Comic relief
Posted: Friday, January 26, 2007 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:
Comic strips
I've put your top 21 new comic-strip picks into a poll, but you're still welcome to campaign for other strips in the comments. So far, clear favorites include "Lio," "Liberty Meadows,"* and one I didn't know about -- "Dog Eat Doug."
"PreTeena," "Red and Rover," and some old favorites, such as "Shoe" and my beloved "For Better or For Worse" also came in for multiple mentions. And another new one to me, "Agnes," also has some devoted fans.
Here are some answers to some of your questions about the comic choice:
Q: Why are you picking a new comic?
A: The fabulous "FoxTrot" moved to Sundays only, leaving a hole in our comic lineup, and we can either run reruns of that strip or pick another.
Q: Why can't you select "Get Fuzzy," "Pogo," "Arlo & Janis" or "[INSERT OTHER STRIP HERE]"?
A: Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of those, especially "Get Fuzzy," but we have to pick from the list our supplier provides. They offer about 100 choices, which is a pretty good selection. Not everyone will be happy, but thankfully most other strips can be found other places online. Comics.com is a great resource (and does have "Get Fuzzy") and many strips have official sites -- the "For Better or For Worse" site even offers extras, including letters from the characters. And my favorite newspaper comic resource is the Houston Chronicle, which has a ton of strips and lets you personalize your daily comics page.
Q: What are you talking about when you say "For Better or For Worse" is going to go hybrid?
A: Read this Test Pattern entry for more, but essentially cartoonist Lynn Johnston is moving towards a format that will combine some new strips with some old strips. (The old strips may be introduced with a little new footage of a character reminscing about the past.) There's no exact date yet, but the new format may kick in around September 2007. We can still select "FBOFW" as a strip, I just wanted readers to consider that not all upcoming content will be new.
Q: Why are you replacing "FoxTrot" because it's in reruns, but not "Boondocks," which has been in reruns since spring 2006?
A: An excellent question! Looks like we have two strips that could be replaced. I'm checking on that. Unlike Bill Amend of "FoxTrot," cartoonist Aaron McGruder of "Boondocks" hasn't officially retired his weekday strip, but his hiatus is approaching a year now. This Washington Post article from last fall doesn't seem to have a lot of hope that "Boondocks" will return. I'll keep you posted.
*Fans of "Liberty Meadows" should take note: I believe that strip is also in reruns, since Frank Cho is reportedly focusing on drawing "Liberty Meadows" comic books.
Q: How about adding "Pooch Cafe," "Doonesbury," or "Non Sequitur"?
A: Already got 'em. Check our daily comics list here for those and other strips we already carry.
Remember to vote in our comics poll, and you can also continue to post comments. It's great if in your comment, you add a little descriptive info about why we should select the comic/comics you're nominating. Thanks!
