Meet the comics: The old favorites, new funnies that you'll find in your print edition

Here's a look at the comic strips readers began finding across all USA TODAY Network newspapers in October 2023, with the lineup set to appear in additional papers this January. The number of comics that run daily will vary based on each publication's weekday and Sunday print edition, but all strips will be available to view daily at usatoday.com/comics.

Group 1: Blondie, Zits, Beetle Bailey, Family Circus, Hagar the Horrible, and Dennis the Menace

“Blondie” has been a family comic strip for 90 years, but it didn’t start out that way. Created in 1930 by cartoonist Chic Young, the strip started with Blondie Boopadoop, a gold-digging blond chasing a billionaire’s son, Dagwood Bumstead. After a couple of years, Young turned Blondie and Dagwood into a young married couple, and the strip became a sensation. Eighty years later, she still keeps the house running (and her own catering business) while he still knocks over the mailman hurtling out the door to work. Dagwood became better known for his gift for constructing giant sandwiches — he's even an entry in Merriam-Webster (“noun, often capitalized, for many-layered sandwich”). Young died in 1973; his son Dean, who began helping his father on “Blondie” in 1963, still writes the strip. Veteran cartoonist John Marshall, who began assisting on the strip in 2002, became head artist in 2005.

“Zits” is a family comic strip that gives equal time to the teenagers and parents in it. The strip follows Jeremy, an ever-eating, ever-complaining, ever-confused high school student whose form of rebellion is usually a well-calculated (and dramatic) shrug. His desperate-to-be-relevant parents try to relate, but their attempts to decode the behavior of Jeremy and his quirky friends are often frustrated sociology experiments. Created in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Jim Borgman and Reuben Award-winning cartoonist and writer Jerry Scott, the strip threads the needle between “my parents just don’t get it” and “how the heck do we relate to these kids today?” better than just about any comic in circulation.

"Beetle Bailey" follows the adventures of the person who could be America’s longest-serving soldier. But he didn’t start that way. Cartoonist Mort Walker launched “Beetle Bailey” in 1950 as a campus strip, following the travails of a slacker student. A year later, Beetle “enlisted” and began his seemingly endless service in the U.S. Army, nearly all of it spent at Camp Swampy, a not-always-so-G.I. military base led by General Halftrack and his barking, food-obsessed sidekick Sgt. Snorkel. The cast of supporting characters has changed over the years, from Lieutenant Flap to Miss Buxley. Walker, whose extensive comic-strip portfolio also included the popular family strip “Hi and Lois” (created with “Hagar the Horrible’s” Dik Browne) died in 2018, but he still gets shared credit on the strip with his son Greg. Jerry Dumas and Mort’s sons Brian and Neal also help with production of the current strip.

"Family Circus," the single-panel family comic strip created by Bil Keane couldn’t be simpler: The parents are Mommy and Daddy, and the kids — Billy, Jeffy, Dolly and baby PJ — never get older. And for more than 60 years, the strip’s out-of-the-mouths-of-babes humor and warmth has been a mainstay of nearly 1,500 newspapers — reportedly, the most syndicated comic strip in the world. By the time Keane died in 2011 at age 89, his son Jeff (yes, the inspiration for Jeffy) had been working with his father on the strip for 30 years, and he continues to guide the strip. “Family Circus” is so entrenched in the culture that it has spawned more than a dozen tributes and spoofs — among them, “Nietzsche Family Circus,” which combines randomized panels from the comic strip with quotes from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

“Hagar the Horrible” is a Viking, but he’s only been around for half a century. When it was launched by cartoonist Dik Browne in 1973, “Hagar the Horrible” became the fastest growing comic strip ever, according to syndicator King Features. “Hagar” is part old-school family strip, part workplace comedy — although Hagar’s workplace involves besieging castles and looting kingdoms. At home, Hagar has to contend with his formidable wife Helga, his still-unmarried (at 16! — it is the Dark Ages, after all) daughter Honi and his definitely-not-a-fighter son Hamlet. Browne, who also co-created “Hi and Lois” with Mort Walker, retired in 1988. His son, Chris Browne, had contributed gags to the script since “Hagar” began, took over writing and drawing the strip prior to a long-term illness and his death in February 2023. Gary Hallgren has provided art for Hagar since 2017.

