PAIGE BRADDOCK
Arguably, Peanuts would likely be in any top five list of comic strips, but given my current job (creative director at Charles Schulz’s studio), it would be a conflict of interest to list it here. I will instead list my personal top five comic strips, not viewed from the angle of an art historian or critic, but as a fan and fellow cartoonist who appreciates above all else the zany, unique voice of comics and darn funny drawings.
1 Monty, by Jim Meddick. Jim Meddick and I have a very similar sense of humor: we both find whimsy in the mundane. He can make ordering a pizza funny. I love how he crams a lot of texture into every panel. His drawings have a flat look to them, but are so well rendered I never get tired of looking at them.
2 Cul de Sac, by Richard Thompson. This is my favorite new comic. Richard is so cleverly subtle sometimes and over-the-top slapstick at other times. His kid characters talk like kids, are frequently clueless, and make hilarious assumptions. I love his loose drawing style (particularly his crazy-looking minivans).
3 Bloom County, by Berkeley Breathed. In the 1980s there was nothing funnier or more biting than Bloom County. Oh, how we need Bloom County back to offer us a running commentary on the conservative yahoos who are crowding the airwaves at the moment!
4 The Far Side, by Gary Larson. Gary Larson captured, more than any other cartoonist, the raw humor in drawing packs of wiener dogs. He gave us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the goings-on in pastures, fish tanks, monkey cages, and postal offices across the nation.
5 Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson. Calvin and Hobbes was charming, whimsical, and beautifully drawn. This comic reminds you of what it was like to be a kid again. And, boy, can Bill draw trees. He has this simple, gesture-drawing approach to backgrounds. I never get tired of looking at them.
Highly respected indie cartoonist Paige Braddock is the creator of the Eisner-nominated comic Jane’s World and cocreator of The Martian Confederacy. Paige is also the creative director at Charles Schulz’s studio in Northern California. Before accepting the position with Schulz, she worked as an illustrator for both the Atlanta Constitution and the Chicago Tribune.