Well, here we are, after nearly two months, with the conclusion of the best comic strip tournament. Let's see some results!

Results: Round 7: The Third-Place Game

The Far Side -- 10 votes
defeats
Doonesbury -- 2 votes

Analysis: "I always really like the 'it was late and i was tired' comic. I just think the kid is drawn so absurdly in a funny way." -- Anthony

"The Far Side. Is this even a contest?" -- Alisa

"Random is good. Boing!" -- Tom

"The Far Side. Though I'm surprised that it is winning by such a wide margin, frankly; they don't seem that mismatched to me." -- Rob

Round 7: The Finals

Calvin and Hobbes -- 9 votes
defeats
Zits -- 3 votes

Analysis: I'm sure it wouldn't have changed the outcome, but more and more I've come to regret breaking the tie against FoxTrot back in round 4.

"It was inevitable -- the best comic strip gets what it deserves." -- Anthony

"Zits is one of the few comics that actually takes place in reality. Congratulations, Zits, you exist in the real world!" -- Tom

"C&H is more thought-provoking." -- admiralmemo

"Zits...I guess this is one of the comics I can relate to because it's still in the papers. I forget what Calvin and Hobbes was about" -- Dad

"Calvin and Hobbes -- although I hate to vote against MY OLD FRIEND Jerry Scott, I think Calvin and Hobbes will stand the test of time better than Zits. But I still love Zits!" -- Mom

So, that's the end of that. As always, the tournament was both hard work and quite fun to put on, though in retrospect "Best Comic Strip" might not have been the best idea. In addition to the fact that there was consensus quite early that Calvin and Hobbes both should and would win, it turns out there aren't that many second-tier comics; rather, there are a handful of absolute classics and then strips that are generally pretty decent but not that great, but very few in between, which made finding two-through-five seeds difficult. I'll try to find a subject that's a little better balanced next time (and there will be a next time, though it may not be for a while).

In conclusion, I think everyone should run their own blog-based single-elimination tournament. Go on, I'm waiting.

Results: Round 6: The Fascinating Four

Zits -- 6 votes
defeats
Doonesbury -- 3 votes

Analysis: "I had intended to write a comment about how Zits doesn't really belong in the finals and whatnot. But then I realized, I read the comic every day, pretty much enjoy it whenever I do, and most of the other stuff these days is just garbage. Perhaps that inflates my opinion of the comic above what it would be if measured against some of the past classics, but even if thats the case, I will gladly accept Zits as a finalist." -- Anthony

"I can't believe I'm voting against Zits. Doonesbury is an institution, though. Have I said that before in this tournament? Regarding other comics? Possibly... ah well on to reason B: I like the way that Trudeau draws eyes." -- Rob

The Far Side -- 2 votes
loses to
Calvin and Hobbes -- 7 votes

Analysis: "Calvin and Hobbes - When I step back and look at the comic as a whole, it really hits me just how messed up Calvin really is. I mean, sure, we all have fantasies about beating people up and so on, but Calvin has fantasies about slaughtering his entire class in glee. Combine that with his many extremely morbid snowmen, and you have a little goth in the making. And by goth, I mean possible terrorist." -- Anthony

"I hate to vote against The Far Side, but C&H is usually much more profound in its humor. The Far Side just goes for laughs. (Really, really GOOD laughs, though.)" -- admiralmemo

"The Far Side...No impact on American life from this strip. Just strange laughs (are those guffaws?)" -- Dad

Round 7: The Third-Place Game

#OS1 The Far Side
Created by Gary Larson

-- vs. --
#C1 Doonesbury
Created by Garry Trudeau
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/

Talking cows and chickens versus talking plants (circa 1973) and talking cigarettes (circa 1995).

Round 7: The Finals

#D1 Calvin and Hobbes
Created by Bill Watterson
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

-- vs. --
#CS2 Zits
Created by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zits.asp

Well, now I wish I hadn't blown my comment about early Zits being inspired by Calvin and Hobbes back in Round 4.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 5: The Exciting Eight

Calvin and Hobbes -- 7 votes
defeats
Dilbert -- 3 votes

Analysis: "The first one was the toughest yet. I had to go with Calvin, though, because while Dilbert is relevant to my current adulthood, Calvin WAS my childhood." -- admiralmemo

Blondie -- 1 vote
loses to
The Far Side -- 9 votes

Analysis: "More difficult then I first imagined. I re-read an old Far Side collection I had the other day, and found myself less impressed. However, I was really voting for Blondie for its longevity, consistency, and the fact my Dad would vote for it. I can't let that blind me anymore." -- Anthony

"Far Side -- I've never seen a Blondie page a day calendar." -- Mom

"I have continued to stash away Far Sides from each year's calendar -- comics that I have seen a dozen times and that have no right to be amusing any more -- for future posting on walls/doors/fridges/etc. I can't think of a single Blondie that would get that treatment." -- Rob

"Blondie. So modern and up to date." -- Dad

Bloom County -- 4 votes
loses to
Doonesbury -- 5 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Bloom County - On the topic of selling out, there is nothing wrong it, right? Not selling out is the dumbest thing anyone can do. It makes me want to vote against Calvin and Hobbes now. Good thing I haven't decided on that match yet." -- Anthony

"I'm less familiar with Bloom than I am with any of the other seven comics this round, plus Doonesbury is one of the most consistently funny strips alive." -- Rob

Get Fuzzy -- 2 votes
loses to
Zits -- 7 votes

Analysis: "Zits. Melba toast version of teenage angst" -- Dad

Round 6: The Fascinating Four

#CS2 Zits
Created by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zits.asp

-- vs. --
#C1 Doonesbury
Created by Garry Trudeau
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/

When it comes time for Jeremy to go to college, let's hope he can get in somewhere better than Walden College.

#OS1 The Far Side
Created by Gary Larson

-- vs. --
#D1 Calvin and Hobbes
Created by Bill Watterson
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

I like the one where Calvin goes into the transmogrifier and comes out looking like Gary Larson drew him.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 4, Dogpatch Region

Calvin and Hobbes -- 8 votes
defeats
Pearls Before Swine -- 0 votes

Analysis: "Hobbes should really eat Calvin at some point. That would have been a great ending to the strip." -- Tom

Results: Round 4, Milford Region

Baby Blues -- 1 vote
loses to
Dilbert -- 7 votes

Analysis: "For absolutely no reason I can think of, one of my all-time favorite lines in Dilbert comes from the 'flat-tie' comic, regarding Dilbert getting lucky. When Dogbert asks, 'Did you discover religion' I can't help but cracking up. I'll never understand why." -- Anthony

Results: Round 4, Walden College Region

For Better or For Worse -- 2 votes
loses to
Blondie -- 4 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "Blondie: It sticks to its roots" -- Dad

Results: Round 4, Okefenokee Swamp Region

Hagar the Horrible -- 2 votes
loses to
The Far Side -- 6 votes

Analysis: "The Far Side: Hagar's not even the best comic about a Viking." -- Anthony

Results: Round 4, Riverside Region

Bloom County -- 4 votes
defeats
Non Sequitur -- 4 votes

Analysis: I broke the tie in favor of Bloom County, which, as previously stated, is my favorite comic of all time.

Results: Round 4, Charterstone Region

Mother Goose and Grimm -- 1 vote
loses to
Doonesbury -- 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Doonesbury is like Daily Show...only one of them is actually good. Poor Jon Stewart..." -- Tom

Results: Round 4, Milborough Region

Peanuts -- 3 votes
loses to
Get Fuzzy -- 4 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Get Fuzzy: I still have no idea why my paper is running classic peanuts. there has got to be something they could replace it with. Like classical Bloom County." -- Anthony

"Get Fuzzy, even though I hate it." -- Dad

"I voted for Get Fuzzy simply because of this: http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/archive/getfuzzy-20080322.html" -- Tom

Results: Round 4, Camp Swampy Region

Zits -- 4 votes
defeats
FoxTrot -- 4 votes

Analysis: As I said last time, I thought that this was by far the hardest match so far in the tournament. I was very close to abstaining; by voting for FoxTrot but breaking the tie in favor of Zits, that's effectively what I did.

Round 5: The Exciting Eight

#D1 Calvin and Hobbes
Created by Bill Watterson
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

-- vs. --
#M1 Dilbert
Created by Scott Adams
http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/index.html

These two comics make an interesting contrast, showing a child's exuberance and rebellion compared to an adult's cynical acquiescence in the face of the death of his dreams.

#WC2 Blondie
Created by Chic Young, currently written by Dean Young and drawn by John Marshall
http://www.arcamax.com/blondie

-- vs. --
#OS1 The Far Side
Created by Gary Larson

Both of these comics contributed terms to our vocabulary: Blondie, of course, gave us the Dagwood sandwich, but some paleontologists now refer to an arrangement of spikes on the tail of a Stegosaurus as the "thagomizer", taken from a Far Side cartoon where, we learn, they're named for "the late Thag Simmons".

#R1 Bloom County
Created by Berkeley Breathed
http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/

-- vs. --
#C1 Doonesbury
Created by Garry Trudeau
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/

In the Outland collection One Last Little Peek, Berkeley Breathed comments on the early years of Bloom County, describing them as too wordy and too similar to Doonesbury, even mentioning that Garry Troudeau was offended by the resemblance. The collection also features a sketch drawn by Bill Watterson, teasing Breathed for "selling out" by licensing his characters, which Watterson never did.

