The first thing I do when I open a newspaper is to turn to the funny pages but recently I’ve been becoming more and more disenchanted by the offerings that are presented in the newspapers. Not simply local newspapers but even national newspapers it seems as if as far as cartoons are concerned with stuck had some sort of monopoly which continues to publish the same comics over and over, many of which were first published in the 50’s or 60’s, and doesn’t seem willing to allow the introduction of new comics.

Classic examples of things like “Peanuts” yes it is a great comic Schultz did a wonderful job with it but hey Schultz is dead all we’re seeing is rehashed old comics; this was something that ought to be published in a collection not appearing every morning breakfast table. Johnny Hart stopping funny many years ago Beetle Bailey seems to speak to a generation which not longer exists, Garfield only has 4 jokes and don’t get me started on Family Circle which appears to be in the second generation of cartoonists and was not funny the first time around.

What makes this even more irritating is that out on the Internet there are whole host of quite remarkable comics that seem unable to find a place in daily newspapers it seems that old media is not going to change but since it is likely to die with my generation any way perhaps we should ignore it. So find the comics of the future we must go and scour the Internet.

When we go onto the Internet you actually find some really good new comics Here are some of my favourites:
Ozy and Millie cartoons by DC Simpson. These comics address all sorts of societal issues and are very well drawn – check out the one above and the one I have on my office wall.

Another great comic is PhD comics as in “Piled Higher and Deeper” this is a very specialised comic and probably couldn’t find a place in a newspaper, however it’s definitely something that should be read by anyone who is interested in a career in a University it talks about the trials and tribulations of being a graduate student those of us who have been through that process find it very funny but I suspect those are still in grad school probably feel like it reflection of their own lives. (I also find I identify with Prof. Smith which is sort of scary!)

An extremely quirky comic which is probably only for those who are into, as it says, sarcasm, math and language is xkcd it is definitely not everyone and frequently requires a knowledge of a mathematics but can be really funny and is frequently extremely sarcastic.

Another great comic I was introduced to by one of my son’s goes by the wonderful name Devil’s Panties now let me be clear this is not satanic porn site it is a comic strip and it’s aimed at adults but it’s certainly is in no way pornographic, although the cartoonist’s interest in the leaf blowers and kilts (its female cartoonist) is sort of interesting, on the whole this is a very remarkable cartoon.

Even some mainstream cartoonists seem to find an outlet on the Internet can be Bill Holbrook who does the excellent cartoon “On the Fast Track” which is published in some papers also has an Internet cartoon known it was Kevin and Kell which in my opinion is every bit as funny if not better than “On the Fast Track” apparently it doesn’t seem to be able to find a place in daily newspapers.

So if like me you like your comic strips look on the Internet there lots of comics out there and while some of them are not very good, some of its really great enjoy and if you find one that you like please share it by leavingg a link in the comments

See you in the funny papers