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It’s that time of the year again, where everybody says things like, “it’s that time of the year again.” Let’s take a look at the best comics of the past 12 months and review the year!

Well, we all witnessed an interesting year. There was good, there was bad, and there was downright ugly. While humanity seems hellbent on collectively speedrunning toward extinction, we see ourselves as the fiddlers on the Titanic. We’ll play our tune as long as we can, ever hopeful that a mighty whale might just surface, right in the nick of time, to save us all and carry us to a better future. Until then, it’s a great time for jokes! It was a great year for comics! May we continue to laugh, as long as we can!

4-panel comic by War and Peas Panel 1: A woman conducts a job interview. She asks the candidate, “So last question: Where do you see yourself in five years?” Panel 2: The candidate imagines a post-apocalyptic world with fire, wrecked cars, and ruined buildings. He’s dressed like a survivalist and holding a rifle. Panel 3: Still in his imagined future, he’s crouched in a desert landscape, aiming a sniper rifle. Panel 4: His crosshairs are locked on a killer robot attacking a terrified woman.

6-panel comic by War and Peas. Panel 1: A dog character, wearing glasses, a shirt, and tie, stands at a podium labeled with a microphone. He says, “Research has shown that dogs are the most loyal creatures.” Panel 2: Continuing his talk, the dog lecturer says, “That’s why the love language of unconditional affection is called…” Panel 3: With enthusiastic eyes and a slight smile, he confidently declares, “…Doggy Style!” Panel 4: A giraffe character pops in from behind the curtain whispering something to the dog. Panel 5: The dog is now standing silently behind the podium as the spotlight stays on him. He seems awkward and regretful. Panel 6: The dog walks off the stage slowly, tail drooping. He tosses his speech notes behind him. A sign in the background reads: “Science of Love – Dr. Doggy.”

Funny 4-Panel-Comic by War and Peas Panel 1: Slutty witch approaches a table, holding a package while saying "We got this mysterious package." The vampire and the black cat Lord Nibbles sis at the table having coffee. Panel 2: The witch places the package on the round wooden table. The vampire says, "How strange." Panel 3: The witch opens the package and exclaims in confusion "Huh? There's nothing inside." She continues "It's just an empty cardbox." Panel 4: Lord Nibbles, the cat puts the newspaper down and declares "Oh, that's mine!"

It’s also a good time to celebrate the glimmers of hope! And we cling to them with the intensity of a baby monkey clinging to its mother as she performs death-defying acrobatics through the rainforest canopy.
India has already hit its targets from the Paris agreement (five years early!) Germany’s electricity mix is now 64% renewable and the Greek island of Tilos has gone completely waste-free, recycling 100% of its trash. The Finnish capital Helsinki instituted a new speed limit that resulted in exactly zero fatal traffic accidents for an entire year! And AI, despite eleven billion podcasts predicting otherwise, has destroyed far fewer jobs than feared, which feels like the universe throwing us a bone.

4-panel comic by War and Peas. Panel 1: A witch in a black dress and hat sits at a bar, smiling flirtatiously. She says, “Wanna come to my place? I have the body of a 19-year-old.” Panel 2: A blonde man, excited, responds, “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.” Panel 3: Jumpcut: The witch and the man stand at the top of a staircase leading into a dark basement. The witch looks down, saying, “Must be here somewhere.” Panel 4: The witch, now on all fours, triumphantly finds two literal bodies in a pile of junk and exclaims, “Ha, there you go! Even two 19-year-olds!”

A black and white cartoon showing witches with different modes of transportation under a crescent moon. One young witch stands on the ground looking up disapprovingly, while three other witches fly through the sky - one on a scooter/moped, one on a hoverboard, and one on what appears to be a Roomba vacuum. The caption reads: 'Kids these days... Don't even know how to drive the stick anymore.'