#M2 Get Fuzzy
Created by Darby Conley
http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html

-- vs. --
#CS2 Zits
Created by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zits.asp

I'd like to take a moment to congratulate myself on how correct the seeding turned out; despite some early hiccups, five of the 1-seeds advanced, and the other three regional champions were 2-seeds. Well done, Jack!

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 3, Riverside Region

Bloom County -- 7 votes
defeats
Over the Hedge -- 1 vote
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "I voted Bloom County -- It took me a while to discover the greatness but, seriously. What an intense look at everything, sprinkle Lee Iacocca and Steve Dallas in the mix and you come up with greatness." -- Keith

Non Sequitur -- 5 votes
defeats
Sally Forth -- 4 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: You people are all nuts.

"Non-Sequitur - Let's just advance Bloom County on and move ahead." -- Anthony

Results: Round 3, Charterstone Region

Pogo -- 2 vote
loses to
Mother Goose and Grimm -- 5 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis: "Pogo. Swamps, especially ones I can't spell, entice me" -- Dad

Brevity -- 1 vote
loses to
Doonesbury -- 7 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "I voted Doonesbury -- liberal crap? Not usually in comics section? Commentary that goes further than what is safe? If the world were like this I'd be happy." -- Keith

Results: Round 3, Milborough Region

Rhymes With Orange -- 2 votes
loses to
Peanuts -- 6 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "Rhymes with Orange - After voting for peanuts once, I have no qualms never voting for it again." -- Anthony

Get Fuzzy -- 5 votes
defeats
The Boondocks -- 4 votes

Analysis: "Boondocks. I don't like Fuzzy. This is a protest vote" -- Dad

Results: Round 3, Camp Swampy Region

Adam@Home -- 2 votes
loses to
Zits -- 8 votes

Analysis: "Zits - Conme on now: Jeremy is going to traffic violation court, but the sunday comic shows him driving with Pops. I think I hate you Zits." -- Anthony

FoxTrot -- 7 votes
defeats
Li'l Abner -- 2 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "I know I’m the only one who will vote this way. Li'l Abner makes me laugh" -- Dad

Round 4, Dogpatch Region

#1 Calvin and Hobbes
Created by Bill Watterson
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

-- vs. --
#2 Pearls Before Swine
Created by Stephan Pastis
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/pearls/

You know, for being a tiger, Hobbes was never really that bloodthirsty. Pearls Before Swine's crocks could teach him a thing or two.

Round 4, Milford Region

#3 Baby Blues
Created by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/comics/babyblues.html

-- vs. --
#1 Dilbert
Created by Scott Adams
http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/index.html

How is working as an anonymous drown for a large company like raising small children? I don't know, but I bet if you put Scott Adams, Rick Kirkman, and Jerry Scott in a room together they'd make some jokes about it.

Round 4, Walden College Region

#1 For Better or For Worse
Created by Lynn Johnston
http://www.uclick.com/client/sea/fb/

-- vs. --
#2 Blondie
Created by Chic Young, currently written by Dean Young and drawn by John Marshall
http://www.arcamax.com/blondie

My brother used to complain about the exaggerated reactions in Blondie, how after every punchline a vertical line would appear above the other characters to indicate shock. After reading the strip closely for the last few weeks, I have a similar complaint: Sometimes, after a punchline, Daisy, the dog, will look straight at the reader with a look of confusion, like she's the only sane being in an insane world. It really bothers me.

Round 4, Okefenokee Swamp Region

#6 Hagar the Horrible
Created by Dik Browne, currently written and drawn by Chris Browne
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/hagar.asp

-- vs. --
#1 The Far Side
Created by Gary Larson

As a 6-seed, Hagar the Horrible is the lowest-ranked comic still in the tournament.

Round 4, Riverside Region

#1 Bloom County
Created by Berkeley Breathed
http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/

-- vs. --
#3 Non Sequitur
Created by Wiley Miller
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/

Hey, remember when Non Sequitur used to be a single-panel, gag-a-day strip? Now there are all these stories about Danae, and that horse, and Opus marrying Lola Granola...wait, scratch that last one.

Round 4, Charterstone Region

#3 Mother Goose and Grimm
Created by Mike Peters
http://grimmy.com/comics.php

-- vs. --
#1 Doonesbury
Created by Garry Trudeau
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/

Remember when Uncle Duke appeared on Larry King Live to announce that he was running for President in 2000? Like, in real life? No, seriously, that happened. I'm not sure Larry King was in on the joke.

Round 4, Milborough Region

#1 Peanuts
Created by Charles Schulz
http://www.snoopy.com/comics/peanuts/archive/index.html

-- vs. --
#2 Get Fuzzy
Created by Darby Conley
http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html

Despite how terrible life was for everyone else around him, Snoopy always seemed pretty upbeat. Similarly, Satchel always seem to possess some sort of naive bliss in the face of all of Bucky's abuse.

Round 4, Camp Swampy Region

#2 Zits
Created by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zits.asp

-- vs. --
#1 FoxTrot
Created by Bill Amend
http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrotclassics/

I don't have any proof, but I believe that Jeremy in Zits was originally concepted as Calvin as a teenager; it's fallen off a bit now, but in the early years of the strip he was prone to Wattersonian fantasies, such as seeing his father as a literal dinosaur or his head as an Etch-a-Sketch. I should also say this is an insanely hard match for me, and I really, really hope it doesn't end up as a tie.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 3, Dogpatch Region

Calvin and Hobbes -- 9 votes
defeats
Cul-de-Sac -- 1 vote

Analysis: "In my head, I always imagined a story where waterson's higher ups, once he decides
to close the comic for good, try to force him to write a comic showing a grown up Calvin. Sinmce this would be a travesty, he ends the comic by either killing off Calvin [i assume in a wagon accident], or just having some sort of apocalypse. Moral of the story - I'm at work and I just got paid to write all of that! WOO!" -- Anthony

"Calvin and Hobbes. I remember tripping over the compilations of these comics on the floor" -- Dad

Garfield -- 4 votes
loses to
Pearls Before Swine -- 4 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: Garfield is a cat. He doesn't have a job, or school, or really any reason to differentiate weekends from weekdays. Why does he hate Mondays? If I could've figured that out, maybe I would have broken the tie against Pearls Before Swine instead.

"Abstain: Garfield has run its course, but I'm not familiar with the opponent." -- Mom

"Garfield. Our cat doesn't eat lasagna. Maybe she would if we let her" -- Dad

"Garfield is the comic of our generation, speaking to all of our anxieties and fears, yet at the same time touching our hopes and aspirations. We, too, are afraid of Mondays, but we hope that tomorrow there may be lasagna." -- Tom

Results: Round 3, Milford Region

Monty -- 4 votes
loses to
Baby Blues -- 6 votes

Analysis: "Monty. This is a really tough match: another consistently funny vs. occasional hilarity decision, but this time with the twist that both comics are actually good." -- Rob

Lucky Cow -- 1 vote
loses to
Dilbert -- 9 votes

Analysis: "Dilbert - Wait, Dilbert's a comic now? I assume it's based entirely on what critics are calling 'the best $40 Anthony ever spent.' How much did I sell that to you for again Jack?" -- Anthony [He's talking about the time in junior year when he bought the Dilbert animated series DVD set, watched it once, then sold it to me about $25. Good times.--Jack]

"Dilbert: Its funny -- in a life is sad sort of way." -- Mom

Results: Round 3, Walden College Region

Rudy Park -- 2 votes
loses to
For Better or For Worse -- 8 votes

Analysis: "For Better or For Worse. I was genuinely concerned when their first (or whateverth) dog died back in like fifth grade." -- Rob

Blondie -- 5 votes
defeats
Diesel Sweeties -- 4 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Blondie. I'm trying to time when our mailman shows up so I can run into him" -- Dad

"We need more men eating sandwiches and taking naps. Or...at least I need more sandwiches and naps." -- Tom

Results: Round 3, Okefenokee Swamp Region

Hagar the Horrible -- 6 votes
defeats
Liō -- 2 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "So I was in class the other day, and I have this really old teacher, who talks non stop about the same stories over and over again, and we moved into a computer lab, so now no onelistens to her anymore. I usually go on Wikipedia, search one topic, and just let the links take me. Well, most recently, I was reading about Icelandic surnaming, which somehow turned into Shinto myth, which turned back into Norse myth, which turned into Viking Hoaxes. Moral of the story, I'm, staging a hoax where HAGAR LIVED." -- Anthony

The Far Side -- 8 votes
loses to
Mutts -- 2 votes

Analysis: "It may sound strange, and I realize that I'm probably the only person who feels this way, but I don't like The Far Side. And my roommate has pajama pants that have Mutts on them, which I prefer to the 2739th Far Side Page-a-Day calendar." -- Kristie

"I was looking through an old collection once and I think I decided that like 80% of Far Side comics are about suffering or death. Hilarity!" -- Rob

"Little cute animals are not funny! When was the last time you saw a kitten and started laughing? No, you go 'aww...you're sooo adorable...'. Maybe if Mutts was drawn well I would have that same reaction." -- Tom

Round 3, Riverside Region

#1 Bloom County
Created by Berkeley Breathed
http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/

-- vs. --
#5 Over the Hedge
Created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/hedge/

Berkeley Breathed originally created Bill the Cat as a parody of Garfield, intending the character to be so repulsive that no one would ever want to put him on any piece of merchandise. Also, in an odd coincidence, note that he and Cathy share a catchphrase, "Ack!"

