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There is no objective, current popularity ranking of newspaper comics, but several familiar strips remain available through syndication and digital comic services. For this guide, “greatest” means memorable writing or drawing, enduring cultural presence, strong gag or storytelling craft, and a reasonable entry point for a new reader. Availability varies by newspaper, and a listing in a comic directory does not mean every paper carries that strip.
Which newspaper comics are still available?
Current listings from Andrews McMeel Syndication include 9 Chickweed Lane, Alley Oop, The Argyle Sweater, Arlo and Janis, Baby Blues and Baldo. ArcaMax’s daily comic directory also lists titles including Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Doonesbury, Garfield, Peanuts and Mutts.
These catalogs show that the comics are currently distributed or available through those services; they do not show that every newspaper publishes them, nor do they establish that every available installment is newly drawn. Syndication schedules and formats differ: listings can distinguish daily from Sunday editions, print from digital, and multi-panel strips from single-panel cartoons.
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Rather than pretend there is a reliable, comparable popularity table, the guide below groups recognizable choices by reading experience. Descriptions are editorial characterizations, not a ranking of circulation or quality.
| Comic | What it offers | Entry point |
|---|---|---|
| Doonesbury | Political and social satire with a long-running cast and a history of serialized storytelling. | Readers who enjoy topical references and are willing to follow recurring characters. For background, Andrews McMeel says the strip launched in 1970 and appears in nearly 1,200 publications globally; that is the syndicate’s figure, not a current U.S. circulation count. |
| Peanuts | Compact character-based humor, recognizable visual design and a broad emotional range. | A welcoming choice for readers who want short episodes and familiar characters. Its directory listing establishes availability through ArcaMax, not whether a given edition is new or archival. |
| Garfield | Broad, self-contained comic gags built around a cat, food and domestic routines. | Easy to sample in any order if you prefer a quick punchline over a continuing plot. |
| Blondie | Domestic and workplace comedy centered on a recurring family and cast. | Try it if you like familiar characters and everyday situations; ArcaMax lists it in its daily directory. |
| Mutts | Animal-centered humor with a gentler, often affectionate tone. | A natural starting point for readers drawn to pets and brief, visually clear strips. |
| Baby Blues | Family-life comedy focused on the rhythms and frustrations of raising children. | Best suited to readers who enjoy recurring domestic situations; it appears in Andrews McMeel’s current catalog. |
| Alley Oop | An adventure-oriented comic with a long history and a distinctive premise. | Choose it if you want a departure from contemporary household gags; Andrews McMeel currently lists the title. |
| The Argyle Sweater | A single-panel cartoon built around visual and verbal punchlines. | Good for readers who prefer one self-contained joke rather than a sequence; Andrews McMeel lists it among its current titles. |
| Arlo and Janis | Relationship and family humor, with a quieter domestic focus. | Try it for character-based everyday comedy; Andrews McMeel’s catalog includes it. |
| Baldo | Family and youth-centered humor with a contemporary cultural perspective. | A possible fit for readers who want family comedy beyond the classic suburban setup; Andrews McMeel lists it. |
| 9 Chickweed Lane | A character-focused strip with a distinctive, detailed visual approach. | More appealing if you like recurring characters and an involved visual style than if you want only isolated gags; Andrews McMeel lists it. |
| Beetle Bailey | Military-life comedy built around a recurring cast. | Consider it if a familiar ensemble and service-life setting appeal; ArcaMax lists it in its daily comic directory. |
How to choose a strip to start reading
- For a quick joke: Start with a gag-driven strip such as Garfield or the single-panel The Argyle Sweater.
- For recurring characters: Try Peanuts, Blondie, Baby Blues or Arlo and Janis.
- For satire: Pick Doonesbury, keeping in mind that its topical and serialized elements can reward context.
- For an alternative to everyday domestic humor: Sample Alley Oop or Beetle Bailey.
- For a different format: Check whether a title is offered as a daily strip, Sunday feature or panel, and whether the version you can access is print or digital. Those distinctions affect the reading experience.
A few installments are enough to see whether a strip’s humor suits you. If it has an ongoing story or recurring cast, an archive or collected edition can help with context. Andrews McMeel’s Doonesbury page describes a retrospective that goes “deep—literally back to Day One,” and lists the collection Day One Dictator: More Doonesbury in the Time of Trumpism. The same page reports 60 collected book editions and more than 7 million copies sold; these are figures supplied by the syndicate, not a comparative measure of current readership.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What “still published” does—and does not—mean
Newspaper comics reach readers through syndication, but carriage is a local editorial choice. Andrews McMeel describes its distribution network as reaching more than 400 international and 2,500 U.S. news outlets; those are syndicate-wide figures, not the number of outlets carrying any particular strip. A comic may also be available online without appearing in a reader’s local paper.
Catalog presence is the strongest conclusion supported here: these titles have current distribution or directory listings. It is not enough by itself to determine whether a particular paper prints the strip, how often it runs, or whether the currently accessible installments are newly produced or reruns. No comparable, current strip-by-strip popularity or U.S. circulation figures are established, so a definitive “number one” would be misleading.
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