"Dennis the Menace," aka Dennis Mitchell, is equal parts Beaver Cleaver and Eddie Haskell. The freckled 5½-year-old is always getting in trouble, saying the wrong thing and showing how much energy a child has (spoiler: it’s a lot). His well-meaning parents see (mostly) his good side; his grouchy neighbor, Mr. Wilson, not so much. Launched by Hank Ketcham in 1950, “Dennis the Menace” spawned a TV sitcom that ran for four seasons (1959-’63), a 1993 family movie written by John Hughes, an animated series and even a playground in Monterey, California. Although he died in 2001, Ketcham’s name is still on the strip; cartoonists Marcus Hamilton, Ron Ferdinand and Scott Ketcham, Hank’s son, continue his work.

Group 2: Garfield, Peanuts, For Better or Worse, Baby Blues, Pickles, and FoxTrot

"Garfield" began national syndication in 1978 but for many it seems much longer than that. Indiana native Jim Davis created Garfield the cat and his tales with human owner Jon Arbuckle and the dog Odie. Anyone alive in the 1980s and even 1990s can remember seeing a stuffed animal Garfield with suction cups on each paw, holding onto the inside of a vehicle window. "Garfield" also holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip. Davis ― who grew up on a farm with 25 cats ― decide to feature a feline because so may comic strips already portrayed dogs. And perhaps Garfield has endured because of his habits that mirror most humans: He loves coffee and lasagna and dislikes Mondays and diets. And Garfield also likes to eat.

"Peanuts" remains to some the most endearing comic strip of them all. It’s always out front, above the fold in many newspapers, a constant for the seasons of change in our lives. And for those who attended grade school a half century ago, the anticipation was great every fall and holiday season to see on television each year “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Maybe it’s the simplicity of "Peanuts" that make the comic strip so special. We all know the main characters and in our lives all knew a Charlies Brown, a Lucy, a Linus. Credit the genius of Charles M. Schulz who created nearly 18,000 "Peanuts" comic strips from 1950 to 2000, the year Schulz died at age 77. "Peanuts" remains, never leaving us in the newspaper comic section.

"For Better or For Worse" for years has provided fans with a relatable comic strip. Anyone who has been a child, a teen or a parent — which is basically just about all of us — has enjoyed "For Better or Worse" that Canadian cartoonist Johnston created in 1979 about the Patterson family in a fictional Toronto suburb, Millborough. The strip ended in 2008 but continues in reruns in more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S., Canada and other countries worldwide. Johnston has been among the most honored cartoonists, and she’s publicly discussed her own abusive childhood and how it affected the creation of "For Better or For Worse." “I was very reclusive,” she said in a 1994 interview with Hogan’s Alley, an online cartoon arts magazine. “I spent hours and hours in my room drawing. That was my release, and that was my way of surviving.”

"Baby Blues" for years has provided humor for any parent who’s raised little ones. Cartoonists and longtime friends Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott created "Baby Blues" in 1990 and it's been in syndication since 1995. It features three families with parents Wanda and Darryl MacPherson and their three children the main focus. The kids, from oldest to youngest, are Zoe, Hamish and Wren. Besides the parenthood aspect of "Baby Blues," it’s very much a look at sibling relationships and rivalries, such as having to share a bathroom. For the creators, they decided years ago to collaborate on a comic strip. They couldn’t come up with an idea but, in discussing their home life, they realized the idea was right in front of them. And that gave birth to "Baby Blues."

The golden years are the focus of "Pickles," which features the story of Earl and Opal Pickles who are in their 70s. Cartoonist Brian Crane, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, created "Pickles" that began its run in 1990. The cartoon couple’s world also includes their cat, Muffin; their dog, Roscoe; and Nelson, their 6-year-old grandson, who’s often asking questions or making witty observations. When Nelson asks his grandfather what he’s going to be for Halloween, Earl replies “A grumpy old man.” “Cool,” Nelson says, “you won’t even need to dress up!” Crane married his college sweetheart, and the couple raised seven children. Crane decided to create "Pickles" by the time he had turned 40 years old, fulfilling a childhood dream of creating a newspaper comic strip, his Pickles website says.