#3 Non Sequitur
Created by Wiley Miller
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/

-- vs. --
#2 Sally Forth
Created by Greg Howard, currently written by Francesco Marciuliano and drawn by Craig MacIntosh
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/comics/sforth.html

It's not really a non sequitur, but without anything better to say I'm just going to plug Frencesco Marciuliano's blog again.

Round 3, Charterstone Region

#2 Pogo
Created by Walt Kelly

-- vs. --
#3 Mother Goose and Grimm
Created by Mike Peters
http://grimmy.com/comics.php

The two cartoonists this round feature an astounding four first names between them, assuming you count "Peters" as basically the same as "Peter".

#4 Brevity
Created by Guy Endore-Kaiser and Rodd Perry
http://www.comics.com/comics/brevity/index.html

-- vs. --
#1 Doonesbury
Created by Garry Trudeau
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/

Brevity</i> debuted on January 3, 2005, making it by far the youngest comic in the tournament. By far.</i>

Round 3, Milborough Region

#5 Rhymes With Orange
Created by Hilary B. Price
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/rhymes.asp

-- vs. --
#1 Peanuts
Created by Charles Schulz
http://www.snoopy.com/comics/peanuts/archive/index.html

Phrases that rhyme with "Peanuts": "knee cuts", "bee huts", "she putts"...

#2 Get Fuzzy
Created by Darby Conley
http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html

-- vs. --
#3 The Boondocks
Created by Aaron McGruder
http://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/

The Boondocks was first printed in The Diamondback, an independent student-newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1996, when the paper was being edited by not-yet-disgraced-New York Times-columnist Jayson Blair. I checked, and I'm pretty sure the most notable alumni of Boston University's Daily Free Press are Bill O'Reilly and Onion-contributor Seth Reiss.

Round 3, Camp Swampy Region

#3 Adam@Home
Created by Brian Basset
http://www.gocomics.com/adamathome/index.phtml

-- vs. --
#2 Zits
Created by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zits.asp

Jerry Scott doesn't just write Zits and Baby Blues; his first big break came in 1983 when he took over as the author of Nancy, making him one of the most accomplished cartoonists in the tournament.

#1 FoxTrot
Created by Bill Amend
http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrotclassics/

-- vs. --
#5 Li'l Abner
Created by Al Capp
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/lilabner/index.html

Proving that not every cartoonist left in the tournament is an un-American liberal swine like Garry Trudeau, Aaron McGruder, Walt Kelly, or, uh, Dean Young, in the the 1960s Al Capp used Li'l Abner to mock various lefties, including Ted Kennedy (as Senator O. Noble McGesture), Joan Baez (as folksinger Joanie Phoanie), and the Students for a Democratic Society (as Students Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything).

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 2, Milborough Region

One Big Happy -- 2 votes
loses to
Peanuts -- 10 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Peanuts -- I fondly remember the bleakness" -- Mom

Rhymes With Orange -- 5 votes
defeats
La Cucaracha -- 4 votes
(4 abstentions)

Big Top -- 3 votes
loses to
The Boondocks -- 6 votes
(4 abstentions)

Analysis: "Boonz: I feel like Aaron just knows who I am and what Ive gone through." -- Anthony

Get Fuzzy -- 8 votes
defeats
Beetle Bailey -- 4 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Hey, Get Fuzzy is not funny. At least Beetle Bailey lives up to expectations" -- Dad

Round 2, Camp Swampy Region

Mark Trail -- 1 vote
loses to
Zits -- 9 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis: I for one am curious as to what Anthony's lost commentary on Zits had to say.

Adam@Home -- 10 votes
defeats
Crankshaft -- 0 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis: "Adam -- even though he is such a whiner! Have you ever noticed how the strip wouldn't be at all funny if Adam were a woman?" -- Mom

"Adam@Home. I miss Adam. An old lazy befuddled guy I can relate to. Oh! Is that Pickles?" -- Dad

Baldo -- 2 votes
loses to
Li'l Abner -- 4 votes
(7 abstentions)

Analysis: I assume we won't be seeing any more matches with this many abstentions for the rest of the tournament.

"Li'l Abner: For what scientists are calling 'no apparent reason,' I think Baldo is the worst comic in the history of the Earth. I can not stand it." -- Anthony

"Li'l Abner. One of my all time favorites. Watch out! Sadie Hawkins Day is just around the corner" -- Dad

FoxTrot -- 9 votes
defeats
Harmless Free Radicals -- 3 votes
(1 abstention)

Round 3, Dogpatch Region

#1 Calvin and Hobbes
Created by Bill Watterson
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

-- vs. --
#4 Cul-de-Sac
Created by Richard Thompson
http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac/

The early favorite and juggernaut in the last round takes on one of the strongest new additions to the Herald's comics page.

#3 Garfield
Created by Jim Davis
http://www.gocomics.com/garfield/

-- vs. --
#2 Pearls Before Swine
Created by Stephan Pastis
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/pearls/

Here's a generational match, pitting Pearls Before Swine, one of the most acclaimed young Turks in the comics business, against the strip that's perhaps the most representative of the ancien régime.

Round 3, Milford Region

#2 Monty
Created by Jim Meddick
http://www.comics.com/comics/monty/index.html

-- vs. --
#3 Baby Blues
Created by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/comics/babyblues.html

I know I've heard some grumbling about how successful the top seeds have been and the paucity of upsets, but I prefer to think that it just shows how prescient my seeding was.

#4 Lucky Cow
Created by Mark Pett
http://www.gocomics.com/luckycow/

-- vs. --
#1 Dilbert
Created by Scott Adams
http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/index.html

There aren't that many workplace comics in this tournament, and two of them ended up going against each other in this match.

Round 3, Walden College Region

#5 Rudy Park
Created by Darrin Bell and Theron Heir
http://www.comics.com/comics/rudypark/

-- vs. --
#1 For Better or For Worse
Created by Lynn Johnston
http://www.uclick.com/client/sea/fb/

Controversial statement: Now that it's begun mixing stories set in the past with the present-day strips, For Better or For Worse has become the Lost of newspaper comics. And speaking of Lost, I'm not particularly looking forward to tonight's Jin/Sun episode.

#2 Blondie
Created by Chic Young, currently written by Dean Young and drawn by John Marshall
http://www.arcamax.com/blondie

-- vs. --
#3 Diesel Sweeties
Created by Richard Stevens III
http://dieselsweeties.com/print/

It turns out that Blondie actually has an interesting backstory that doesn't show up in the modern comic: When the strip began in the early 30s, Blondie was a wild flapper girl. Dagwood was introduced a few years later as the son of a wealthy industrialist, and their wedding was a big event. Dagwood's parents disowned him for not marrying someone equally rich or refined, which is why he works for J.C. Dithers. I should say that even though they're both over 75 now, I'm pretty sure that as a robot Clango will outlive them.

Round 3, Okefenokee Swamp Region

#6 Hagar the Horrible
Created by Dik Browne, currently written and drawn by Chris Browne
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/hagar.asp

-- vs. --
#2 Liō
Created by Mark Tatulli
http://www.gocomics.com/lio/

There's a chance that "Hagar" is more correctly spelled with an umlaut over the first "a", so this match could have been the long-awaited diacritical-mark showdown.

#1 The Far Side
Created by Gary Larson

-- vs. --
#12 Mutts
Created by Patrick McDonnell
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mutts.asp

Of course, the alternative to top-seeds crushing all who oppose them is travesties like this. Mutts is in Round 3? Really?

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Depressingly few comments this time around. I'd like to encourage everyone to leave their thoughts; it makes for a much more enjoyable tournament experience all around.

Results: Round 2, Riverside Region

Bloom County -- 5 votes
defeats
Marvin -- 3 votes

Analysis: "Bloom County; America's Ill but so is Bill! That poster adorns the wall above my brother's toilet. Also, has there ever been a tournament with this much disparity? I mean, The top seeds just blow away everything else." -- Anthony

"Marvin: I am embarassed to say it, but if I picked up a paper and only had time to read one comic, I'd read Marvin before I'd read Bloom County." -- Mom

Funky Winkerbean -- 1 vote
loses to
Over the Hedge -- 6 votes

Analysis: "Funky Winkerbean: Haven't seen it in years, but have fond memories." -- Mom

Non Sequitur -- 6 votes
loses to
Frank and Ernest -- 2 votes

The Wizard of Id -- 4 votes
loses to
Sally Forth -- 4 votes

Analysis: Naturally, I broke the tie in favor of the higher seed.

"Wizard of Id: The bias from comics in my local paper is blatant." -- Anthony

Results: Round 2, Charterstone Region

Pogo -- 3 votes
defeats
Rex Morgan, M.D. -- 1 vote
(4 abstentions)

Analysis: "Pogo: I guess the enemy actually is some probably dumb comic." -- Anthony

Archie -- 4 votes
loses to
Mother Goose and Grimm -- 4 votes

Analysis: Once again the tie goes to the high seed, though this time I'm much less sure of my choice.

