, Rogers depicts the famed avenger trying to deal with everyday, normal life. This strip would appeal to Captain America fans, but is also humorous for any reader, as many can relate.
Vernon, Ursula. 1-5 Feb. 2007. Digger. Retrieved from
http://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/01/wombat1-gnorf/.
Digger tells the tale of a wombat going on an epic dig. Through black and white, very high contrast artwork, Vernon creates an endearing character. This web comic is both character and plot driven, as it tells more of a story than most other web comics that feature individual installments. Digger has received a 2005 & 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for Outstanding Black & White Art, a 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic, a 2006 Eisner Award Nominee for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, and a 2012 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.
Jacques, Jeph. Questionable Content. Retrieved from
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2939.
Questionable Content depicts everyday life and situations through digital & bright illustrations with iconic characters that are easily relatable. This webcomic is character driven and appeals to older teens and adults. The creator of this webcomic earns his living through creating the comic, which is unusual for most webcomic artists, who usually do it as a hobby.
Beaton, Kate. Hark! A Vagrant. Retrieved from
http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php.
This humorous webcomic features classic characters from famous novels, famous artists, comic book characters, etc. as the protagonists of the installments. Cute, but simple illustrations carry these characters. This web comic appeals to a wide range of ages and a wide range of interests, as history buffs, literary fiends, and comic book hounds can find a comic that reflects their interests. Kate Beaton has been a webcomic creator that was also able to get her creations published in a book. Beaton's work has also been featured in several magazines and won several awards: 2009 Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent, 2011 & 2012 Harvey Award for Best Online Comics Work, 2011 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic, 2012 Harvey Special Award for Humor in Comics, & a 2012 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist.