ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9602020056
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
Our readers really love "For Better or For Worse."
In our recent survey to determine the favorite comic strips, "For Better or For Worse" got more than twice as many votes for "favorite strip" than its next nearest competitor.
Though the survey, based on reader call-ins, was not scientifically valid, it did provide a gauge of the relative popularity of some of the newspaper's best-read features.
The daily lives of the fictional Patterson family in "For Better or Worse" was a huge winner in the balloting (see accompanying list) because of its overwhelming popularity among women.
The strip got 600 votes from women as their favorite strip, while the next highest vote getter among women was "Garfield" with 186.
The women's vote was significant, but the strip also was popular with men - coming in second overall, only eight votes behind "Peanuts." And "For Better or For Worse" actually was first among men who read the paper most often: five to seven days a week.
The same five strips topped the lists for both men and women, though in slightly different orders.
Number-two overall, "Peanuts" was equally popular among men and women, as was third-place finisher "Garfield."
Of course, our survey did not include balloting on the recently discontinued "Calvin and Hobbes," which almost certainly would have given "For Better or Worse" a run for its money.
"Calvin and Hobbes" stopped running at the end of 1995, writer/illustrator Bill Watterson having decided to call it quits.
The top three positions aren't surprising, perhaps, since all three are well-established with loyal followings that consistently rate them among the best-read comic strips across the country.
The next two highest vote getters, however, are relative newcomers to the newspaper.
The misadventures of "Dilbert" in the modern office environment obviously resonate with readers who face a bewildering new world of "total quality management" and team politics.
Fifth place went to "Non-sequitur," with its sometimes funny, sometimes biting commentary on modern life. It tallied a few more votes among men than women, but finished in fifth place for both sexes.
First-place votes Top Ten
For Better or For Worse - 777
Peanuts - 359
Garfield - 342
Dilbert - 258
Non-Sequitur - 213
Doonesbury - 178
Blondie - 156
Family Circus - 148
Cathy - 123
Mother Goose and Grimm - 98
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart: The top Ten. color.by CNB