"Archie and Mother Goose...this is the toughest match I have faced in this tournament. I choose Mother Goose." -- Dad

Curtis -- 2 votes
loses to
Brevity -- 5 votes
(1 abstention)

Cathy -- 1 vote
loses to
Doonesbury -- 7 votes

Analysis: "Though I employed my 'anyone but Cathy' strategy to voting this round, I'm not so sure I had to. Doonesbury holds up." -- Everett

Round 2, Milborough Region

#9 One Big Happy
Created by Rick Detorie
http://www.comics.com/creators/onebighappy/

-- vs. --
#1 Peanuts
Created by Charles Schulz
http://www.snoopy.com/comics/peanuts/archive/index.html

People today seem to forget that Peanuts was an extremely bleak comic. Charlie Brown never kicks the football, Lucy never gets any attention from Schroeder, Linus is always teased about his security blanket, and so forth. It wasn't all uplifting Christmas specials and MetLife ads.

#5 Rhymes With Orange
Created by Hilary B. Price
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/rhymes.asp

-- vs. --
#4 La Cucaracha
Created by Lalo Alcaraz
http://www.gocomics.com/lacucaracha/

It turns out that La Cucaracha does not, in fact, rhyme with orange.

#6 Big Top
Created by Rob Harrell
http://www.gocomics.com/bigtop/

-- vs. --
#3 The Boondocks
Created by Aaron McGruder
http://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/

If I could redo the seeding, I wouldn't put The Boondocks and La Cucaracha in the same region. They take up similar mind-space as political- and socially-themed minority-oriented comics. It'd be like putting Mario 3, Mario Kart, and Yoshi's Island all in the same region in the video game tournament, which I also did.

#2 Get Fuzzy
Created by Darby Conley
http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html

-- vs. --
#7 Beetle Bailey
Created by Mort Walker
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/beetlebailey.asp

Did you ever notice that Satchel and Sgt. Snorkel's dog Otto look suspiciously similar? Have you ever seen them in the same place at the same time? Also, I want to note that Beetle Bailey in second only to B.C. in the misogynist character names category, with the voluptuous Miss Buxley and the small-chested Private Blips ("blips on the radar screen", you see).

Round 2, Camp Swampy Region

#10 Mark Trail
Created by Ed Dodd, currently written and drawn by Jack Elrod
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mark.asp

-- vs. --
#2 Zits
Created by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zits.asp

With the debatable exception of For Better or For Worse, Mark Trail the last soap opera comic left in the tournament.

#3 Adam@Home
Created by Brian Basset
http://www.gocomics.com/adamathome/index.phtml

-- vs. --
#6 Crankshaft
Created by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/comics/crankshaft.html

Wait, wait, wait--Laura works while Adam stays home with the kids? It's like they're living in a cuckoo-clock!

#4 Baldo
Created by Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos
http://www.gocomics.com/baldo/index.phtml

-- vs. --
#5 Li'l Abner
Created by Al Capp
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/lilabner/index.html

On further consideration, I guess Li'l Abner could also be a soap opera comic. For people who aren't aware, the idea of a Sadie Hawkins dance, where the women ask the men, originates from Li'l Abner, where Sadie Hawkins was the least attractive woman in all of Dogpatch, who was only able to eventually get married after her father organized a race for all of the town's bachelors (the slowest one had to marry her).

#1 FoxTrot
Created by Bill Amend
http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrotclassics/

-- vs. --
#8 Harmless Free Radicals
Created by Fenmere, the Worm
http://www.grassdogstudio.com/hfr/

The link provided is for reruns of classic (as in, daily) FoxTrot; the current (as in, Sunday-only) strip can be found here. Will Bill Amend's comic prove strong enough to take out the first round'd most surprising juggernaut?

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 2, Walden College Region

Drabble -- 0 votes
loses to
For Better or For Worse -- 5 votes
(4 abstentions)

Analysis: "For Better or For Worse: although the drawing sucks, and I can never tell which character is which (all of the girls, from age 8 to 50, look the same). " -- Mom

"For Better or For Worse. I like the real life experiences. I sadly care what happens in their lives" -- Dad

Rudy Park -- 2 votes
defeats
Slylock Fox & Comics For Kids -- 1 vote
(6 abstentions)

Analysis: I'm going to take this opportunity to plug Reynard Noir again. It really is quite good.

Pickles -- 4 votes
loses to
Diesel Sweeties -- 4 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: I believe the robots are our future.

"Diesel - Pickles is weird. I don't have anything against it directly. But when I'm reading my local paper, I find myself just ignoring the comic these days. I guess that means it bores me?" -- Anthony

Blondie -- 5 votes
defeats
Apartment 3-G -- 2 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "Blondie - Without prompt yesterday, my dad started talking about comics, and how none of the good ones he can remember exist anymore. He started listed off the names, saying how they dont hold up. Then he came to Blondie, talking about how its a classic and whathaveyou. So I vote for blondie in honor of my dad. JUST LIKE JACK. Also, Apartment 3-G: pretty friggin' lame!" -- Anthony

"Blondie. Sandwiches. Running into the mailman. Sleeping at work. And the stories are so current" -- Dad

Results: Round 2, Okefenokee Swamp Region

The Amazing Spider-Man -- 2 votes
loses to
Liō -- 4 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis: "I voted for Spider-Man because, well, I love Spider-Man. Even incompetent, stupid annoying Spider-Man. Or as I call it, Spider-Man 3." -- Tom

Candorville -- 3 votes
loses to
Hagar the Horrible -- 5 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "I've always said newspapers need to include more random village burning." -- Tom

Pooch Café -- 3 vote
loses to
Mutts -- 5 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: So maybe I didn't do Pooch Café any favors by admitting that it might not deserve to be a 4-seed, but come on, people, Mutts is terrible.

"Pooch Cafe: never seen it, but Mutts is awful!" -- Mom

The Far Side -- 8 votes
defeats
Kudzu -- 0 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "The Far Side - It's too bad Calvin and Hobbes is so dominant, because I really liked the Far Side. I'VE GOT BOOKS TO PROVE IT." -- Anthony

Round 2, Riverside Region

#1 Bloom County
Created by Berkeley Breathed
http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/

-- vs. --
#9 Marvin
Created by Tom Armstrong
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/marvin.asp

In the interest of disclosure, I should say that Bloom County is my pick for the best comic ever. It really was brilliant.

#4 Funky Winkerbean
Created by Tom Batiuk
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/funky.asp

-- vs. --
#5 Over the Hedge
Created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/hedge/

Apparently there's a Funky Winkerbean musical. Who knew? Also, the school's mascot is a Scapegoat, which is pretty clever.

#3 Non Sequitur
Created by Wiley Miller
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/

-- vs. --
#6 Frank and Ernest
Created by Bob Thaves, currently written and drawn by Tom Thaves
http://www.comics.com/comics/franknernest/

So a few weeks ago, I baffled my family by complaining that a Sunday Frank and Ernest strip wasn't consistent with established characterizations. "Look at the last panel!" I exclaimed. "Frank, the short and fat one, is making the bad pun, and Ernest, the slightly shorter and slightly fatter one, is reacting! It contradicts the last thirty years of the comic!" No one was particularly swayed by my argument.

#7 The Wizard of Id
Created by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart, currently drawn by Jeff Parker
http://www.creators.com/comics/wizard-of-id.html?comicname=wiz

-- vs. --
#2 Sally Forth
Created by Greg Howard, currently written by Francesco Marciuliano and drawn by Craig MacIntosh
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/comics/sforth.html

Francesco Marciuliano, the current author of Sally Forth, is a very funny man; for a few years he wrote and drew an extremely funny webcomic called Medium Large, I can't find the complete archives online, only this page. Under his stewardship, Sally Forth has evolved into one of the funnier comics around that even you're parents would like, complete with references to The Star Wars Christmas Special and meta-jokes about no one knowing what Ted's job was.

Round 2, Charterstone Region

#2 Pogo
Created by Walt Kelly

-- vs. --
#10 Rex Morgan, M.D.
Created by Nicholas P. Dallis, Marvin Bradley, and Frank Edgington, currently written by Woody Wilson and drawn by

Graham Nolan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/comics/king.htm?name=Rex_Morgan

I couldn't find Pogo anywhere online. Sorry everyone.

#6 Archie
Created by Bob Montana, currently written by Craig Boldman and drawn by Henry Scarpelli
http://www.creators.com/comics/archie.html

-- vs. --
#3 Mother Goose and Grimm
Created by Mike Peters
http://grimmy.com/comics.php

Thinking about it, I have nothing to say about this match-up. Nope, nothing at all.

#5 Curtis
Created by Ray Billingsley
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/curtis.asp

-- vs. --
#4 Brevity
Created by Guy Endore-Kaiser and Rodd Perry
http://www.comics.com/comics/brevity/index.html

I'm not sure if it's true, but I think my brother was a big fan of Brevity back when it still ran in the Herald. I'll admit there was something appealing about the rather sparse drawing and low-key humor.