6-panel comic by War and Peas: Panel 1: The Grim Reaper stands at a door, holding a clipboard. He rings the door bell. Panel 2: An orange cat opens the door and says, "Ah, yes. Right this way." Panel 3: The Grim Reaper stands over a dead body without a head, checking notes. "Says here, he died of a stroke." Then, surprised, asks, "Where is his head?" Panel 4: The cat responds, "You expect me to starve?" Panel 5: The Grim Reaper, shocked, exclaims, "He died an hour ago!" Panel 6: The cat, now screaming, repeats, "Like I said, you expect me to starve?"

And as if that weren’t enough good news, we can announce that we will be able to continue making comics in 2026. This is a blessing for us, because it remains, against all economic logic, the best job in the world.

This year has been great for us, even if our work-life balance looks like something an HR department would use as a cautionary tale. The highlight reel includes: our trip to Slovenia, the exhibition at the Erika-Fuchs-Haus, and performing with Marc-Uwe Kling and Bernd Kissel in front of 1,700 actual human beings who paid money to be there. We remain full of gratitude for every speech bubble we get to draw, every love letter we slip into mailboxes, and every heart-pounding thrill of clicking “publish” on a new comic strip and launching it to you.

Which is why we’re saying thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you to our loyal readers, newsletter subscribers, and Patreon supporters. To everyone who smiles or laugh-snorts inappropriately in public when reading a new story. And especially to those brave souls who share our comics in their work group chats, without worrying about the consequences.

5-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: Lord Nibbles, a black cat with wide eyes, holds a phone to their ear. Speech bubble: “You have to come home!” Background is solid red. Panel 2: A witch sits on a chaise, holding a phone to her ear, saying, “I told you not to call me at work.” An old man kneels in front of her, licking her feet with audible “Slurp” sound effects. Panel 3: Lord Nibbles, still on the phone, asks, “Remember the carpet you bought with the Ouija-Board design?” The witch replies, “Yes, so cute!” Background is split red and pink. Panel 4: Lord Nibbles’ eyes widen as he says, “Well, the Roomba summoned three demons with it!” The witch, unfazed, responds, “And?” Panel 5: The living room is filled with three demons sitting at a table. Lord Nibbles, still on the phone, says, “You have to lend me some money.” The demons appear engaged in a poker game.

4-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: Santa Claus stands on the roof of a decorated house and asks the Grim Reaper, who is on the ground, "Hey! You're coming to this house, too?" Panel 2: The Grim Reaper responds, "Yeah." Panel 3: Santa Claus, still on the roof, says, "What a shame. They're getting a lot of presents." Panel 4: The Grim Reaper, holding a scroll, says, "Let me guess. One of them is a chainsaw."

Panel 1: The Grim Reaper sits at a desk, hands clasped. A sign on the desk says “DADDY DEATH.” Death: “Every Friday, from 10 to 12, I have office hours.” Panel 2: A ghost soul appears with a question. Ghost: “I wanted to see how my cat is doing.” Panel 3: Death checks his computer. Death: “Ah, Mr. Franklin. You died alone in your apartment, three days ago?” Ghost: “Yes.” Panel 4: Death: “Okay, let’s check in on Mr. Fluffles.” Panel 5: Death (looking at screen): “What?” Ghost floats in suspense. Panel 6: Death (grim): “Let’s just say, he’s not hungry.”

Four-panel comic by War and Peas. Panel 1: A woman sits in a boat crossing a river with the Grim Reaper and Charon. The Grim Reaper asks, “Do you want to see the Top Ten of How you almost died?” Panel 2: The Grim Reaper continues, “Remember that one guy you almost went home with?” Panel 3: The woman, wide-eyed: “Oh my GOD! Was he a serial killer? A cannibal?” Panel 4: The Grim Reaper calmly replies: “No. His bathroom floor was very slippery.”

If you want to double-down on ensuring we can continue this silly endeavor, you can support us via Patreon, where we offer various perks that we promise are worth it, or at least more useful than most things you impulse-bought last year.

Sincerely yours,
Elizabeth and Jonathan

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4-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: Santa Claus stands on the roof of a decorated house and asks the Grim Reaper, who is on the ground, "Hey! You're coming to this house, too?" Panel 2: The Grim Reaper responds, "Yeah." Panel 3: Santa Claus, still on the roof, says, "What a shame. They're getting a lot of presents." Panel 4: The Grim Reaper, holding a scroll, says, "Let me guess. One of them is a chainsaw."

