The Slice: Debate is downright comical

Might as well come right out and admit it. I’m looking for trouble.

Surveys, polls and anecdotal evidence all indicate that newspaper readers take the comics seriously. That’s fine with me.

But whenever I see a story in which readers discuss their favorite strips, one question invariably comes to mind: Are these people insane?

So today, just for fun, The Slice weighs in on the S-R’s Sunday comics lineup. As always, you should feel free to respond with your own opinions. You know how to reach me.

“Opus”: I know “Bloom County” was supposed to be mind-blowing and all. But I was never all that knocked out. And this new version doesn’t do much for me either.

“For Better or For Worse”: I know it has fans. I just don’t happen to be one of them.

“Doonesbury”: Always liked the fact that he doesn’t mind making people mad.

“Sally Forth”: Like it. So sue me.

“Get Fuzzy”: It can be funny, but I’ve never gotten used to the weird look of the cat.

“Baldo”: No real opinion.

“Sherman’s Lagoon”: Not bad.

“Beetle Bailey”: I think I liked it better before the Miss Buxley controversies tamed it.

“Foxtrot”: It’s not on my list.

“B.C.”: Once in a while, it still delivers. It has become famous for religious rants, but I seem to miss most of those.

“Dilbert”: Would you trust anyone who didn’t appreciate “Dilbert”?

“Hagar The Horrible”: Still look at it.

“Rose Is Rose”: Sometimes the cat is OK, but I have friends who regard this strip as a purgative.

“Non Sequitor”: Some days it is worth the price of admission.

“Blondie”: Some habits are hard to explain.

“Luann”: I’ve always been surprised that I sort of like it.

“Mutts”: With the great “Calvin & Hobbes” gone, “Mutts” might be my favorite.

“Prickly City”: Nope.

“Zits”: Sometimes it annoys me, but I’ll admit it has merit.

“Adam”: Next.

“Funky Winkerbean”: See response to “For Better or For Worse.”

“Peanuts”: I suspect that, like many of us, my heart overrules my head here.

“Dennis the Menace”: I might miss it if it were gone.

“Baby Blues”: Seldom look at it.

“Hi and Lois”: Have had impure thoughts about Lois since 1967.

“Garfield”: I’ve never regarded it as the war crime some say it is, but neither has it ever made me crack a smile. Ever.

OK, your turn. (Feel free to address the daily strips as well.)

“Warm-up question: Whose professional credentials amount to the longest alphabet-soup string of letters?

“Today’s Slice question: What singer or song makes your dog howl?