You are at a cocktail party trying to talk to strangers. How to break the ice and find out something about the person? Easy, introduce comics into the conversation. You'll soon know what he (or she) is like. Comics reveal more than you suspect about a person's temperament and attitude toward life.

Comics have been around a long time, first drawn in Japan by artist Manga Hokusai in the early 19th century. Next came Swiss Rodolphe Toffler in the 1830s. The French followed with "The Adventures of Tintin." American Richard Outcault created our first comic, "The Yellow Kid," in the 1890s. The term "Yellow journalism" was given to sensational reporting as found in the Hearst newspapers in which the comic strip appeared. At first, reading comic strips was considered low-brow, appealing primarily to the semi-literate since drawings told most of the story. But as comics added adult themes to attract an older readership, they were read by millions across the world. From Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama (fan of Spider-man) comics became part of the American culture. When New York had a newspaper strike, Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia read proofs of the comics on the radio so children wouldn't miss their favorites. The list of today's celebrity fans is long, headed by Jerry Seinfeld.

Their names evoke our country's history when you say "Popeye," "Buck Rogers," "Tarzan," "Marmaduke," "Katzenjammer Kids," "Gasoline Alley," "Little Orphan Annie," "Dick Tracy," "Superman, "Donald Duck," and "Barney Google." Some have survived to this day, such as "Blondie," "Prince Valiant," "Garfield," and "Peanuts." Today's comics appeal to a wide range of people. If your fellow guest has ever been in the army or lived near an army post, his choice will be Beetle Bailey constantly trying to outwit his nemesis, Sgt. Snorkel. "Blondie" is for the wife who knows she's smarter than her non-plus husband but doesn't let on as she manages the home and her catering job. You'll know your new friend is an animal lover if he raves about the antics of Garfield and dear Snoopy in "Peanuts" who as the daring flyer in his World War I Sopwith Camel fights the Red Baron, the German flying ace. And will Charlie Brown ever win a ball game?

No need to guess she's a mom if she raves about the latest strips of "Non Sequitor" with that precocious demon of a child or the kids in "For Better Or For Worse," and you'll know you're facing a long-suffering parent of a teenager if "Zits" is a favorite. You'll quickly find you're talking to a laidback chap if he goes on about "Andy Capp," who is allergic to work but not to napping and the local pub, as is the neighbor in "Hi and Lois" and those cops in "Sam & Silo" written by Greenwich's own Jerry Dumas. Those cops have yet to make an arrest since they're mostly napping behind bushes. Talk about napping, Dagwood in "Blondie" gets a star for napping at home and the office. In fact, it's interesting how many comics feature a character who makes sleeping a prime objective in his life: Dagwood, Beetle Bailey, Sam and Silo, Garfield, Andy Capp, Shoe . . . what does this tell us? Women are never seen napping unless they're dropping from exhaustion. Now there is a topic for conversation.

Beware if you meet someone who is a fan of "Doonesbury." He probably was a hippie in the 1960s counterculture movement. This leftist strip has crazy characters, such as Zonker, a graduate of Walden College that teaches at the lowest I.Q. level to accommodate its students. Pursue the conversation with caution unless you're a flaming liberal yourself.

Your new friend at the party mentions "Dilbert" as his favorite. Now you know he works for a corporation so be ready for jokes about his boss and colleagues. But if he names "Hagar The Horrible," he is either the aggressive, adventurous type or a timid soul who secretly dreams of such a life. "Prince Valiant" still thrills the young and the no-longer young with fantasy and ogres in far-away places.

See, you have no excuses for being shy at parties. The process is easy: "Hi, I'm Gladys/Arthur Ryan, what a fun party, reminds of a funny comic strip I read this morning." Comics will open a window into a neverland that will break the ice and reveal enough about your fellow guests to keep a conversation going. And if they don't read the comics? Say you need a refill and disappear. They're not worth cultivating.

Carla Wallach is a resident of Greenwich, author and journalist in national publications and newspapers, including The New York Times.