#8 Cathy
Created by Cathy Guisewite
http://www.gocomics.com/cathy/

-- vs. --
#1 Doonesbury
Created by Garry Trudeau
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/

Forty years of liberal politicking takes on the comic that set feminism back nearly as long. You have to give Doonesbury credit for making John Kerry jokes long before it was cool.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 2, Dogpatch Region

Calvin and Hobbes -- 11 votes
defeats
Gasoline Alley -- 0 votes

Analysis: I don't feel like checking, but I think this is the first complete shut-out (as in no abstentions) in the tournament this far.

"Calvin and Hobbes. Everyone's favorite peeing adolescent." -- Kayvon

"Calvin and Hobbes - Alternate series ending comic: Calvin acknowledges Hobbes isnt real, and wishes he was. Hobbes turns real, and eats calvin. Everyone wins." -- Anthony

Cul-de-Sac -- 7 votes
defeats
Ziggy -- 1 vote
(3 abstentions)

Analysis: "There is *no* shame in ziggy..." -- Kayvon

"Cul de Sac: someone should have shot Ziggy years ago." -- Mom

"Cul-de-Sac: I live on a cul-de-sac!" -- Tom

Garfield -- 10 votes
defeats
Marmaduke -- 0 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "GaRfield - http://www.truthandbeautybombs.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4997&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0" -- Anthony

"Garfield may be simple but I can read it on Sunday mornings very quickly. That's a good thing" -- Dad

"Garfield: Garfield and I are pretty similar, in that Jon bores both of us." -- Tom

Tundra -- 3 votes
loses to
Pearls Before Swine -- 4 votes
(4 abstentions)

Analysis: "Tundra: The most hilarious strip ever -- bears eating humans, bone strewn about and a bear holding bloody clothing saying 'I wish they came in recyclable containers'. It was SOOOOO bad that I laughed myself silly." -- Mom

Round 2, Milford Region

Monty -- 5 votes
defeats
9 Chickweed Lane -- 1 vote
(5 abstentions)

Analysis: "Monty. Mediocre in general, but every now and then Monty hits upon a real zinger of an arc." -- Rob

Six Chix -- 1 vote
loses to
Baby Blues -- 9 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Baby Blues: Jerry Scott (one of the creators) is an old friend of mine from the 1980's. Back then, he was having trouble breaking into the market with Baby Blues, because Marvin had the cute little baby niche all sewn up." -- Mom

"Baby Blues. One of the best of the generic family comics (along with Zits and Adam @ Home, I suppose.) Or, probably much more accurately, Foxtrot. I guess there are too many of this genre to really try to figure out which is best. To fairly make that sort of decision you'd have to invent some sort of single-elimination tournament or something... Oh, wait, never mind." -- Rob

Tank McNamara -- 1 vote
loses to
Lucky Cow -- 6 votes
(4 abstentions)

Analysis: "God, please die Tank. I don't really have a rational reason for hating that strip, but the hate is definitely there..." -- Kayvon

Arlo and Janis -- 0 votes
loses to
Dilbert -- 10 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Dilbert is the winner hands down. See you in the finals." -- Dad

"Dilbert. Perhaps I should not judge, but every time I come across something written by Scott Adams (other than Dilbert,) he comes across as kind of a jerk. Too bad." -- Rob

"I've never seen a dog that looks like Dogbert. Y'know, just sayin'." -- Tom

Round 2, Walden College Region

#9 Drabble
Created by Kevin Fagan
http://www.comics.com/comics/drabble/

-- vs. --
#1 For Better or For Worse
Created by Lynn Johnston
http://www.uclick.com/client/sea/fb/

There's a lot to complain about in For Better or For Worse these days, but it's still impressive that Lynn Johnston put together an interesting, funny, but basically real portrait of a family and kept it running for almost three decades. It out soap-operas the soap opera strips.

#5 Rudy Park
Created by Darrin Bell and Theron Heir
http://www.comics.com/comics/rudypark/

-- vs. --
#4 Slylock Fox & Comics For Kids
Created by Bob Weber Jr.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/comics/king.htm?name=Slylock

I made Slylock Fox a 4-seed? Really? I mean, it's good enough, I'd probably have liked it if I had seen it as a child, and Bob Weber seems surprisingly cool, what with his letting the Comics Curmudgeon sell officially licensed Cassandra Cat merchandise and all, but still. I must have been just reading Reynard Noir, an excellent blog retelling Slylock Fox comics as classic noir vignettes.

#6 Pickles
Created by Brian Crane
http://www.comics.com/wash/pickles/

-- vs. --
#3 Diesel Sweeties
Created by Richard Stevens III
http://dieselsweeties.com/print/

Diesel Sweeties</i> is of course a web comic that successfully made the transition to print, replacing the daily </i>Foxtrot strips in many papers (though regrettably not the Herald). It's worth noting, though, that the newspaper version is not simply the Internet comic reprinted but rather entirely new strips. People interested in reading the original can peruse the official site.

#2 Blondie
Created by Chic Young, currently written by Dean Young and drawn by John Marshall
http://www.arcamax.com/blondie

-- vs. --
#10 Apartment 3-G
Created by Nicholas P. Dallis and Alex Kotzky, currently written by Margaret Shulock and drawn by Frank Bolle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/comics/king.htm?name=Apartment_3-G

Blondie</i> shows up as a 2-seed in large part due to the lobbying of my father, though I suppose 75 years of entertainment shouldn't be so easily dismissed. Dagwood could be Lu Ann's father.</i>

Round 2, Okefenokee Swamp Region

#10 The Amazing Spider-Man
Created by Stan Lee and John Romita
http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?name=Spiderman

-- vs. --
#2 Liō
Created by Mark Tatulli
http://www.gocomics.com/lio/

Similarly, Liō is a 2-seed because one of my brother's college friends shouted it out when I was trying to figure out which comics deserved high ranking. Mark Tatulli also writes and draws Heart of the City, which lost to Marvin last round.

#3 Candorville
Created by Darrin Bell
http://www.comics.com/wash/candorville/

-- vs. --
#6 Hagar the Horrible
Created by Dik Browne, currently written and drawn by Chris Browne
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/hagar.asp

And speaking of similarly, Darrin Bell also draws (but doesn't write) Rudy Park, which you may recall from earlier in this post. I can only assume Hagar would pillage him nonetheless.

#4 Pooch Café
Created by Paul Gilligan
http://www.gocomics.com/poochcafe/

-- vs. --
#12 Mutts
Created by Patrick McDonnell
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mutts.asp

During my summer in DC, there were two competing free daily papers that were given out at the Metro stop, and every day I would take both and just read the back few pages, which had the comics, crosswords, celebrity news, and other esoterica. That was where I learned that there was some backlash over the new (but in use since I had arrived) recordings asking people to move to the center of the train, including from even the woman who had recorded them ("I didn't realize I sounded so pushy", or something like that), but more importantly where I first read Pooch Café. If you accused me of my letting my nostalgia cloud my judgment when devising the seedings, there's a small chance you'd be right. It's just a coincidence that it's up against another animal strip.

#1 The Far Side
Created by Gary Larson

-- vs. --
#8 Kudzu
Created by Doug Marlette
http://www.gocomics.com/kudzu/

Unlike most other comics in the tournament (including many of the retired ones), as far as I can tell The Far Side isn't available online. Our loss, I suppose.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

The first round is over! Hoorah! We'll start seeing the one- through four-seeds soon, but first, some results.

Results: Round 1, Milborough Region

One Big Happy -- 5 votes
defeats
U.S. Acres -- 4 votes
(6 abstentions)

Analysis: "One Big Happy. This is mostly a vote against Garfield... Also, I'm banking on the idea that the comics that were put on the linked U.S.A. site were the best of the collection." -- Rob

Mallard Fillmore -- 2 votes
loses to
Rhymes With Orange -- 8 votes
(5 abstentions)

Analysis: "Mallard Fillmore. I don't like the politics but the link on Rhymes With Orange was funky" -- Dad

"rhymes with orange - Now it's time to pass the mic to my friend who is orange!/ I can flow like a river and flex like a door hinge! / You can rhyme orange? You must be a pro! / That what I said to your mom - She's a ho!" -- Anthony, apparently quoting Dinosaur Comics

"As my friends at college can attest, I love to rhyme. And, to a lesser degree oranges." -- Tom

Crock -- 3 votes
loses to
Big Top -- 3 votes
(9 abstentions)

Analysis: As great as the French Foreign Legion is, I'm breaking the tie for Big Top.

Judge Parker -- 1 vote
loses to
Beetle Bailey -- 11 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis: "I've always said, nothing is funnier than war!" -- Tom

Round 1, Camp Swampy Region

Pluggers -- 1 vote
loses to
Mark Trail -- 3 vote
(11 abstentions)

Analysis: This is probably the most pitiful match in the history of LiveJournal-based single-elimination tournaments.

"Hey kids, nature is cool!" -- Rob

Crankshaft -- 7 votes
defeats
Rose Is Rose -- 5 votes
(3 abstention)

Analysis: No one said anything interesting about this match. No one!

