The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

comic strip \com"ic strip`\ (k[o^]m"[i^]k str[i^]p), n.
   a brief sequence of drawings, usually with characters drawn
   only sketchily, as in a cartoon, with dialog written in
   "balloons" over a character's head, and depicting a fictional
   and usually comical incident; -- also called a cartoon.
   Each comic strip contains typically from four to six panels
   arranged horizontally, but widely varying arrangements are
   published. In modern newspapers, weekly comic strips are in
   color, and daily strips are usually in black and white. In
   some, the story depicted may be serialized and continuous,
   carried over from day to day or week to week. Stories of
   adventure, drama, mystery or an otherwise non-comical nature
   depicted in the same style are also called comic strips.
   [PJC]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

comic strip
    n 1: a sequence of drawings telling a story in a newspaper or
         comic book [syn: comic strip, cartoon strip, strip,
         funnies]