MovieWeb’s latest ranking celebrates the best comic strips from the 1990s, with The Far Side, Zits, and Get Fuzzy leading the list of memorable strips that defined the decade. The 1990s were a period of transition for newspaper comics, as some long-running classics entered their final years while fresh voices emerged to capture new audiences with contemporary humor.
The Far Side, created by Gary Larson, anchors the list as one of the decade’s most significant strips. The single-panel comic ran from 1980 to 1995, meaning its entire final decade of publication fell within the 1990s. Larson’s surreal, often absurdist humor about animals, aliens, and everyday oddities made it one of the most widely syndicated strips of its era.
Zits, written by Jerry Scott and illustrated by Jim Borgman, debuted in July 1997 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The strip centers on Jeremy Duncan, a self-absorbed teenager navigating the insecurities and hilarity of adolescence alongside his exasperated parents. By launching late in the decade, Zits represented a new generation of comic strips that resonated with readers seeking humor about contemporary teen life.
Get Fuzzy, created by Darby Conley, arrived on September 6, 1999, capturing the final moments of the decade. The strip follows Boston advertising executive Rob Wilco and his two anthropomorphic pets: the sarcastic cat Bucky Katt and the lovable dog Satchel Pooch. Since its 1999 launch, Get Fuzzy became one of the most popular comic strips, with a readership of 26 million people at its peak, before concluding its daily run on November 9, 2013.
The 1990s represented a unique moment in comic strip history. Established strips like Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes were still running strong, while older classics like Bloom County had already ended. Simultaneously, strips like Zits and Get Fuzzy proved that newspaper comics could still launch successfully and build massive audiences, even as the medium faced pressure from changing entertainment habits and declining newspaper circulation.
The ranking reflects how the 1990s served as both an ending and a beginning for the comic strip medium. While The Far Side concluded its run in 1995 after 15 years of syndication, strips like Zits and Get Fuzzy demonstrated that new concepts could still find their place in newspaper funny pages and build devoted followings that would last for decades.
Sources
- MovieWeb — Published “The 10 Best Comic Strips From the ’90s (Including The Far Side)” on September 4, 2026, ranking The Far Side, Zits, and Get Fuzzy among the decade’s best strips
- Wikipedia — Provided dates and creators for The Far Side (Gary Larson, 1980-1995), Zits (Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, debuted July 1997), and Get Fuzzy (Darby Conley, launched September 6, 1999, ended November 9, 2013)
- Simon & Schuster — Confirmed Get Fuzzy’s peak readership of 26 million people since its 1999 launch
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