GoComics API wrapper
pip install comicsFind and download the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip published on January 2, 1990:
import comics
ch = comics.search("calvinandhobbes", date="1990-01-02")
ch.download("calvinandhobbes.png")
Available comics can be found using the directory class:
import comics
# List available comics - total of 401
comics.directory.listall()
# >>> ("1-and-done", "9-chickweed-lane-classics", "9chickweedlane", "9to5", ... )
# Find endpoints for Calvin and Hobbes
comics.directory.search("Calvin and Hobbes")
# >>> ("calvinandhobbes", "calvinandhobbesenespanol")First, pass the desired endpoint to comics.search. For example, to search for Calvin and Hobbes comics in english use comics.search("calvinandhobbes"); for spanish, use comics.search("calvinandhobbesenespanol").
Then, search for a comic strip by passing date into search():
import comics
# Get a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by date
ch = comics.search("calvinandhobbes", date="2013-05-13") # Also accepts datetime.date or datetime object
# Get a random Calvin and Hobbes comic strip
random_ch = comics.search("calvinandhobbes", date="random")Finally, show, download, or stream the comic strip:
# Show comic strip - opens in Jupyter notebook or default image viewer application
ch.show()
# Download comic strip - defaults to {endpoint}.png if an export path is not provided
# E.g., a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip will be exported as "calvinandhobbes.png" in the current working directory
ch.download()
# Stream comic strip - useful if custom image content manipulation is desired
ch.stream()If a comic strip fails to load due to CDN delays or missing image data, a retry mechanism is built into download(), show(), and stream(). You can control this behavior via:
retries: number of attempts before failing (default = 5)base_delay: exponential backoff seed time in seconds (default = 0.5)
This improves reliability when fetching newly released strips or handling transient issues.
| Attempt | Wait Before Attempt (sec) | Cumulative Time (sec) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 3 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| 4 | 2.0 | 3.5 |
| 5 | 4.0 | 7.5 |
| 6 | 8.0 | 15.5 |
Retry behavior can be customized per call:
# Try 3 times total with shorter delay
ch.download(retries=2, base_delay=0.25)An instantiated search class will have the following public attributes:
import comics
garfield = comics.search("garfield")
garfield.endpoint
# >>> "garfield"
garfield.title
# >>> "Garfield"
garfield.start_date
# >>> "1978-06-19"An instantiated search class with date will have the following public attributes:
import comics
garfield = comics.search("garfield", date="2000-08-20")
garfield.endpoint
# >>> "garfield"
garfield.title
# >>> "Garfield"
garfield.date
# >>> "2000-08-20"
garfield.url
# >>> "https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2000/08/20"
garfield.image_url
# >>> "https://assets.amuniversal.com/6694c52099bd01365606005056a9545d"An exception will be thrown if the queried date is unregistered or before the comic's origin date:
import comics
try:
peanuts = comics.search("peanuts", date="1900-01-01")
peanuts.download()
except comics.exceptions.InvalidDateError:
print("Whoops, an invalid date was queried.")An exception will be thrown if the queried endpoint is unregistered:
import comics
try:
invalid_comic = comics.search("invalid_endpoint", date="2000-01-01")
invalid_comic.download()
except comics.exceptions.InvalidEndpointError:
print("Whoops, an invalid endpoint was queried.")If you are having issues or would like to propose a new feature, please use the issues tracker.
This project is licensed under the MIT license.