golf, amirite? ilx's comic strip voting thread is now open

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2307/dagwood.jpg

i'm very excited to announce that despite the sequester creating big gaps in our budget, the staff of ilx comic strip poll are still able to bring you first class reporting and original content. we're even expanding to a voting thread. this thread.

um, rate top 40*, send to ilxstripp✧✧✧@gm✧✧✧.c✧✧ -- i will try to figure out best way to conduct scoring and will take suggestions. you can vote for anything you feel belongs in this category (category = comic strips, not comic books - u figure out what that includes/excludes) but here is the full list of nominations as determined by our self-selected nomination committee, possibly minus one or two i may have missed by accident:

*ALSO top 5 worst comics ever this part is very important

**ALSO plz if u find representative strips that you want to campaign w/ post them here - i will enjoy reading every strip that someone posts to this thread even non-alcoholic family circus. if u find representative strips that you want to email but not post here, email w/ ur ballot for inclusion in rollout.

A Lesson is Learned but the Damage is Irreversible, by Dale and David
A Softer World, by Joey Corneau and Emily Horne
Achewood, by Chris Onstad
Acme Novelty Library, by Chris Ware
American Elf, by James Kolchalka
Amy & Jordan, by Mark Beyer
Andy Capp, by Reg Smythe
Angriest Dog in the World, by David Lynch
Angus Og, by Ewen Bain
Apartment 3-G, by Alex Kotsky
Apparently, by Mike Barfield
Arlo and Janis, by Jimmy Johnson
Arnold, by Kevin McCormick
Azumanga Daioh, by Kiyohiko Azuma
B.C., by Johnny Hart
Bad Machinery, by John Allison
Barnaby, by Crockett Johnson
Beetle Bailey, by Mort Walker
Berger & Wyse, by Joe Berger and Pascal Wyse
Blecky Yuckarella, by Johnny Ryan
Blondie, by Chic Young
Bloom County, by Berkeley Breathed
Bluey and Curley, by Alex Gurney
Boob McNutt, by Rube Goldberg
Bringing Up Father, by George McManus
Bristow, by Frank Dickens
Bucko, by Jeff Parker & Erika Moen
Buster Brown, by Richard F. Outcault
Buz Sawyer, by Roy Crane
Calculus Cat, by Hunt Emerson
Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson
Captain Easy, by Roy Crane
Carol Day, by David Wright
Cheech Wizard, by Vaugh Bode
Clare in the Community, by Harry Venning
Conchy, by James Childress
Cul de Sac, by Richard Thompson
Curtis, by Ray Billingsley
Dal Tokyo, by Gary Panter
DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary, by Erika Moen
Death to the Extremist, by Michael Zole
Dennis the Menace, by Hank Ketcham
Dick Tracy, by Chester Gould
Diesel Sweeties, by Richard Stevens
Dilbert, by Scott Adams
Dinosaur Comics, by Ryan North
Donald Duck, by Al Talliaferro and Bob Karp
Dondi, by Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen
Doonesbury, Garry Trudeau
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, by Winsor McCay
Dry Bones, by Yaakov Kirschen
Dykes to Watch Out For, by Alison Bechdel
Ernie Pook’s Comeek, by Lynda Barry
Ettamogah Pub, by Ken Maynard
Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, by Gilbert Shelton
Family Circus, by Bil Keene
Fart Party, by Julia Wertz
Flash Gordon, by Alex Raymond
Flook, by Wally Fawkes
Footrot Flats, by Murray Ball
For Better or For Worse, by Lynn Johnston
Foxtrot, by Bill Amend
Frank and Ernest, by Bob Thaves
Funky Winkerbean, by Tom Batiuk
Garfield Minus Garfield, by Dan Walsh
Garfield, by Jim Davis
Garth, by Frank Bellamy
Gasoline Alley, by Frank King
Gaston, by Andre Franquin
George and Lynne, by Conrad Frost
Get Fuzzy, by Darby Conley
Get Your War On, by David Rees
Giant Days, by John Allison
Ginger Meggs, by Jimmy Bancks
Girl Mountain, by Simon Hanselmann
Great Pop Things, by Colin B. Morton and Chuck Death
Guick & Flupke, by Hergé
Hagar the Horrible, by Dik Browne
Hark! A Vagrant, by Kate Beaton
Hi and Lois, by Mort Walker
Hogan’s Alley, by Richard F. Outcault