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4-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: Two elves stand in Santa's workshop. One elf says, "Santa? Do we really have to test all the gifts?" Panel 2: Santa, looking confident and cheerful, responds, "Well, of course. Every item!" Panel 3: The elf holds a large phallic ornament and says, "Okay." Panel 4: The elves, now visibly distressed, stand at a workbench. Santa walks out of the workshop saying, "How do you think I made it to the top?"

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6-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: A king sitting on a skull-decorated throne in a dark room says, "I'm in a bad mood. Bring the jester!" Panel 2: The jester says, "I'm also in a bad mood." Panel 3: The king angrily shouts, "Then it's OFF with your head!" Panel 4: The jester, trying to comfort the king, says, "Haha! I'm feeling much better already!" with a nervous expression. Panel 5: The jester does a silly, nervous dance, singing, "Doodlidoo!" with musical notes floating around him. Panel 6: The jester continues his silly dance and weird noises, "Blurgh!" while the king watches, amused, saying, "Hehehehehe."

NO to kings but YES to patrons of the arts! Help your favorite jester duo by becoming a supporter on Patreon!

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4-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: A grim reaper figure and a person are in a hot air balloon basket. The grim reaper says, "Hey, I'm on vacation. Don't worry." Panel 2: The grim reaper offers a parachute to the person, saying, "Here's a parachute, if it makes you feel better—" Panel 3: The grim reaper’s scythe accidentally rips a large hole in the balloon, labeled with a "Riiiiip" sound effect. He says, "Oh, crap." Panel 4: The grim reaper parachutes away safely, saying, "See you in a minute," while the person falls with the deflating balloon, which emits a "Pssssshhhh" sound effect.

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4-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: A vampire sitting at a desk with an open book and a candle says, "Oh, hello! I'm engrossed in my new hobby: Ancestry!" Panel 2: The vampire, holding a piece of paper, says, "According to my research, I have German blood in me." Panel 3: The vampire laughs and says, "Haha... I quite literally do!" Panel 4: The vampire looks up at a person in lederhosen hanging upside down, saying, "Isn't that right, Wolfgang!" The person figure appears to be dripping blood.

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4-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: The Grim Reaper sits at a desk with a printer that is making loud noises. Panel 2: The Grim Reaper holds up a paper from the printer, looking frustrated. He says, "Shit. I can't read anything." Panel 3: The printer shows a "Toner Low" warning, indicating it is out of toner. Panel 4: The Grim Reaper is in a copy shop, standing in front of the counter. The woman, "I'm not printing that. Last time my grandma died!"

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4-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: The Grim Reaper sits at a desk with a computer. A small ghost floats beside him. The ghost says, "I'd like to complain. My soul wasn't collected and now it's floating around somewhere." Panel 2: The Grim Reaper says, "Hmm... Mrs. Coleman. Your soul has taken hold of a boy in Venezuela." Panel 3: The ghost looks shocked and exclaims, "Jesus!" Panel 4: The Grim Reaper says, "It's actually pronounced 'Héy-Zeus'. And the Vatican is already sending someone."

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5-panel-comic by War and Peas Panel 1: Lord Nibbles, a black cat with wide eyes, holds a phone to their ear. Speech bubble: “You have to come home!” Background is solid red. Panel 2: A witch sits on a chaise, holding a phone to her ear, saying, “I told you not to call me at work.” An old man kneels in front of her, licking her feet with audible “Slurp” sound effects. Panel 3: Lord Nibbles, still on the phone, asks, “Remember the carpet you bought with the Ouija-Board design?” The witch replies, “Yes, so cute!” Background is split red and pink. Panel 4: Lord Nibbles’ eyes widen as he says, “Well, the Roomba summoned three demons with it!” The witch, unfazed, responds, “And?” Panel 5: The living room is filled with three demons sitting at a table. Lord Nibbles, still on the phone, says, “You have to lend me some money.” The demons appear engaged in a poker game.