[this is only my OPINION. I accept that others do feel differently]
All very high quality, technically superior choices (but):
- Doonesbury for sheer sustained quality, but it's not warm & fuzzy like Calvin or Bloom County.
- Boondocks and Bloom County both have personable, human characters, but the jokes are still about scoring points and are grounded in a very specific time/place, Calvin is just a bit more human and more universal.
- Dilbert was/is truly funny, but also too grounded in a specific time/place; if you have no concept of what a cubicle is, it makes no sense.
- Peanuts is truly classic and near-universal, but it doesn't have Calvin's edge; also, (I hate to say) too many mild strips that elicit only a smile or a mmmm.
- The Far Side is absolutely brilliant and intellectually engaging, but it often relies on more advanced scientific, historical or cultural knowledge, which puts it out of reach for some. Still brilliant and incredibly funny though.
* Garfield: ahh, Garfield. I know it was/is extremely popular, and it has made me laugh some, but to my mind it is only a few steps above Family Circus and Andy Capp, and not as good as even Momma or B.C.
My sentimental favorite is Pogo, which combined Doonesbury's politics with Bloom County's social satire, Peanuts' gentleness, Boondock's sting, The Far Side's wierdness and Calvin's human touch (and did it first), but since Walt Kelly's widow let it end with his death (as she should have) its no longer relevant to most people (or even known to them).
I voted for Calvin for quality, genius, artistic ability and nostalgia. I saw the very first one in the paper, and it hooked me instantly.
[I go Pogo!]