Home-Clubber, by Jon Link and Mick Bunnage
Howard the Duck, by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan
Idées noires, by Andre Franquin
If..., by Steve Bell
Jeff Hawke, by Sydney Jordan
Jim’s Journal, by Scott Dikkers
JL8, by Yale Stewart
Johnny Hazard, by Frank Robbins
Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer, by Ben Katchor
King Aroo, by Jack Kent
Krazy Kat, by George Herriman
Lady Luck, by Klaus Nordling
Later Feiffer, by Jules Feiffer
Les frustrés by Claire Bretécher
Leviathan, by Peter Blegvad
Li’l Abner, by Al Capp
Life is Hell, by Matt Groening
Little Lulu, by Marge
Little Nemo, by Winsor McCay
Little Orphan Annie, by Harold Gray
Lobey Dosser, by Bud Neill
Loomus, by Steven Appleby
Luann, by Greg Evans
Maakies, by Tony Millionaire
Mafalda, by Quino
Magic Whistle, by Sam Henderson
Male Call, by Milton Caniff
Marmaduke, by Brad Anderson
Mary Perkins On Stage, by Leonard Starr
Maxwell the Magic Cat, by Alan Moore
Medium Large, by Francesco Marciuliano
Menage a 3, by Gisèle Lagacé & David Lumsdon
Mickey Mouse, by Floyd Gottfredson
Miss Peach, by Mell Lazarus
Modesty Blaise, by Peter O’Donnell and Jim Holdaway
Moomin, by Tove Jansson (and Lars Jansson)
Moon Mullins, by Frank Willard
Mother Goose and Grimm, by Mike Peters
Mutt and Jeff, by Bud Fisher
My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable, by David Rees
Nancy, by Ernie Bushmiller
Octopus Pie, by Meredith Gran
Odd Bodkins, by Dan O’Neill
Oglaf, by Doug Bayne and Trudy Cooper
Oor Wullie, by Dudley Watkins
Order of the Stick, by Rich Rurlew
Over the Hedge, by Michael Fry & T. Lewis
Peanuts, by Charles Schulz
Perry Bible Fellowship, by Nicholas Gurewitch
Pictures for Sad Children, by John Campbell
Pogo, by Walt Kelly
Polly and her Pals, by Cliff Sterrett
Popeye, by E.C. Segar
Prince Valiant, by Hal Foster
Pros & Cons, by Kieran Meehan
Pupkin, by Bobby Crosby
Red Meat, from the secret files of Max Cannon
Robotman, by Jim Meddick
Rock’n’Roll Zoo, by Savage Pencil
Rockets Passing Overhead, by Steven Appleby
Sally Forth, by Greg Howard
Sam’s Strip, by Mort Walker
Scary Gary, by Mark Buford
Scary Gary, by Mark Buford
Scary-Go-Round, by John Allison
Sick Sick Sick, by Jules Feiffer
Skippy, by Percy Crosby
Sky Masters, by Kirby and Wood
Sluggy Freelance, by Pete Abrams
Something Positive, by R. K. Milholland
Steve Canyon, by Milton Caniff
SuperMutant Magic Academy, by Jillian Tamaki
Tall Tales, by Al Jaffee
Tank McNamara, by Jeff Millar
Tarzan, by Burne Hogarth
Terr’ble Thmopson, by Gene Deitch
Terry and the Pirates, by Milton Caniff
The Adventures of Superhero Girl, by Faith Erin Hicks
The Angriest Dog in the World, by David Lynch
The Boondocks, by Aaron McGruder
The Broons, by Dudley Watkins
The Family Upstairs, by George Herriman
The Far Side, by Gary Larson
The Heart of Juliet Jones, by Stan Drake
The Inventions of Professor Lucifer G. Butts, A.K. by Rube Goldberg
The Katzenjammer Kids, by Rudolph Dirks
The Kin-der-Kids, by Lyonel Feininger
The Lockhorns, by Bill Hoest
The Pain - When Will It End?, by Tim Kreider
The Perishers, by Dodd and Collins
The Phantom, by Lee Falk
The Spirit, by Will Eisner
The Stephen Collins Cartoon, by Stephen Collins
The Upside-Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffarroo, by Gustave Verbeek
The Wizard of Id, by Johnny Hart and Brant Parker
Tijuana Bibles, by Various Artists
Toonerville Folks, by Fontaine Fox
Tracts, by Jack Chick
Troubletown, by Lloyd Dangle
Underworld, by Kaz
Wash Tubbs, by Roy Crane
Washingtoon, by Mark Alan Stamaty
White Boy, by Garrett Price
Wondermark, by David Malki
xkcd, by Randall Munroe
Zippy the Pinhead, by Bill Griffith
Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

awesome, thanks for doing this

is there a deadline?

end of July but i'm sure there will be some flexibility

Mordy why did u not come fap in Philly so I could give you IRL ballot

there was a philly fap???

