Sliding Scale Of Idealism Versus Cynicism / Newspaper Comics

• The Boondocks is a relentlessly cynical satire comic about black people, and the unstoppable nature of corporate greed and political corruption.
• Retail is planted firmly on the cynical end of the scale. The comic is about the trials and tribulations of minimum-wage retail workers, almost all of whom hate their jobs, their bosses, their customers, and everything else about their workplace.
• Dilbert is very far on the cynicism end. In fact, it's been suggested in the strip (mainly by Dogbert) that "cynicism" and "wisdom" are synonyms.
• For a comic about a boy having misadventures with his tiger friend, Calvin and Hobbes stays remarkably close to the middle (leaning on the idealist side, even at the end; the world is full of wonders and often heartwarming moments, but it's also full of unfairness, cruelty, and a few Tear Jerkers.)
• Pearls Before Swine can be pretty cynical, particularly during the first few years of the strips run.
  • While the comic itself is in the middle, Pig is very far on the idealistic side. Rat, on the other hand, is so far on the cynical side, he's pretty much a Nietzsche Wannabe.
• Despite a cynical titular protagonist, Garfield is a fairly light-hearted and funny series. Even though Garfield often mocks his friends, he genuinely cares about them and loves them.
• For Better or for Worse leans somewhere in the middle. It discusses the hardships of life while also showing the heart and love of a family.
• Bloom County seems to be somewhere in the middle. Its critical of social commentary but theres still a level of idealism in this strip that makes it overall be more balanced.
• Peanuts can be brutally harsh, particularly in terms of the various ways that Charlie Brown kept getting screwed over and over (such as with kicking the football). It's also a universe where All Love Is Unrequited. That said, it leans more in the middle. All of the movies and TV specials based on the strip in particular are heartfelt stories that make you feel good at the end.

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