my suspicion is that in the US it's almost universal that the newspapers call them comics

Looks like you're right on, Wordwind.

Parents Choice Foundation has just made its first "comic strip" award, and there is no mention of "funnies" anywhere in the review.

http://www.slylockfox.com/award.html

Way back when, comic strips only appeared on Sundays and they were then known as the "Sunday Funnies". That was in the days when people actually read newspapers for something other than sensation or sports.

Now people read them for sensation and sports, but mostly for "the comics".

Personally, I'm hoping our new comic feature "Faldage and Plutarch" will boost our circulation around here too.