Yesterday, after two months of tabulation, re-calculation, and too many dangling chads to bother counting, our local newspaper revealed the results of its comic strip poll. According to the paper, over 4,000 responses came in rating the current comics and suggesting replacements for the bad ones that would be leaving. Don't think that people don't take the comics seriously. Here are the results and my comments.

Top 10!
1. For Better or For Worse
2. Classic Peanuts
3. Foxtrot
4. Close to Home
5. Family Circus
6. Sherman's Lagoon
7. Rose is Rose
8. Dilbert
9. Garfield
10. Luann

I pretty much agree with this whole list but was surprised that Garfield scored as high as it did. I would put Doonesbury in there but I understand why it isn't. People either love it or hate it so it probably falls in the middle.

Comic Strips that are taking a hike:
Mary Worth (never read it)
Cathy (Same tired old joke every day)
Marmaduke (This strip is a dog)
The Born Loser (I enjoyed this one from time to time)
The Wizard of Id (Had a good run)
Overboard (A wretched strip. See Cathy)

The New Strips:
Non Sequitur (I've never been a big fan)
Baby Blues (I like this one)
Frank & Ernest (Making a triumphant return. Could be Frank & Ernest & Nyperold)
Pickles (A well done comic)
Zits (ditto)
Six Chix (My first exposure to it)

Another new comic that I saw in Pittsburgh and forgot to nominate is Liberty Meadows. Ah, maybe next time. And even though there are others I'd like to vote out, I think the six that are leaving are all worthy of going. Maybe next time we'll we'd out some more.

Fer"Comics with my cereal"rick