10 Things You Didn't Know About Newspaper Comics

Various facts, curiosities, and trivia about comic strips found in newspapers and online.

By David Oxford /

As years have gone by, interest in comic strips has largely shifted from the newspapers to online, where numerous cartoonists have chosen to forgo the syndication route and find success on their own terms. That said, many of the comics from the glory days of print are still running strong, and like their webcomic brethren, can also now be found online every day, all without having to sift through the Sports and Classifieds to find their one small corner of the publication, no less! The truth is, there are still interesting things to discover about syndicated comic strips, and with more and more being optioned to become major motion pictures in the future, what better time to take a look at what truths there are waiting to be uncovered? For example, did you know that one of Dick Tracy's foes is the brother of a rogue from a much darker detective's gallery? Or that Charlie Brown did get to kick the football, albeit with a little friendly neighborhood assistance? How about the dark secret within Garfield's basement, or where Popeye came from? Tidbits, trivia, and factoids such as these await in the list that follows, but how many were you already aware of?