Li'l Abner -- 7 votes
defeats
The Family Circus -- 3 votes
(5 abstentions)

Analysis: "I'm continuing my 'anyone but family circus vote.' I have no idea what Li'l Abner is." -- Everett

"Tough call. I really like Family Circus but L'il Abner is a classic. Being a tester at the mattress factory is a great job" -- Dad

"Everytime I read that [Family Circus], I don't want to laugh, I want to never have children for fear they'll end up like that strip." -- Tom

"The Family Circus. Probably the worse comic of the two, but you're right about that dotted trail -- pure genius." -- Rob

Harmless Free Radicals -- 10 votes
defeats
Prickly City -- 3 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: I certainly can't imagine why Harmless Free Radicals was such the overwhelming favorite. Nope, no idea at all.

"I actually kind of like Prickly City, for some weird reason." -- Cam

"H.F.R: You hear that Prickly City! We don't need you at all anymore. Also!! I've sort of been reading your mail!" -- Anthony, apparently paraphrasing Dinosaur Comics

Round 2, Dogpatch Region

#1 Calvin and Hobbes
Created by Bill Watterson
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

-- vs. --
#9 Gasoline Alley
Created by Frank King, currently written and drawn by Jim Scancarelli
http://www.comicspage.com/gasoline/gasolinealley.html

Remember that time Calvin went in to the transmogrifier and came out as Walt Wallet? Man, that strip was weird sometimes.

#4 Cul-de-Sac
Created by Richard Thompson
http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac/

-- vs. --
#12 Ziggy
Created by Tom Wilson
http://www.gocomics.com/ziggy/

Cul-de-Sac is a recent addition to the Herald's comic page, and I'm not ashamed to admit it has me utterly charmed, even though it mostly features children saying child-like things. It might be the art.

#3 Garfield
Created by Jim Davis
http://www.gocomics.com/garfield/

-- vs. --
#11 Marmaduke
Created by Brad Anderson
http://www.comics.com/comics/marmaduke/index.html

So Garfield is not just relentlessly mediocre, it's actually that way by design; Jim Davis wanted to create a comic with extremely broad appeal for merchandising purposes, and so the result's never going to put off people the way that, say, Pearls Before Swine could. At the same time, it clearly worked; it's the world's most widely syndicated comic strip and an absolute cash bonanza for Paws, Inc. I'm not quite sure how to reconcile those two facts, but taken together they're apparently worth a 3-seed. It's paired up against Marmaduke, which should show what an actually bad fat animal comic is like.

#7 Tundra
Created by Chad Carpenter
http://www.tundracomics.com/

-- vs. --
#2 Pearls Before Swine
Created by Stephan Pastis
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/pearls/

And hey, speaking of Pearls Before Swine, here it is now. One of the reasons that I'm a little skeptical of Cam's claims that the comics world needs a kick in the pants is that people like Stephan Pastis and Darby Conley (Get Fuzzy) are already doing interesting things in the print format that the more calcified strips wouldn't, and I'm not convinced that given another few years' worth of movement we won't end up in a better place.

Round 2, Milford Region

#2 Monty
Created by Jim Meddick
http://www.comics.com/comics/monty/index.html

-- vs. --
#7 9 Chickweed Lane
Created by Brooke McEldowney
http://www.comics.com/comics/chickweed/

Fun fact that I didn't know before I started this tournament: Monty began its life as a comic named Robotman, intended purely to help sell a toy version of the title character, but that was eventually phased out, a rare case of a comic making the transition to worthwhile art from simply hocking merchandise.

#6 Six Chix
Written and drawn by Isabella Bannerman, Margaret Shulock, Rina Piccolo, Anne Gibbons, Kathryn LeMieux, and Stephanie Piro
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/sixchix.asp

-- vs. --
#3 Baby Blues
Created by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/comics/babyblues.html

The characters in Baby Blues don't age in real time, but they do age, at a rate of one year for every two or three years in real time.

#5 Tank McNamara
Created by Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds
http://www.gocomics.com/tankmcnamara/

-- vs. --
#4 Lucky Cow
Created by Mark Pett
http://www.gocomics.com/luckycow/

Lucky Cow is a strip that ran from 2003 to 2008 set at a fast-food restaurant. I always enjoyed it when I ran across it in a Boston newspaper, perhaps in part because the setting was both common place and something I hadn't before seen in a comic.

#8 Arlo and Janis
Created by Jimmy Johnson
http://www.comics.com/comics/arlonjanis/index.html

-- vs. --
#1 Dilbert
Created by Scott Adams
http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/index.html

Apparently there were no upsets in this region, so that's good news. Scott Adams has a story in Seven Years of Highly Defective People about trying to get Dilbert's sex life past the syndicate censors, and he was much more oblique about it than Jimmy Johnson ever is.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Before we finish out the first round, I want to do a bit of housekeeping. First, here are comics that I considered for the tournament, but didn't quite make the cut:

• Speed Bump
  
• The Born Loser
  
• Ballard Street
  
• Willy 'n Ethel
  
• The Duplex
  
• Brenda Starr, Reporter
  
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!
  
• Alley Oop
  
• Miss Peach
  
• The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee
  
• Cleats
  
• Fast Track
  
• Grin and Bear It
  
• Quigmans
  
• Jump Start
  
• The Fusco Brothers
  
• Red and Rover
  
• Close to Home
  
• Stone Soup
  
• Sylvia

I should say that I completely forgot about Sylvia until a few days ago, and that had I remembered it in time it certainly would have made the tournament, not because it's any good (it's not), but because Nicole Hollander got her Master of Fine Arts from Boston University.

Also, I know there's been some grumblings about the lack of webcomics in the tournament. I've already explained this here or there, but I'd just like to be clear about this: I think webcomics are great, and I have nothing against them, it's just that I don't know enough about them to feel comfortable ranking them. At the moment, I read four: Penny Arcade, Diesel Sweeties, Superosity, and Nukees. In addition, I used to read Sluggy Freelance, but stopped before the stories got too bizarre and self-referential. Missing from that list, you may have noticed, are webcomic stars such as Achewood, The Perry Bible Fellowship, and Dinosaur Comics. I wouldn't have done the webcomics justice with my seeding, and so I elected to avoid the problem entirely.

Results: Round 1, Riverside Region

Heart of the City -- 2 votes
loses to
Marvin -- 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "It always frightens me how much Marvin reminds me of Garfield. I think it's the eyes."

Over the Hedge -- 6 votes
defeats
Zippy the Pinhead -- 2 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Zippy the Pinhead. I think that Over The Hedge is a better comic as far as comics go, but this is a vote for comic diversity. Zippy is sure... different." -- Rob

"Zippy is too strange for me. Go with Over the Hedge" -- Dad

Frank and Ernest -- 8 votes
defeats
Gil Thorp -- 1 vote

Analysis: "frank and ernest - and dont think i dont hate myself for voting for it." -- Anthony

"I love Frank and Ernest. You'd think a comic built only on puns would suck, but no, it turns out to be awesome. Epicly awesome. I'm fairly certain I'm not being sarcastic." -- Tom

The Wizard of Id -- 5 votes
defeats
Momma -- 2 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "wizard of id - although i really appreciate comics where old people constantly make fun of the fact they are going to die soon." -- Anthony

"Momma: Can't go wrong with a name like that!" -- Mom

"The Wizard of Id. Johnny Hart is admittedly not very funny, but he creates above-average characters and (comparatively) excellent running gags. I like the news bulletins and the dungeon in Wizard..." -- Rob

Results: Round 1, Charterstone Region

Rex Morgan, M.D. -- 3 votes
defeats
Herman -- 1 votes
(5 abstentions)

Analysis: Contra some commenters, abstains winning a match won't result in the next round's match-up getting a bye, at least on paper. In practice, I can't imagine Rex Morgan, M.D. giving Pogo much of a fight.

"i decided to cast a vote for rex based on the fact the link was wrong, and i saw a shotgun the actual comic. they dont call me captain observant for nothing." -- Anthony

B.C. -- 4 votes
loses to
Archie -- 5 votes

Analysis: "BC - Jughead loves food! I love food! Also, apparently I'm commenting on the comics im not voting for. Good for me!" -- Anthony

"I think I voted for Archie because I'm really hungry right now" -- Cam

"...and Willy's (?) Poems Under the Tree, the Bird Riding A Turtle, and the Stone Tablet Floated Across The Ocean in B.C. I like a good running gag more than I like a good punchline, it seems." -- Rob

Love Is... -- 0 votes
loses to
Curtis -- 8 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "curtis - i try to avoid voting based strictly on hating the other comic, but i made an exception." -- Anthony

"Curtis: The whole idea of 'love is . . .' died in 1970 with Ali McGraw in Love Story" -- Mom

"Oh no! Is Love is... drawn by Jody Bergsma? I almost gagged. Curtis by default" -- Dad

Nancy -- 3 votes
loses to
Cathy -- 4 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "Cathy: What hilarity - buying a new swimsuit every year!" -- Mom

Round 1, Milborough Region

#9 One Big Happy
Created by Rick Detorie
http://www.comics.com/creators/onebighappy/

-- vs. --
#8 U.S. Acres
Created by Jim Davis
http://www.platypuscomix.net/otherpeople2/usacres1.html

That's right, U.S. Acres was more than just a filler segment for the Garfield and Friends animated series; there was an actual newspaper comic and everything. Bill Watterson called it "an abomination".