"FoxTrot" is not your parents’ ― and certainly not your grandparents’ ― comic strip. It blends modern-day sarcasm and topics with timeworn truths of family life. First syndicated in 1988, creator Bill Amend has tackled weighty subjects and for good reason: He holds a physics degree from Amherst College. "FoxTrot" revolves around the life of the Fox family: parents Andrea (or Andy) and Roger and three kids, Peter, Paige and Jason. Other characters pop up too, including kids' classmates and Roger's co-workers. The comic strip brings more edginess to the funny pages than most, with topics that include everything from building a backyard rocket to solving complex math problems.

Group 3: Pearls Before Swine, Jump Start, Ziggy, Marmaduke, Non Sequitur, and Crabgrass

"Pearls Before Swine" was launched in 2001 by creator Stephan Pastis. The strip features an anthropomorphic mouse and pig in situations familiar to readers, often including life lessons and commentary on modern society. Pastis received the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 2018, the most prestigious prize in cartooning. Run in more than 750 newspapers, Pearls Before Swine received the National Cartoonists Society's Division Award for Best Newspaper Comic Strip in 2003, 2006 and 2014.

"JumpStart" creator Robb Armstrong’s comic has been detailing the daily lives of middle-class Black Americans since 1989. Set in the Philadelphia area, where Armstrong was raised, the comic follows the lives of married main characters Joe and Marcy, a police officer and a nurse, and their children. JumpStart highlights the day-to-day of balancing work and family with upbeat and fun messaging sourced from Armstrong’s own life and experiences, while sometimes tackling tougher issues. Armstrong is one of only a handful of syndicated Black cartoonists and has received numerous honors for his work.

"Ziggy" was first drawn by Tom Wilson in 1968, but not as a comic strip. Ziggy follows the ups and downs of life for the titular character, who no matter how dreary things seem is a silver linings kind of guy, finding and injecting humor in every situation. When Wilson created the character for an American Greetings gift book in 1968, he was nameless. His name came in 1971, with syndication. Tom Wilson Jr. took over drawing duties from his father in the late 80s and continues to this day. An animated Ziggy Christmas television special in 1982 won an Emmy Award.

"Marmaduke" is a comic about a lovable Great Dane, first created and launched in 1954 by Brad Anderson and now continued by his son, Paul Anderson. The strip follows the antics of the playful pooch and his family, the Wilsons, as they try to wrangle him. Marmaduke won the National Cartoonists Society's award for Best Comic Panel in 1976. Brad Anderson also penned more than two dozen Marmaduke books including one for the 50th anniversary in 2004. The comic is enjoyed by readers in more than 20 countries and available in Spanish as well as English.

"Non Sequitur" was created by Wiley Miller and first ran in 1992. The comic alternates between standalone cartoons and storylines with recurring characters and often features criticisms of the most absurd aspects of the daily lives of humans. Wiley received the Reuben Award, naming him Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 2014. Non Sequitur has also won four National Cartoonists Society divisional awards, the first to do so after only one year in syndication and the only cartoon ever to win in both the comic strip and comic panel categories.

In "Crabgrass," first published in 2019, creator Tauhid Bondia explores life in a time before the technologies of today through the friendship of Miles and Kevin, two kids growing up in the 80s. The comic sometimes serializes ongoing storylines across multiple days of strips.

