Well, we’ve gotten quite a bump this week! We, the Barnacle Bros., would like to extend a hearty welcome to all you MeFites and the rest!

One kick against Barnacle Press that we’ve picked up is that there’s just too much stuff, and it’s difficult to wade through to find the gems. This is a wonderful problem to have; we’re glad to be able to present such an embarrassment of comical riches! For fellows like Thrillmer and I, sifting through copious archives of comics is Big Fun, but we certainly empathize with the casual reader, who might not want to click through 227 pages (and growing!) to stumble across the true finds.

To this end, for the remainder of the week, we’ll be posting some lists, spotlighting some of our favorite features from the Comic Supplement. Today, we begin with Ten Must-Read Classics. These are the strips that any self-respecting comic connoisseur should have at least a passing familiarity with, and any newcomer to the world of vintage comics should be exposed to post-haste. The list is in alphabetical order, as asking me to order them is like asking a mother which child she loves best.

Alphonse & Gaston
One of F. Opper’s most lasting creations, these gentlemen expose the limits of polite deference.

Barney Google
We all know Snuffy Smith, but before that shrimpy hillbilly stole the spotlight, Billy DeBeck regaled newspaper readers with the adventures of this diminutive fellow and his faithful steed, Sparkplug.

Bringing Up Father
George McManus’s classic battle of the sexes among the nouveau riche set raged for almost seventy years, making this the longest-running daily strip, ever. A strong case could be made that the strip could have ended forty years before it did, but we’ve got some of the good stuff here.

Buster Brown
While we’re all probably familiar with the shoes, R.F. Outcault’s work is virtually unknown. This is a shame, because his Buster Brown strips are consistently funny and wonderfully rendered. A boy, a talking dog, and a barrelful of really bad judgment: this is what comic masterpieces are made of, and we’ve got a passel of ‘em.

The Gumps
Sidney Smith became the highest-paid cartoonist in the world on the strength of this familial sitcom. We don’t have as many of this wonderful strip as I wish we did, but what we’ve got is gold.

Happy Hooligan
Another F. Opper creation, Happy is a hapless hobo possessed of the best intentions, but the worst fortune. If the cops don’t get him, he’ll be beset by dogs and angry housewives. His cousin, Gloomy Gus, added his name to the American vernacular.

Indoor/Outdoor Sports
No mention of the comic strip impact on the American lexicon can pass without mentioning in the same breath “Tad” Dorgan, the man who popularized phrases like “Hot Dog!”, “dumbbell”, “for crying out loud!”, and “Yes, we have no bananas.” His panels are a slice of life from a bygone era.

Katzenjammer Kids / Captain and the Kids
One thing I’ve learned from the comics: kids are really scary. No comic drove this point home like the Katzenjammers, produced by Rudolf Dirks and then Harold Knerr. The ownership and provenance of the comic merits its own discussion, which you can find easily, but by any name, these kids were kinderterrors.

Polly and Her Pals
Another domestic comedy about a man, his wife, his beautiful daughter, his servant, and his cat. Gorgeously rendered and consistently funny, a reprint volume is long overdue.

Various - Gluyas Williams
Gluyas Williams was a man ahead of his time. Reading his panelless meditations on suburban living puts me in mind of modern magazine cartoons and the best of Jules Feiffer’s work. You just can’t go wrong with Gluyas.

Be on the lookout later this afternoon for Thrillmer’s list of Ten Lesser-Known Works by Major Creators!