well it just ended up being me and Stevie hanging out for four days

Email is obscured in the opening post fyi

ilxstrippoll at gmail dot etc

top 40 is kinda hard for me to make without throwing in nominations for strips i barely know.

send to ilxstripp✧✧✧@gm✧✧✧.c✧✧

too many ✧'s for that to be "stripper"

wait, am I blind or is The Boondocks not on the nomination list?

the answer is "I am blind", lol

vote for up to 40 xxp

quick q: for '5 worst comics' can we include stuff that's not on the list?

for the most part the list is nominations of things people like ... so yes.

yes xp

peanuts needs no campaigning but here's the second-to-last Sunday:

http://www.willhines.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/peanuts_big.jpg

i fell in love w/ doonesbury from a late-70s collection. i thought the comics were funny, and it was about a period in history i wasn't alive for - so it was interesting getting a sense of the late-70s zeitgeist (which is what i think trudeu is best at doing). i don't think the contemporary ones are as good (tho far from the worse thing on the comics page), but what are some other really strong eras of doonesbury? i'm thinking about maybe picking up some cheap used copies. maybe reagan years?

also, calling all crabbits to contribute to this thread

i also picked up sam's strip on basis of its nomination and its the funniest i've ever seen mort walker. so many of these collections are like $1 or less on amazon used. what else should I order?

damn, that 'peanuts' is fucking bleak. can't believe that just missed being the last one ever.

schulz is one of the great rain artists

schulz was very influenced by percy crosby:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JDJHE7GFVAE/Tbt85m6ILzI/AAAAAAAACW4/15tEcWXzs8U/s1600/01%2B7%2B25.JPG

think that's the first time i've seen schulz's visual debt to crosby made so clear - otoh, have always found skippy to be p unreadable (the snippets i've read - it's never really been collected, has it?) in some ways, early 20th century comics strips are among the most opaque and deeply coded cultural artefacts, these days - the slang, the humour, some of the visual style (even the lettering) seems from another world and time that's very distant to our vile modern selves

i also picked up sam's strip on basis of its nomination and its the funniest i've ever seen mort walker. so many of these collections are like $1 or less on amazon used. what else should I order?

― Mordy , Wednesday, July 10, 2013 12:19 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, I vastly prefer Sam's Strip to pretty much everything else Walker has done (and I'm wondering if Jeff Dumas was really the dominant voice).

Whoops, Jerry Dumas, I mean.

Woohoo! So happy to see the Sam's Strip love. As I said in the nominations thread, I was ignorant of it until a few months ago but was blown away when I read it.

i think a 'skippy' collection is in the works -- i love the artwork, but have only read bits of it here and there. but yes, early 20cen comic strips often make for bizarre reading. 'krazy kat' actually seems a lot less dated and strange than some of its more popular contemporaries (including some of herriman's other work).

more schulz and crosby matchups here (but try to ignore the blogger's obnoxious commentary):

http://thecribsheet-isabelinho.blogspot.com/2011/04/crosby-schulz.html

man, if Cathy doesn't rank high in the "worst comic strips ever" poll, I basically don't even know you people

ACK!!

huh amazingly only one of my five worst managed to make the nomination list

"amazingly"

one of the alltime worst strips:

http://comicbooth.com/images/pluggers_dogfood.jpg

i'm not a fan or anything but 'cathy' won't be on my worst list -- there are probably at least five things on the nominations list i think are worse.

I know Oglaf is basically a porn comic, but it's a surprisingly funny porn comic. It was mentioned on twitter a year or so ago by Dylan Horrocks or Scott McCloud (I don't remember which) and I became a fan pretty quickly.

omfg how the hell did I forget about PLUGGERS

xkcd may have just won a reprieve

i hope everyone remembers to vote for questionable content as worst comic ever, bc i'm fairly certain it is

I'd never seen Pluggers before. What the fuck?

ha I have avoided QC like the plague so I can't in good conscience vote it the worst since I've never read it

also Pluggers has the distinction of being one of a very small number of comic strips that have caused me to scream obscenities at a newspaper

some other really strong eras of doonesbury?

GBT came back strong from his sabbatical, so yeah, 1984-1986 was a good Doonesbury time. That era features Inside Reagan's Brain, the USA for Africa series and Mike & JJ's newlywed years.

