Visceral Reaction Edition (Apr. 26)

Worst:
This image just bothered me. Combine that with the illogical situation and we have a winner.

Runners-up: Baby Blues, Blondie, Close to Home, Curtis, Dennis the Menace, Family Circus, Frank and Ernest, Garfield, Mother Goose and Grimm, Non Sequiter, Red and Rover, Rhymes with Orange, Zits

Best:
Darrin Bell wins for the third day in a row. Like Darby Conley, Bell gets a lot of mileage out of a small set of characters.

Runners-up: Dilbert, For Better or For Worse, Get Fuzzy, Lio

I Read a Week of Lousy Set-up and All I Got Was This Lousy Strip Edition (Apr. 25)

Worst:
We finally have the denouement in Curtis after a week of very awkward set-up. Ray Billngsley has been setting us up to think that Curtis has been dealing drugs, but since this is Curtis, we know it won't touch on anything remotely threatening. Instead of a series that touches on the seamier side of urban life, we're left with penny ante capitalism. This could have been great, and it's mediocre.

Runners-up: Blondie, Brevity, Dennis the Menace, Family Circus, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Hagar the Horrible, Mother Goose and Grimm, Prickly City, Speed Bump

Best:
I really enjoyed how Darrin Bell rendered the glow of the torch. The joke was good too.

Runners-up: Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!, Dilbert, Lio, Sherman's Lagoon

Racist Edition (Apr. 24)

Worst:
Grimmy is apparently racist, but I'm more concerned with the horribleness of this pun.

Runners-up: Argyle Sweater, Baldo, Curtis, Family Circus, Hagar the Horrible, Non Sequiter, Piranha Club, Red and Rover, Rhymes with Orange


Candorville is one of the better strips in the paper, and is well worth reading on a daily basis. Darrin Bell uses his character's personalities to set-up his jokes, and he does it well.

Runners-up: Dilbert, Frank and Ernest, Zits

Outdated Stereotypes Are Not Funny Edition (Mar. 26)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

Underappreciated (Feb. 24)

Worst:This is such a weird illustration. The joke was bad when it debuted on Sunday. It's not getting better with age.

Runners-up: Beetle Bailey, Curtis, Dilbert, Mother Goose and Grimm, Rhymes with Orange, Speed Bump

Best:

Candorville is an under appreciated strip I think. Darrin Bell has created main characters with interesting relationships and unique personalities. He handles topical strips better than anyone, able to make a point without sacrificing humor, unlike most political strips. The art matches up with all but the best strips (Get Fuzzy, Lio and Watch Your Head are better, a few others might be just as good). Candorville should maybe be a top five strip.

Runners-up: Garfield (three best runners-up in four days, Jim Davis is on quite a roll), Get Fuzzy, Pearls Before Swine, Prickly City, Single and Looking