10 favorite webcomics and comic strips (2024 edition)
It’s time for my annual look at 10 of my favorite webcomics and comic strips. Or “webtoons” if you prefer the current vernacular, despite that term referring to a specific type of webcomic or the prominent South Korean webcomic vendor Webtoon.
While some of these entries are the same from previous years’ lists, I’ve tried mixing things up and adding some newer entries.
Again, these are only for currently running comic strips, so don’t ask about ones that ended decades ago like “Calvin and Hobbes” or “The Far Side” (which both ended in 1995). I liked those, but I also liked "Star Trek: Deep Space 9," a TV show that also ended in the Clinton administration.
Boyfriends.
By refrainbow
www.webtoons.com/en/slice-of-life/boyfriends/list?title_no=2616
“Boyfriends.” is a Webtoon webcomic about four male college students who all become each other’s boyfriend, in a polyamorous relationship. The comic focuses on how the characters deal with both college and each other.
Unusually, none of the characters are given names within the strip; pictures of the character being spoken about appear in word balloons when needed. Fans, however, usually call the main cast “Nerd,” “Goth,” “Jock,” and “Prep” (fitting their archetypes). Out of the quartet: Goth is a trans man who runs a Twitch-like stream; Jock has a sister who’s also in a polyamorous same-sex relationship (all three of her partners are counterparts to Prep, Nerd, and Goth); and Nerd is obsessed with cute things, anime, and manga.
While the strip’s creator is from Indonesia, most of the strip’s elements reflect American college culture, but with heavy manga influences.
Dinosaur Comics
By Ryan North
Running since 2003, “Dinosaur Comics” features (in every strip) the same clip art of a green Tyrannosaurus rex and two other dinosaurs, but with different dialogue every day. T. rex himself is a know-it-all that often leaps to bizarre or erroneous conclusions on various topics. He's also obsessed with Batman and Sherlock Holmes, though he clearly likes the former better—Holmes to him is “the world's greatest detective that isn't Batman.”
A high point is the strip about how many of Batman’s foes have pun-themed real names. Considering Calendar Man's real name is "Julian Gregory Day” and the Riddler’s real name is “Edward Nygma,” the argument's not too far off.
Jen Sorensen
Jen Sorensen is a political cartoonist. Among other publications, she was a mainstay on the now-dormant political cartoon website The Nib.
The Joy of Tech
By Nitrozac and Snaggy
Nitrozac and Snaggy are the co-creators of “The Joy of Tech,” a comic making fun of various aspects of technology. Jokes range from Apple’s iPhone to Elon Musk’s latest antics. Facebook is a particularly frequent target (for good reason), though since Musk’s Twitter buyout, there’s also been a lot of jokes about the site now known as X.
Kyle’s Bed & Breakfast
By Greg Fox
“Kyle’s Bed & Breakfast” is a biweekly comic about the permanent residents of a gay-owned-and-oriented bed and breakfast in Long Island, New York. Stories revolve around the characters’ lives, including soap opera-style romance problems. While not explicit, the strip is occasionally not suitable for work (NSFW).
The cartoonist, Greg Fox, is also a Legion of Super-Heroes fan. References to such sometimes turn up in the strip. Two examples include a costume party where the gang dress as 70s-era Legionnaires, and the time the gang visited a children’s hospital dressed as the Legion. The latter sees resident minor league baseball player Brad (who prefers Marvel over DC) point out they should’ve dressed up as heroes kids would actually recognize, such as the Avengers.
Mattie Lubchansky
Mattie Lubchansky is a politicial cartoonist; they were an associate editor for The Nib website, where their strips also ran. An occasional feature of their strips is a post-apocalyptic setting mocking current issues or events.
Questionable Content
By Jeph Jacques
“Questionable Content” is a long-running “slice of life” webcomic. The setting's a Massachusetts college town, but in a “twenty minutes into the future” setting where sentient robots (“AIs”; the term used well before the current AI craze) coexist with humans. Most of the human cast are twentysomethings. This strip definitely veers into NSFW territory; the characters aren’t shy about swearing and/or talking about sex.
Sarah’s Scribbles
By Sarah Andersen
“Sarah’s Scribbles” launched in 2011 as a webcomic chronicling a young woman’s life as she deals with adulthood. Most of the humor comes from the (technically unnamed) main character feeling burdened by the weight of adulthood and its responsibilities, plus her own feelings of anxiety.
To the Stars and Back
By Peglo
www.webtoons.com/en/slice-of-life/to-the-stars-and-back/list?title_no=4047
“To the Stars and Back” is a Webtoon strip about two college students, the cheerful Bo Seon and his classmate and neighbor, the more cynical Kang Dae. The strip focuses on Bo and Kang’s backstories and the two falling in love with each other.
Tom the Dancing Bug
By Ruben Bolling
www.gocomics.com/tomthedancingbug
"Tom the Dancing Bug" is a long-running satirical political cartoon. Recurring characters/themes include:
A series of strips about Donald Trump parodying him as Calvin from "Calvin and Hobbes." (OK, so there is one "Calvin and Hobbes" reference in this post.)
"Chagrin Falls": a stereotypical white suburban comic strip/sitcom family are thrown into bizarre or dystopic political situations.
"Lucky Ducky": a loose parody of "Uncle Scrooge." Hollingsworth Hound, a wealthy dog, is convinced the impoverished Lucky Ducky somehow "gets away" with Hollingsworth's anti-poor grudge-of-the-moment. (Lucky's catchphrase is "gotcha!") There's also Hollingsworth's schemes to increase his wealth, such as trying to make a film using only AI.