#12 Mallard Fillmore
Created by Bruce Tinsley
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp

-- vs. --
#5 Rhymes With Orange
Created by Hilary B. Price
http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/

Poorly drawn duck...plus strawman arguments...plus about a third of the strips rendered inexplicably as poems...equals comic gold? Duck and Cover has more.

#11 Crock
Created by Brant Parker, Bill Rechin, and Don Wilder, currently written and drawn by Bill Rechin and Don Wilder
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/crock.asp

-- vs. --
#6 Big Top
Created by Rob Harrell
http://www.gocomics.com/bigtop/

Big Top is a strip about a circus that last spring ended its five-year run; despite featuring clowns, it's much better than Zippy the Pinhead. Meanwhile, Crock is a crudely drawn squiggle about the foreign legion that describes itself as the "longest-running parody of [...] Beau Geste", which is probably true.

#10 Judge Parker
Created by Nicolas P. Dallis and Dan Heilman, currently written by Woody Wilson and Eduardo Barreto
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/judgeparker.asp

-- vs. --
#7 Beetle Bailey
Created by Mort Walker
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/beetlebailey.asp

If the name Nicholas P. Dallis looks familiar, it's because he also created Rex Morgan, M.D. and Apartment 3-G. I'm not sure what inspired him to start Judge Parker, but Rex Morgan was created to help inform readers about various medical issues, and Apartment 3-G was intended to help American understand what all these new single, working women were all about.

Round 1, Camp Swampy Region

#7 Pluggers
Created by Jeff MacNelly, currently written (kind of) and drawn by Gary Brookins
http://www.pluggers.com/daily/index.html

-- vs. --
#10 Mark Trail
Created by Ed Dodd, currently written and drawn by Jack Elrod
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mark.asp

Jeff MacNelly also created Shoe. The reason it says "kind of" above is that Pluggers is based entirely on reader submissions, like They'll Do It Every Time was. Mark Trail would probably be interested in studying the bizarre animal-men that populate the feature.

#6 Crankshaft
Created by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/comics/crankshaft.html

-- vs. --
#11 Rose Is Rose
Created by Pat Brady, currently written by Pat Brady and drawn by Don Wimmer
http://www.comics.com/comics/roseisrose/

In retrospect, Rose Is Rose, a sappy, family-oriented strip, is similar enough to Family Circus that maybe they shouldn't be in the same region. At least I remembered to split up Prickly City and Mallard Fillmore. Crankshaft, which I just found out is a spin-off of Funky Winkerbean, is a bitter, angry strip, the perfect antidote to reading either of those other two.

#5 Li'l Abner
Created by Al Capp
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/lilabner/index.html

-- vs. --
#12 The Family Circus
Created by Bil Keane, currently written by Bil Keane and drawn by Jeff Keane
http://www.arcamax.com/familycircus

Ha ha! Kids say things wrong sometimes! Incidentally, have anyone else noticed that the best part of The Family Circus, the dotted line tracing Billy's path, hasn't appeared in the comic in ages?

#8 Harmless Free Radicals
Created by Fenmere, the Worm
http://www.grassdogstudio.com/hfr/

-- vs. --
#9 Prickly City
Created by Scott Stantis
http://www.gocomics.com/pricklycity/

Harmless Free Radicals, a regional comic from around these parts, makes it in to the tournament on the recommendation of koobifoora. See? I pay attention to reader requests.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

A lot of close matches this round, but who came out on top? Let's find out!

Results: Round 1, Walden College Region

Drabble -- 5 votes
defeats
Hi and Lois -- 3 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: Apparently no one cared about this match-up.

Dennis the Menace -- 4 votes
loses to
Rudy Park -- 5 votes

Analysis: "I have, as far as I know, only one friend who likes Dennis the Menace. On the other hand, I don't think I know anyone who has never heard of it." -- Rob

"I used to like Dennis the Menace when I was a kid because I had the same name...menace. I don't remember liking the strip then and I still don't care for it. Rudy Park by default" -- Dad

The Lockhorns -- 4 votes
loses to
Pickles -- 5 votes

Analysis:"I hate The Lockhorns, which no doubt plays into their theme." -- Rob

"oh man, THE THINGS THAT OLD PEOPLE DO!" -- Anthony

Apartment 3-G -- 4 votes
defeats
They'll Do It Every Time -- 3 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "Apt. 3-G (I wish that was MY Life)" -- Mom

"I guess I'm rapidly becoming the *classic* comic commentator, but I've actually gone back and read some issues of the Herald from during World War II, and They'll do it every time was in the Herald back then. It was terrible then too... I feel like it was written by a whiny, bitter person who thinks everybody else is a hypocrite." -- Cam

Results: Round 1, Okefenokee Swamp Region

Herb and Jamaal -- 2 votes
loses to
The Amazing Spider-Man -- 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Abstain -- Abstention!" -- Rob

"i voted for herb and jamaal, but it only made me realize that there are not very many comics I like." -- Anthony

Hagar the Horrible -- 6 votes
defeats
Dick Tracy -- 2 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:"how good would a more realistic hagar be? hagar plunders a church, goes home, and buries the shit underground. honestly, what the hell were the vikings thinking?" -- Anthony

"hagar wasn't that horrible. just misunderstood." -- Everett

The Other Coast -- 4 votes
loses to
Mutts -- 5 votes

Analysis:"Mutts is cute. Enough said... go with The Other Coast" -- Dad

Kudzu -- 5 votes
defeats
Popeye -- 2 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:"Abstain -- they're both stupid." -- Mom

Round 1, Riverside Region

#8 Heart of the City
Created by Mark Tatulli
http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/

-- vs. --
#9 Marvin
Created by Tom Armstrong
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/marvin.asp

Kids sure do do things, don't they? It's good for comics to shine a light on that.

#5 Over the Hedge
Created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/hedge/

-- vs. --
#12 Zippy the Pinhead
Created by Bill Griffith
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zippy.asp

Are we having fun yet? No, we're not, because we're reading Zippy the Pinhead. For people who don't know, Over the Hedge was in the inspiration for the computer-animated film of the same name.

#6 Frank and Ernest
Created by Bob Thaves, currently written and drawn by Tom Thaves
http://www.comics.com/comics/franknernest/

-- vs. --
#11 Gil Thorp
Created by Jack Berrill, currently written by Neal Rubin and drawn by Frank Bolle
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/custom/gilthorp/

Frank Bolle, artist of Apartment 3-G, started working on Gil Thorp within the last month, replacing the Frank McLaughlin art we all grew to know and recognize, while from 1996 until 2003 the strip was written by Left Behind scribe Jerry Jenkins. More information on Gil Thorp can be found on the Internet.

#7 The Wizard of Id
Created by Brent Parker and Johnny Hart, currently drawn by Jeff Parker
http://www.creators.com/comics/wizard-of-id.html?comicname=wiz

-- vs. --
#10 Momma
Created by Mell Lazarus
http://www.comics.com/creators/momma/

A pair of comics about old, short tyrants. I have no idea who's currently writing The Wizard of Id now that Johnny Hart's dead, though my guess would be the amalgamated members of the Hart family.

Round 1, Charterstone Region

#10 Rex Morgan, M.D.
Created by Nicholas P. Dallis, Marvin Bradley, and Frank Edgington, currently written by Woody Wilson and drawn by Graham Nolan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/comics/king.htm

-- vs. --
#7 Herman
Created by Jim Unger
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/herman/

According to Wikipedia, Herman is in repeats with "occasional new material mixed in", whatever that means. I just assume that Jim Unger creates the new material.

#11 B.C.
Created by Johnny Hart, currently written and drawn by Perri Hart, Mason Mastroianni, and Mick Mastroianni
http://www.creators.com/comics/bc.html?comicname=bc

-- vs. --
#6 Archie
Created by Bob Montana, currently written by Craig Boldman and drawn by Henry Scarpelli
http://www.creators.com/comics/archie.html

Yes, yes, there's a daily Archie comic strip. What fun! B.C. is probably the strip most deserving of a 12-seed that didn't get it; it was spared only by my second-hand understanding that the comic was good at some point in the 60s, before Johnny Hart was born-again and started using the strip to hate on all non-believers.

#12 Love Is...
Created by Kim Grove, currently written and drawn by Stefano Casali
http://www.comicspage.com/loveis/loveis.html

-- vs. --
#5 Curtis
Created by Ray Billingsley
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/curtis.asp

In case it wasn't clear, I really don't care for sentimental strips. At least soap opera comics can be appreciated ironically.

#9 Nancy
Created by Ernie Bushmiller, currently written and drawn by Guy and Brad Gilchrist
http://www.comics.com/comics/nancy/index.html
-- vs. --
#8 Cathy
Created by Cathy Guisewite
http://www.gocomics.com/cathy/

Comics theorist Scott McCloud described Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy illustrations as the Platonic ideal of comic art, that "a Nancy panel is an irreduceable concept, an atom, and the comic strip is a molecule." I would describe the strip as trite or formulaic, but I assume he knows more about the subject than I do. ACK!

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

Results: Round 1, Dogpatch Region

Mary Worth -- 4 votes
loses to
Gasoline Alley -- 5 votes

Analysis: Aldo Kelrast has his revenge at last. Cam suggests reading some of these classic Gasoline Alley strips, and I can't say that I blame him.