Group 4 Crankshaft, Luann, Baldo, Frank & Ernest, and The Born Loser

"Crankshaft" was inspired by memories writer Tom Bautik had of running down the driveway, trombone case in hand, hoping the bus driver would pause the thirty seconds it would take for him to get on. The curmudgeonly bus driver Ed Crankshaft was first introduced in Bautik's popular comic strip Funky Winkerbean. It wasn’t long until Crankshaft took on a life of his own, and in 1987 Bautik and artist Chuck Ayers spun Crankshaft into its own panel. For 36 years, Crankshaft has been causing kids to miss the bus, keeping the fire department on its toes when grilling season starts and dealing with grievances of being alive. The comic has also dived into issues that face aging adults and their caregivers from Alzheimer’s to the disappointment of unrealized dreams (a World War II veteran, Crankshaft was drafted right when his dreams of making it to professional baseball leagues were at the brink of being realized). Ayers left the comic strip in 2017 to pursue other projects, and Dan Davis came on as the new artist.

Launched in 1985 and penned by the Greg Evans, "Luann" is about the trials, mishaps, hilarity, drama and triumphs of being a young adult. Since Luann was in eighth grade, readers have been following her, her friends and family as they (very slowly) grow up. The strip was inspired by Evan’s daughter Karen, who has now joined him as a co-writer. Fun fact: The comic was also made into a musical.

The only nationally syndicated comic strip about a Latino family, "Baldo," penned by Hector Cantu and illustrated by Carlos Castellanos, debuted in 2000. It follows Baldo, a teenager who loves cars and is lukewarm on school, who lives with his smart little sister, widower father, and eccentric great aunt. The strip focuses mostly on light humor, but will dive into more serious topics, particularly those that impact the Latino community. For example, Baldo’s best friend Cruz revealed that he’s a Dreamer in 2017 after President Donald Trump ordered an end to the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program and in a 2007 April Fool’s Day strip, Baldo’s Aunt, Tia Carmen, was wrongly arrested by ICE.

Since 1972, "Frank and Ernest" have traveled to different time periods, appeared as creatures other than people, and traveled to all kinds of different places, but the one thing they always have been is frank and earnest. These everyman characters, brought to life by Bob Thaves and later his son Tom Thaves, have charmed readers with their wordplay and puns over the years. The comic, which is a little unusual for its single frame style, is also known for its innovations, including being the first to use digital coloring for Sunday strips in 1995, the first 3D characters and the first interactive version of a strip published in a newspaper.

When "The Born Loser" was first published in 1962, there was no central character, just the idea of what it meant to be a loser. That idea became personified in Brutus Thornapple, a guy who just can’t catch a break. Other characters include his wife, Gladys, his mother-in-law, his boss, his neighbor and his son. Art Sansom was the original creator of the comic, and his son, Chip Sansom, started apprenticing in 1977. After Art died, Chip took over the strip.

Group 5: B.C., Wizard of Id, Close to Home, Argyle Sweater, Mother Goose, Rose is Rose

"B.C.," created by Johnny Hart, is set in prehistoric times and follows a cast of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals, often depicting contemporary life through its primitive setting. Some of the characters were named after people in Hart’s life, according to John Hart Studios. The comic strip launched in 1958. Hart went on to win the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year award for "B.C." in 1968. In 2019, two of the comic's female characters formerly known as "Cute Chick" and "Fat Broad" were renamed to Grace and Jane, the Press & Sun-Bulletin reported.

Launched in 1964, "Wizard of Id" is a comic strip that follows the oppressed Kingdom of Id, including its short-statured monarch, his chief knight, his wizard and more in the medieval world. It was created by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart, who met when Parker judged a high school art competition in the late 1940s that Hart had entered, according to John Hart Studios. The comic was continued by their respective families after their death in 2007. Hart’s grandsons, Mason and Mick Mastroianni, produce "Wizard of Id", according to John Hart Studios.

"Close to Home," by John McPherson, features eccentric characters in everyday settings whose actions are unexpected and as a result, humorous. The comic strip began in 1992 and has resulted in numerous books by McPherson as part of the "Close to Home" collection.

Scott Hilburn offers humorous, surreal takes on everyday life in "The Argyle Sweater," which stars humans, anthropomorphic animals and recognizable characters from other fictional worlds. The comic was launched in 2006. The humor in "The Argyle Sweater" is inspired by television sitcoms that Hilburn watched as a child to National Lampoon and New Yorker comics, The Tennessean reported in 2018.

