Mutts is a syndicated
comic strip about the friendship of
Earl the dog and
Mooch the cat. It's probably the best strip currently in the newspapers.
The author is Patrick McDonnell. He has a very simple style that turns almost minimalistic in some strips, but it's very appealing in a cute way. The weekday strips are the normal rectangular panels, while the Sunday strips are slightly more innovative and often a play on classic comic strips such as Dick Tracy or Little Nemo. What makes the strip is the writing. Cat and dog pairs have been done since Krazy Kat, but McDonnell manages to make something new. He presents two worlds in the strip; the world of the owners, and the secret world of the pets and supporting animals. The two may interact but never combine. The pets stay animals unable to speak with people, not wisecracking humans in a furry suit. The humor often comes through wordplay, comic looks at animal behavior and just plain absurdity. There's a quaint charm to the strip, with its sweetness and innocence.
The main characters are definitely Earl and Mooch. Earl lives with his owner Ozzie, and largely plays the straight man. "No mouse can ignore my dance! It - defies - resistance." "...logic and gravity." "Yesh, them too, also." Mooch lives with Millie and Frank, and provides the zaniness along with a strange accent that requires all 'S'es to turn into 'Sh'. Other frequent players are Sid the fish, the butcher, the guard dog, Stinky the kitten a.k.a. Jeeves, Mr. Noodles the cat, Crabby and assorted birds and squirrels.
So far, there's been six Mutts collections: Mutts, Mutts II: "Cats and Dogs", Mutts III: More Shtuff, Mutts IV: Yesh!, Our Mutts: V, Mutts Sunday and The Mutts: Little Big Book.