Comic strips have been popular for centuries, traditionally printed in newspapers and magazines, featuring some now widely known characters that hold a dear place in contemporary society and culture. These brief cartoon comics are often funny and poignant, providing a lighthearted break in the day's news for readers of all ages.

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Comics have been running in American newspapers since the 1890s when they were marketed to urban audiences who didn't necessarily speak English. The longest-running strip, The Katzenjammer Kids, stayed in print for 109 years, and some iconic strips from the early 20th century are still running today. Just like long-running sitcoms, the quality and creative teams behind classic comics can vary a lot, and even great comics can hit a few speedbumps. That said, newspapers are still running some truly great, hilarious comics daily.

10 Marmaduke

Running from 1954-Present

Marmaduke the comic strip dog shaking water everywhere

Marmaduke is a large Great Dane who lives with the Winslow family, often drawn towering over his human owners. Marmaduke is large, messy, and goofy, and is usually seen dragging his owners down the street on his walks.

First published in 1954, Marmaduke is still very popular, so much so that the idea of canceling the strip in local papers has resulted in protests in communities as diverse as Toronto and Sarasota, FLA. Marmaduke has been adapted into both a television series and two films, and the lovable dog is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

9 Dennis The Menace

Dennis the Menace with Joey and his dog, Ruff

Running from 1951-Present

Created by Hank Ketchum in 1951, Dennis the Menace isn't seen as cutting-edge satire these days. However, at its inception, the strip was known for presenting a character who was deliciously menacing, capable of not just interrupting conversations but attacking his father with a baseball bat.

Dennis has been through many changes over the years, and his UK variant, Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, is still in publication in the Scottish magazine, The Beano. These days, the American Dennis is associated with a school of humor that's best described as "kids say the darnedest things," but he has a long and complicated history, and has been adapted in film, television, and animation.

8 Beetle Bailey

Running from 1950-Present

Cover of a Beetle Bailey collection of newspaper comics (1966)

Actually a spin-off from one of Mort Walker's other comics strips, Hi & Lois, Beetle Bailey has run in newspapers for 73 years. While Beetle debuted as a lazy college student, he's much better known as a perpetual Private in the US Army, barely getting by in Camp Swampy under the watchful eye of Sergeant Snorkle.

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Beetle Bailey is known for its large, distinctive cast and its extremely lazy protagonist. While he's theoretically served in the military for decades, Beetle has never seen combat or been promoted. At this stage, the strip is notable for its consistency and for its slightly belated attempts at keeping up with the times. For example, BB introduced female enlisted characters like Sergeant Louise Lugg in 1986, roughly a decade after women were admitted to US military academies.

7 Dick Tracy

Running from 1931-Present

Dick Tracy holding a gun in the comics

Known for his square jaw and itchy trigger finger, Dick Tracy has been in newspapers for 92 years. Created by Chester Gould, Tracy is one of the most influential characters in comics history, with a grotesque rogue's gallery that clearly shaped the villains for characters like Batman and Spider-Man.

While Dick Tracy has dabbled in science fiction, it's mostly a police comic. In its early years, Tracy was known for its violence and its villains' ironic deaths. While it's not as brutal as it was in its prime, Dick Tracy is still delivering pulpy mysteries to its fans in daily installments, making it unique in modern comics.

6 Hagar the Horrible

Running from 1973-Present

Hagar the Horrible in a color comic strip

Dik Browne's Hagar the Horrible is set in the Middle Ages and stars a Norwegian Viking Hagar, alongside his wife Helga and their children. Hagar the Horrible is a gag-a-day strip that gained near-instant success at the beginning of its publication.

Hagar the Horrible has many running gags and a broad cast of characters, from his clueless sidekick Lucky to his gentle son, Hamlet. His family is a cross between medieval Vikings and a 1950s sitcom. The weird juxtaposition of a Viking raider who regularly sacks castles but still comes home to his dysfunctional household felt edgier in the 1970s but it's a concept that still works today.

5 Red And Rover

Running from 2000-Present

Red and rover, a little boy with red hair and his Labrador dog

Brian Basset's Red and Rover is relatively modern, though the titular boy and his dog occupy a setting somewhere in the mid-20th century. It's a simple premise, a kid and canine who understand each other instinctively, but its strong characters have given it an enduring quality.

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Red and Rover is a heartfelt comic strip, and the characters have been inseparable since Red rescued Rover from a near-miss with a car. It's an award award-winning, earnest comic that tugs at readers' heartstrings in the best possible way.

4 Blondie

Running from 1930-Present

Blondie and Dagwood her husband posing

Chic Young's Blondie has been running for over 90 years, has been translated into over 30 languages, and is still published in 47 countries. While originally a story about a romance between the free-spirited Blondie Boopadoop and her suitor, Dagwood Bumstead, the strip settled into a sitcom's unchanging status quo soon after its inception.

In spite of its unchanging setting, Blondie has allowed its titular character to develop slightly. In 1991, she opened a catering business with her neighbor and best friend, Tootsie. While the strip is formulaic at this point, it also embraces character-based humor and it's an icon on the comics page.

3 Mutts

Running from 1994-Present

Mutts comic strip

Patrick McDonnell's Mutts is a favorite among comics creators, imbuing its housepets with an inner life seldom seen on the comics page. Mooch the Cat and Earl the Dog have been the best of friends for decades, and the strip is known for using its wide cast of characters to encourage to think about real housepets as creatures with feelings who deserve respect and love.

Mutts is funny, but it's also a strip about compassion. McDonnell's artwork is particularly beloved at this stage, drawing comparisons to George Herriman's Krazy Kat, and readers flock to the strip for heartfelt humor daily.

2 Popeye

Running from 1919-Present

Ham Gravy proposes to Olive and Popeye meets his dad in Thimble Theater comics

Originally introduced in a strip titled Thimble Theatre, by E.C. Segar, Popeye took over the strip soon after his first appearance in 1929. One of comics' original superhumans, Popeye the Sailor is a cultural icon and while Popeye isn't run daily, new strips are published every Sunday, with reruns during the week.

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Popeye's Sunday strips are currently written and drawn by well-known webcomics artist R.K. Mulholland. While the strip has always been known for its mystical adventures, Mulholland's deep knowledge of Thimble Theatre's lore has marked a return to Popeye's golden age in many ways. Popeye has been adapted in numerous animations and live-action but his comic strip remains as his greatest incarnation.

1 Garfield

Running from 1978-Present

Garfield consumes a huge sandwich in Garfield comics

Jim Davis's Garfield is one of the best-known characters in comics. The overweight orange cat has been making readers laugh for over forty years and is still quite popular to this day.

Garfield is iconic for being lazy, loving lasagna, and hating Mondays. The relatable cat has been adapted into animated cartoons and films. In its early years, Garfield had a large cast of characters, though in recent years it's mostly shrunk to Garfield, his own Jon Arbuckle, and Jon's pet dog, Odie. Garfield is a simple strip but it's readers love it to this day.

Next: 15 Best Comic Strips Of All Time