1988-1991 was also pretty good. (May as well just say 1984-91.) You had invisible Bush, the Persian Gulf War, Raoul Duke managing the David Duke campaign...

hated the Mr. Butts stuff and Mike's kid brother's Captain Condom phase or whatever that was doesn't rank high with me.

only 3 ballots in so far. let's get some campaigning and some voting going on this fine weekend!

http://cdnl.complex.com/mp/620/400/80/0/bb/1/ffffff/cf2c43ea7d65fff201590628e4be7203/images_/assets/CHANNEL_IMAGES/POP_CULTURE/2013/01/25-best-newspaper-comic-strips-of-all-time/krazykat_resize_438029.jpg

Did you get my poll, Mordy?

wow I messed up big on the nominations

Ward Fowler, I did receive your ballot. Drugs A. Money: what did you mess up on? Maybe we can still fix it.

Also - more ballots please!

http://mediumlarge.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/sally-forth-ending.jpg

Francesco Marciuliano's original comic - Medium Large - ^ (he is also the current writer on the real Sally Forth)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef011570961c98970b-pi

Here's a classic that wasn't nominated:

http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/50b8c3f1ecad045154000001-480/bazooka-joe.jpg

With sales of Bazooka bubble gum down, Bazooka Candy Brands announced in November of 2012 that they will no longer include the comic strip in their packaging. The new wrapper will include brain teasers, instructions, and codes that can be used to unlock videos and video games.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m65oz0K2oS1r7cvrzo1_400.png

Mondays got you down? Submit a ballot to the ilx comic strip poll!

I know Oglaf is basically a porn comic, but it's a surprisingly funny porn comic. It was mentioned on twitter a year or so ago

could be Horrocks, if he knew the creators from Platinum Grit twenty years ago

I see B4yne shoeless at my bus stop and local banh mi shop a lot

http://www.weeklystorybook.com/.a/6a0105369e6edf970b0147e158fbef970b-800wi

http://assets.amuniversal.com/ce043c90dd18012fe7fd001dd8b71c47

nothing but love for the gritty AARP realism of Pluggers

Maybe it is Stockholm Syndrome - Pluggers just doesn't get much of a rise out of me.

"Pluggers wear suspenders so they can keep a claw hammer hooked into their belt loop." Well ok then. It's like passing by a billboard for the Precious Moments chapel. I just keep moving right along.

Pluggers are those people who posted images of themselves about being in "the 47%" that were like "I have three jobs and raise 5 kids and make my own clothes just so you can sit on your ass in your nice welfare mansion" but somewhat less vitriolic and political.

I'm proud of my terrible life!

titling this "golf" means i only now noticed it

shit is voting still open?? I didn't see the nom thread get updated!!

still open - please vote!

we have a little over 10 ballots atm. i'd love to end up w/ 20+.

maybe u should bump the nom thread

http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2013/08/16

always thought this plugger character looked like Roger Ebert

http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2013/07/30

seems relevant

so uh is there a deadline?

I think I'll be ready to do rollout in Oct so lets make the hard deadline the end of Sept. plz get ur ballots in!!!!

on related note, my first cul de sac collection just arrived by post

nice feature about flook at tcj today.

i have 16 ballots in - i want to start rollout next week. can we get 4 more to make it an even 20??

ok fine I'll do a ballot.

me too! should i get it in tonight?

yes plz!

I will vote tomorrow, or not at all.

voted!

did anyone get to the full top 40? i gave up at 20, i don't know if there actually are that many good comics. too many candidates for the 5 worst list, though.

I think i did forty

I did a full-40 ballot.

I did 40 without difficulty.

Yeah, I had to cut down to 40.

okay time to do this

:( just cutting things I haven't been exposed to or have been and didn't feel like should get any points I only have 32 on my list, kind of a sad ballot, oh well

sent

wait no

i misread the first few posts and tried sending to "ilxstripper"

whatever, OTHER PEOPLE VOTE YAY COMIX

how many ballots you got now?

i have 20 exactly - results to come

sweet

Scary Gary started out kinda weak, but it's gotten darker and funnier over the last year or so.

http://assets.amuniversal.com/7ddab350183201312ebf001dd8b71c47

?

Yeah are we gonna get the results?

i predict a landslide for marmaduke

?

he's a giant dog

i was just bumping the thread and echoing the previous queries.

i know, jokes bruv

iirc Mordy mentioned upthread somewhere that he and Mordywife were expecting an incoming tiny Mordy at some point

http://arloandjanis.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2010-02-16-jogging.gif

http://arloandjanis.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2005-03-29-polaroid.gif

I haven't stopped by the A&J page in months, and I swear these were the first strips I saw.

mordy, did you ever want to pass along the results to someone else to post? I'd do it i guess.

http://i.imgur.com/F0IU1vL.jpg

idgi

i'm gonna take this on.
For the record, each vote counts as one vote; i gotta take these as unweighted ballots.

Panel Discussion - The ILX Comic Strip Poll Results