Pathos Edition (Apr. 27)

Worst:
Dagwood is from a rich family and has a white-collar job. Does anyone like that actually bowl? Maybe in the 1950's, but it seems pretty unlikely here in 2008. It's an awful lot of set-up for a bowling joke.

Runners-up: Argyle Sweater, Family Circus, Garfield, Hagar the Horrible, Prickly City, Rhymes with Orange, Sherman's Lagoon, Zits

Best:
Andy exists purely to create pathos, I enjoy it.

Runners-up: Agnes, Baldo, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!, Cul de Sac (based on Dil's line in the last panel), Dilbert, Get Fuzzy

Outdated Stereotypes Are Not Funny Edition (Mar. 26)

Worst:
The comics frequently mine gender stereotypes in an attempt to be funny. Men hate shopping, can't cook, play golf every other day and don't clean. It's not funny anymore, and largely not accurate. We still see these every day though.

Runners-up: Beetle Bailey, Brevity, Dennis the Menace, Garfield, Hagar the Horrible, Speed Bump

Best:
Candorville proves that you can be topical without sacrificing humor.

Runners-up: Agnes, For Better or For Worse, Frazz, Pooch Cafe, Rhymes with Orange

Comics of the Day (belated Saturday edition)

Worst:
The Spice Girls were popular when I was in high school. Elmo is five. The odds of him knowing who the Spice Girls are, or who David Beckham is must be non-existent. So it's a dumb joke, and it's awkwardly set up.

Runners-up: Red and Rover, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!, Speed Bump

Best:

I was actually a little moved by this strip. Stephan Pastis often includes short term characters who appear for a few jokes. Most disappear within a week, some stick around like effeminate vikings and the Crocs. Andy is my favorite new character in a while. He actually has personality; this isn't a joke, it's a character sketch. I just love Andy's unrelenting hope and I love the pathos Pastis imbues Andy with.

Bonus Visual Runner-up:
It took some serious deliberation to decide whether I liked Lio or Pearls Before Swine better today. I love the drawing of Lio laughing in the third panel. And the joke is better than the jokes in most of the one off joke strips.

Runners-up: Agnes, Lio