The Comics page, circa 2005 courtesy of the Oregonian

The Comics Page, as it is these days. Better than it was ten years ago, but maybe I'm stuck comparing the Yakima Herald with the Oregonian.

What's worth a gander:

#1: Pearls Before Swine. I was wondering how the strip would handle the Blondie celebration... we now get the story arc of the cast not being invited to Blondie's big party. (Though it would have been more timely if it was being printed a few weeks ago.)

#2: Get Fuzzy. Hey! A Garfield rip-off, of sorts. I like it.

#3: Doonsebury. The old stand-by. If it's not on the funnies page, maybe it's on the editorial page.

#4: Dilbert. Yes, I know... soul-less clip art that makes a mockery of the term "art" and "comics". Safe placation for the fumes of the bourgeoise for the ultimate goal of societal corporate hegenomy. Do I care?

#5: For Better or for Worse: I can't figure out at what point this became everybody's favourite strip.

#6: Mutts. I can't tell if this is a good strip or just faking it with a few tricks that suggest it to be a far superior strip. I lose myself in its syruppy sweetness.

#7: Zits. The cartoonist at least knows the language of comics. Getting beyond this hokish "Kids are All Right after all" vibe, and I must acknowledge I have only really nodded my head in "been there" once: when Pierce spoke to the father character in all haikus.

#8: Luann: Hm.

#9: Foxtrot: The gummy-worm strips are clever.

#10: Elderberries: created out of corporate segment marketing... the art's nice.

#11: Non-Sequitur: oddly enough, the more overtly political strips are annoying me a bit these days.

#12: Rose Is Rose: Is my standard so low that I value an otherwise lackidasical "kids are cute, aren't they?" strip for tossing in a few clever visual elements?

Honorable mentions go to the "Calvin and Hobbes" reprints, Bizarro, and The Wizard of Id. Why? Probe into them and figure it out yourownself.