Five Favorite Childhood Comic Strips

While my older brother was reading comic strips about Batman, Superman and Spiderman, I was far more interested in comic strips about everyday kids doing things that I could relate to growing up. In honor of Comic-Con, here are my top five favorite childhood comic strips.

Archie Comics: The rivalry between Veronica and Betty to get Archie's attention was amusing, and Veronica was ruthless. Jughead was the entertaining one of the group, always open for a new adventure. These kids complained about chores, went to sporting and school events, talked about relationships and hung out at the beach. Those were things I experienced, and it was cool to have a wholesome comic strip that would deal with things in Riverdale that I was going through in Chicago. Reading this comic strip was like watching my favorite childhood television shows "Wonder Years," "A Different World," "Ready or Not," "Chris Cross," "Small Wonder," "Saved by the Bell" and "The Cosby Show" rolled into a booklet. I just read on Newsarama that Archie & Friends has now introduced a gay character and has interracial relationships. I don't recall black characters in the books when I was little and definitely not gay ones, but I dig that they're making the comic strip more diverse without being over the top.

Luann: As a teenage girl, I loved Luann. Like the shows mentioned above, as well as Archie Comics, she was dealing with the same stuff I was dealing with (i.e., school, teenage boy crushes, an older brother like Brad who either got on my nerves or I was great friends with, depending on the day) growing up. I think just about every teenage girl has had a Gunther or an Aaron Hill at her school. I also liked the diversity with her friends. Outside of Jessica in "The Babysittter's Club" book series, there weren't a whole lot of African-American teenage girl characters in books or comic strips, but Luann had one and her name was Delta. Her friend Bernice was also fun to read about. Considering I grew up in a two-parent household with a dog, I connected with Luann in ways that I didn't connect with my own real-life friends who more commonly had an absent parent and didn't treat their dogs like family members.

Curtis: He wore his cap to the side, and he was always getting on his father Greg's nerves with loud rap music. Oh, to be a young hip-hop kid. His puppy love interest Michelle had as much flavor as Curtis, and watching the two of them interact was adorable. Like Luann, I liked seeing the happy family that Curtis' parents, Greg and Diane, brought to comic strips, especially considering that was the type of household I grew up in. But it was the relationship between him and his brother, Barry, that amused me the most. If Barry wasn't being a bratty little brother, he was being a wise little brother who could outsmart the hell out of Curtis. I tried to dodge church as much as Curtis, and fortunately I didn't have a little brother Barry to lecture me every time. As far as Curtis' weird friend, Gunk, it was fascinating to hear some of the stuff that boy from Flyspeck Island would say.

Family Circus: It took me a few years to get some of the jokes in this comic strip, but when I did, I'd crack up laughing. I liked reading about the adventures of Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and P.J. I was told I was "born grown" when I was little so I spent many Sundays watching my parents point and laugh at something the kids would say and telling me it sounded like something I'd say. When I was old enough to catch on to the comic strip, I understood what they meant and agreed. But I did manage to complete my errands long before Billy and his dotted lines. I had a short attention span, but that boy would go halfway across the world before he'd come back home.

Peanuts: Clearly from the main photo on this entry, I haven't grown out of loving the "Peanuts" crew and never will. I wish my tattoo was of Charlie Brown instead of this stupid tattoo I've spent $1200 trying to remove. I'm hardcore about this comic strip. Snoopy is the most charismatic and fun dog ever. Charlie Brown is a cross between depressed, inspirational and clever. I've been accused of being bossy and smart-mouthed like Lucy pretty much my entire childhood. The love-to-hate-her relationship between Sally and Linus tickles me. Like Linus, I actually had my baby blanket until I was about 20 years old and it fell apart in a washing machine while I was in college. I replaced it with a new blanket immediately and plan to hold on to that one, too. Peppermint Patty was always in denial about "Chuck" liking her, and Marcie was the level-headed kid out of the crew. Then there was Franklin, who had some of the same characteristics as Delta from "Luann." He was an expert and always trying to achieve something just because. I read the comics like clockwork every Sunday up until college, and I have yet to see a comic strip I like more than the ones with my favorite little boy, Charlie Brown.

And just to prove I mean it, check out "What do women love about the 'Peanuts' comic strip guys?" Fellas, take notes!