Luann -- 2 votes
loses to
Ziggy -- 7 votes

Analysis: I do so love it when the bottom seed loses in the first round. It makes me fell so good about my seedings.

"Luann v. Ziggy was a tough one, actually. But in the end, I just find Luann more physically attractive. That may change one day, but for now, it has made all the difference." -- Everett

"Looking at these I am trying to determine right from the start what is going into my voting decisions. At first it seems that I give preference to comfort over hilarity. Luann, for example, is undoubtedly a funnier comic strip than Ziggy. Heck, it might be one of the funnier funnies running. On the other hand, Ziggy is just so homey." -- Rob

The Middletons -- 3 votes
loses to
Marmaduke -- 6 votes

Tundra -- 7 votes
defeats
Family Tree -- 1 vote
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "By far Family Tree is the better comic. Tundra is plain awful" -- Dad

Results: Round 1, Milford Region

Shoe -- 4 votes
loses to
9 Chickweed Lane -- 4 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: I broke the tie in favor of the highest seed. Who would have seen it coming?

"Chickweed Lane -- I've never heard of it, but I hate Shoe. Its ugly." -- Mom

The Phantom -- 1 vote
loses to
Six Chix -- 6 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis: "Six Chix -- I like the name, and the idea" -- Mom

The Dinette Set -- 2 votes
loses to
Tank McNamara -- 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith -- 2 votes
loses to
Arlo and Janis -- 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis: "Again, I wouldn’t read either of these. Arlo and Janis is a little less repulsive." -- Dad

Round 1, Walden College Region

#9 Drabble
Created by Kevin Fagan
http://www.comics.com/comics/drabble/

-- vs. --
#8 Hi and Lois
Created by Mort Walker and Dik Browne, currently written by Brian and Greg Walker and drawn by Robert "Chance" Browne
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/hi.asp

While it's rather well-known that Lois is Beetle Bailey sister, few people realize that June Drabble is the niece of Laura Petrie.

#12 Dennis the Menace
Created by Hank Ketcham, currently drawn by Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/dennis.asp

-- vs. --
#5 Rudy Park
Created by Darrin Bell and Theron Heir
http://www.comics.com/comics/rudypark/

I can't figure out who currently writes Dennis the Menace, just who draws it (with Hamilton doing the dailies and Ferdinand doing the Sundays). They might write the scripts as well, but I prefer to think instead that while the artists sleep the words are simply mysteriously assembled by an arcane force that demands only a small livestock sacrifice twice a month for its services.

#11 The Lockhorns
Created by William Carrell, currently written by Bunny Hoest and drawn by John Reiner
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/lockhorns.asp

-- vs. --
#6 Pickles
Created by Brian Crane
http://www.comics.com/wash/pickles/

Ha ha! Leroy and Loretta hate each other! They'll probably kill each other before they reach Earl and Opal's age.

#10 Apartment 3-G
Created by Nicholas P. Dallis and Alex Kotzky, currently written by Margaret Shulock and drawn by Frank Bolle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/comics/king.htm

-- vs. --
#7 They'll Do It Every Time
Created by Jimmy Hatlo, last written and drawn by Al Scaduto
http://doiteverytime.blogspot.com/

Unfortunately, They'll Do It Every Time ended its nearly seven-decade run earlier this month after the death of Al Scaduto. I imagine that Margo feels "the urge" every time she talks to Tommy, Lu Ann, or, really, any mortal.

Round 1, Okefenokee Swamp Region

#7 Herb and Jamaal
http://www.gocomics.com/herbandjamaal/
Created by Stephen Bentley

-- vs. --
#10 The Amazing Spider-Man
Created by Stan Lee and John Romita
http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20080218&name=Spiderman

Yes, there's a daily Spider-Man comic strip, though I can't seem to find who currently writes or draws it. No, it's not as good as the comic book. You can consult The Amazing Spider-Blog for more information.

#6 Hagar the Horrible
Created by Dik Browne, currently written and drawn by Chris Browne
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/hagar.asp

-- vs. --
#11 Dick Tracy
Created by Chester Gould, currently written and drawn by Dick Locher
http://www.comicspage.com/dicktracy/

Hagar would probably be baffled by the two-way wrist radio, but I don't think that would stop him and Lucky Eddy from pillaging the new world.

#5 The Other Coast
Created by Adrian Raeside
http://www.creators.com/comics/the-other-coast/15246.html

-- vs. --
#12 Mutts
Created by Patrick McDonnell
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mutts.asp

A few weeks ago there was a series of Mutts strips structured around Big Lebowski quotes, mostly Mooch saying "The Dude abides" in various contents. It raises the question of how someone hip enough to reference The Dude could create a comic so aggressively lame.

#8 Kudzu
Created by Doug Marlette
http://www.gocomics.com/kudzu/

-- vs. --
#9 Popeye
Created by Elzie Crisler Sager, currently written and drawn by Hy Eisman
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/popeye.asp?date=20080216

Apparently Hy Eisman only writes and draws the Sunday Popeye; the daily version is apparently repeats of the strips created by Bud Sagendorf, who worked on the strips between 1958 and 1986. Also, it turns out that Doug Marlette died in an automobile accident last July, which I did not realize until writing this post just now.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )

OK, we've all waited just about long enough. Just as a head's up, I'm abandoning the Monday-Wednesday-Friday update schedule; this time around, new posts will go up ever Sunday and Thursday. I'll have a bit more to say next time, for now I just want to get started.

EDIT: I just realized that I forgot the "abstain" option in the poll. Sorry. It'll be back on Sunday.

DOGPATCH REGION:

#8 Mary Worth
Created by Allen Saunders and Dale Conner, currently written by Karen Moy and drawn by Joe Giella
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mary.asp

-- vs. --
#9 Gasoline Alley
Created by Frank King, currently written and drawn by Jim Scancarelli
http://www.comicspage.com/gasoline/gasolinealley.html

It's the battle of the blands! We're leading off with the most famous soap opera strip of all time against what was probably the first strip to show its characters age in real time.

#5 Luann
Created by Greg Evans
http://www.luannsroom.com/

-- vs. --
#12 Ziggy
Created by Tom Wilson
http://www.gocomics.com/ziggy/

Obscure science fiction TV reference time: Luann's last name is DeGroot, not to be confused with the cofounders of the DHARMA Initiative on Lost, while Ziggy was the name of Sam's computer on Quantum Leap.

#6 The Middletons
Created by Ralph Dunagin and Dana Summers
http://www.gocomics.com/themiddletons/

-- vs. --
#11 Marmaduke
Created by Brad Anderson
http://www.comics.com/comics/marmaduke/index.html

Man, that's one big dog! I'm going to link to excellent Marmaduke Can Vote, though it apparently hasn't been updated since November.

#7 Tundra
Created by Chad Carpenter
http://www.tundracomics.com/

-- vs. --
#10 Family Tree
Created by Signe Wilkinson
http://www.comics.com/comics/familytree/

These are two comics the Bellingham Herald added to its page pretty recently. I'd never heard of them before they started showing up in the C-section.

MILFORD REGION:

#10 Shoe
Created by Jeff MacNelly, currently written and drawn by Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins
http://www.comicspage.com/shoe/index.html

-- vs. --
#7 9 Chickweed Lane
Created by Brooke McEldowney
http://www.comics.com/comics/chickweed/

By contrast, neither of these run in the weekday Herald, though Shoe does appear on the Sunday. It's about birds.

#11 The Phantom
Created by Lee Falk, currently written by Tony DePaul and drawn by Paul Ryan
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/phantom.asp

-- vs. --
#6 Six Chix
Written and drawn by Isabella Bannerman, Margaret Shulock, Rina Piccolo, Anne Gibbons, Kathryn LeMieux, and Stephanie Piro
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/sixchix.asp

As the title suggests, Six Chix is written and drawn by six different women, each taking a different day of the week. Will their combined power be too much for the Ghost-That-Walks?

#12 The Dinette Set
Created by Juile Larson
http://www.comics.com/creators/dinetteset/

-- vs. --
#5 Tank McNamara
Created by Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds
http://www.gocomics.com/tankmcnamara/

As Blather 'Bout Burl demonstrates, The Dinette Set just might be the worst single-panel strip ever. On the other hand, the first Tank McNamara strip I ever read referenced Tim Russert, Joakim Noah, and Ben Wallace, and I can't argue with that.

#9 Barney Google and Snuffy Smith
Created by Billy DeBeck, currently written and drawn by John Rose
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/barneygoogle.asp

-- vs. --
#8 Arlo and Janis
Created by Jimmy Johnson
http://www.comics.com/comics/arlonjanis/index.html

Barney Google hasn't been a part of his own strip in over fifty years, having been edged out by Snuffy Smith and his hillbilly gang, because, hey, hillbillies are funny. On the other hand, Arlo and Janis is notable for having a lot of (implied) sex for a newspaper comic. Hey, sex is also funny.

LiveJournal users can vote for their favorite comic by filling out the poll below, while all others will have to leave comments, e-mail me, or use pretty much any other method to let me know their feelings. New sessions will be posted sometime between 7 and midnight every Sunday and Thursday.

( LiveJournal poll underneath )