A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in panels that tells a story or joke, usually published in newspapers or magazines. Each panel shows a moment in time, and reading them in order is like watching a mini-movie unfold across the page.

Most newspaper comic strips appear in just three or four panels and get published daily. Peanuts followed Charlie Brown and his friends through decades of small adventures and disappointments. Calvin and Hobbes showed a boy and his stuffed tiger (who came alive in Calvin's imagination) exploring, philosophizing, and causing mayhem. Garfield centers on a lasagna-loving cat who torments his owner, Jon, and the dog Odie.

Comic strips began appearing in American newspapers in the late 1800s and quickly became so popular that people would buy certain papers just to follow their favorite strips. Sunday editions often featured longer, full-color versions. While fewer newspapers carry comic strips today, many classic strips remain beloved, and new ones appear online.

When people collect comic strips into books, those collections are often called comic strip collections. Longer, original stories told in comic form are often called comic books or graphic novels.