I will answer once more to clarify this, but I have been asked not to contribute to this thread and had intended to do so: I never said that comic strips and comic books are the same. My point was that their history is intertwined and that the designation comic hero should/could apply to both, especially in cases like Blondie, Tarzan, etc. where the character is basically the same in both mediums. The fact that a character started in a strip does not negate that it was also an integral part of comic book history (or viceversa.) Scat's distinction is his alone. I can go to my shelf and pick any history of Comics and no such distinction will be made: "Since this character appeared first in a strip we cannot/will not mention him/her as a part of the comic book phenomenon and thus must be excluded from their history."
This is my last word and hopefully my arguments (good or bad) speak for themselves. No need to go around and around in circles. Anybody who wishes to expand their knowledge regarding comic's history can read and do their own research and form their own (hopefully informed) opinions. There are many good books out there.

"There is a lot of money tied up in this film and people expect to hear a boom when something blows up, so I'll give them a boom."

George Lucas as quoted by Harlan Ellison's WATCHING