Pearls Before Swine (comics)
| Pearls Before Swine | |
|---|---|
The cast of "Pearls" in order from left to right: Snuffles, Rat, Stephan Pastis, Pig, Goat, Larry, Guard Duck | |
| Author(s) | Stephan Pastis |
| Current status/schedule | Running |
| Launch date | December 31, 2001 (The Washington Post) January 7, 2002 |
| Syndicate(s) | United Feature Syndicate (2001–2011) Andrews McMeel Syndication (2011–present) |
| Publisher(s) | Andrews McMeel Publishing |
| Genre(s) | Humor, black comedy, gag-a-day, satire, anthropomorphic |
Pearls Before Swine (also known as Pearls) is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis. The series began on December 31, 2001. It chronicles the daily lives of an ensemble cast of suburban anthropomorphic animals: Pig, Rat, Zebra, Goat, and a fraternity of crocodiles, as well as a number of supporting characters, one of whom is Pastis himself. Each character represents an aspect of Pastis's personality and worldview. The daily and Sunday comic strip is distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication (by United Feature Syndicate until 2011).
The strip's style is notable for its black comedy, simplistic artwork, self-deprecating fourth wall meta-humor, social commentary, mockery of itself or other comic strips, and occasional elaborate stories leading to a pun.