"Mother Goose and Grimm," created by Mike Peters, follows yellow bull terrier Grimm who lives with his caretaker, Mother Goose. The comic strip, launched in 1984, was adapted as an animated television series and premiered in the early 1990s on CBS. Peters’ accolades include a National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award in 1991 and a Pulitzer Prize three years before the debut of "Mother Goose and Grimm" for editorial cartooning, according to Andrews McMeel Universal.

"Rose is Rose," by Don Wimmer and created by Pat Brady, follows the lives of the Gumbo family, comprised of the loving married couple Rose and Jimbo, son Pasquale and their cat Peekaboo. The comic strop was created in 1984. "Rose is Rose" captures everyday moments in the Gumbo family and incorporates the imaginings of their characters such as Rose’s alter-ego, Vicki the Biker. Wimmer began contributing to "Rose is Rose" in 2004 after working as an artist for “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

Group 6: Hi & Lois, Mutts, Curtis, Shoe, and The Lockhorns

"Hi & Lois" dates back to 1954 and was created by Mort Walker and illustrator Dik Browne. Their children keep the story of suburban couple Hi and Lois Flagston and their four children, alive today. Lois is Beetle Bailey's sister, and the two long-running comics occasionally cross over. Today, Brian and Greg Walker write the strip, which is illustrated by Chance Browne. The main characters' names are a play on the words "highs and lows," as the strip follows the trials and triumphs of the working family balancing the modern needs and issues of children ranging in age from toddlerhood to 15.

"Mutts" author Patrick McDonnell started this strip in 1994, basing main characters Mooch and Earl on a real-life dog and cat. According to Mutts.com, McDonnell dedicates two weeks of strips to a "Shelter Stories" series, meant to raise awareness of shelter animals. Mooch and Earl are joined in the strip by a variety of animal and human characters including orphan cat and animal advocate Shtinky Puddin' and Ozzie, Earl's beloved owner. Mutts spreads part of its proceeds through a variety of animal and environmental nonprofits. McDonnell freed his character Guard Dog from decades of being chained in November, telling the Associated Press that "It'll be nice to see him in 'Mutts' without the chain."

"Curtis," created in 1988 by Ray Billingsley, is one of a few nationally syndicated comic strips featuring a predominantly Black cast of characters. According to Billingsleyart.com, the author draws from real life to tell the story of a family living in an urban brownstone. Curtis has tackled serious social issues including smoking, drug abuse, crime and health issues. Protagonists include 11-year-old Curtis and his younger brother, Barry, along with their parents, Greg and Diane Wilkins. Billingsley, who is Black, was raised in Harlem.

"Shoe" creator Jeff MacNelly, winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, first penned this comic in 1977 to almost instant acclaim. This quick-witted strip follows a cast of anthropomorphic birds living in mythical Treetops, East Virginia, where protagonists Shoe (P. Martin Shoemaker) and Perfesser Cosmo Fishhawk publish The Treetops Tattler newspaper. Longtime favorites include Sen. Baston D. Belfry, who's always running for president, and fortune teller Madame Zoo Doo. MacNelly died of cancer in 2000, and Shoe is continued by his widow, Susie MacNelly, and longtime assistant Chris Cassatt. Gary Brookins leads Shoe's art direction.

"The Lockhorns," by Bunny Hoest and John Reiner, is a single-panel comic that originated in 1968. This quick read follows the daily lives of gruff married couple Leroy and Loretta Lockhorn. The Lockhorns' constant bickering and sniping plays off many pressures of modern marriage. Bill Hoest, the comic's original writer, died in 1988. His widow and longtime assistant have kept it running for 35 years.

This story has a correction: Hagar the Horrible author Chris Browne died in February 2023 following a long-term illness. Gary Hallgren has provided art for Hagar since 2017.

Christopher Foran in Milwaukee, David Osborn in Naples, Florida, JaNae Williams in Oklahoma City, Katie Landeck in Providence, Rhode Island, Paris Barraza in Des Moines, and Eric Larsen in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Meet the USA Today Network's new print edition comic strip lineup