Comics need some freshening

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Newspapers have long been reluctant to make changes on the comics pages.

Fear drives that reluctance in most cases, I believe. Readers become attached to comic strips and woe is the editor who tells them it’s time to move on to something else.

Who wants to deal with complaints about comics when we need to be focused on the news business?

Thus, old strips that long ago stopped being funny or relevant or even loosely connected to the artist who made them popular continue on. Seemingly forever.

Which leads, rather obviously, to this announcement that we’ll be changing some of the comic strips in this paper.

Starting Monday, we’ll bid farewell to “Blondie,” “Hagar the Horrible” and “Sally Forth.” And in the Sunday comics beginning Sept. 5 we’ll no longer publish “The Family Circus” and “Dennis the Menace.”

I know there will be negative reaction from some people. Despite what I think is a consistent lack of freshness from those strips, there are people who will disagree quite vehemently .

I understand that. We all have our own tastes. But consider the fact “Blondie” started in 1930. Its creator, Chic Young, died in 1973. Like many popular strips, it was passed on to his son and is actually drawn by someone else. “Hagar” started in 1973 and its creator retired in 1988.

Too often, comics become more a franchise than a creative outlet. They continue on in newspapers, often with the same tired jokes, while new talent has a tough time cracking the limited space on the “funny pages.”

That gives me more respect for the great comic creators who just walk away, rather than continue to collect checks for old strips, or pass it on to their offspring, as though comic genius is some sort of birthright.

One of the greatest comic talents, Bill Watterson, quit drawing “Calvin and Hobbes,” at the height of its popularity.

“If I had rolled along with the strip’s popularity and repeated myself for another five, 10 or 20 years, the people now ‘grieving’ for ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ would be wishing me dead and cursing newspapers for running tedious, ancient strips like mine,” he said.

Another artist who is walking away is Cathy Guisewite, creator of the “Cathy” strip. She’ll stop the strip in October. No reruns (see “Peanuts” and “For Better or For Worse”) and no handing the cash cow to someone else (see most of the rest of our current comics).

I thought Cathy’s jokes and repetitious story lines had gone stale years ago but I do respect the way she is bowing out.

New to our comics pages, both daily and Sunday, will be “Pickles,” “Pearls Before Swine,” and “Tundra.” Additionally, “Zits” will be added to Sunday, as will a new strip called “Mr. Boffo.” When “Cathy” goes away, we’ll add “Rip Haywire,” a fresh take on the old action hero strips, to the daily lineup.

Obviously, I believe we’re improving our comics pages. “Pearls Before Swine” and “Pickles” are wildly popular in many newspapers. “Tundra” is drawn by an Alaskan artist who has a real knack for outdoor humor.

I would ask that you give them a fair chance. It often takes some time to get into the flow of a strip. After all, back before the Great Depression and World War II readers were willing to give “Blondie” a chance.

Cal FitzSimmons is managing editor of The Wenatchee World. Reach him at 665-1176 or fitzsimmons@wenatcheeworld.com.

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Burgermeister 2 years, 8 months ago

Hmmm..."Pearls" and "Rip Haywire" added, rants about rerun comics - where have I seen this before? Change is hard, but those strips are good, though perhaps an acquired taste.

alex39 2 years, 8 months ago

Cal, Ouch...no Hagar the Horrible or Blondie, I'll phone my doc in the morning and ask for some meds to calm my soon to blossom depression.

While you are changing, let me suggest you also drop the B.C. strip. It too is into re-run mode far too often.

On a different issue, but a related topic, what role does the comic page play in attracting young readers to the World?

As a teen, I read the morning paper at the breakfast table before heading off to school; cereal, coffee and the comics were the perfect team to start the day.

joanne 2 years, 8 months ago

All right, I can live with the others, but not Blondie! I grew up with that comic strip and am hoping that it, and I, will continue indefinitely, even though we sometimes repeat ourselves.

While both Alex and I enjoyed this Opinion on comic strips. I must disagree with his wanting to remove B.C. as it is a good one. I also enjoy Baldo and Non Sequitur. And Zits is great.

I know my family, friends and loyal followers (yes, I have one) think of me as this erudite, intellectual fount of wisdom, but my secret to happiness and knowledge is - with every paper I read - opening first thing to the comics from which I have garnered much of my wisdom.

And I suppose we'll get used to the new comics.

...sigh

Shorte 2 years, 8 months ago

I'd have to add that "Beetle Baily" has become stale and un-funny and should be replaced as well.

"For Better Or Worse", while it is a repeat, I'm okay with that as I became a fan of the strip late in it's running and haven't seen the earlier stuff before.

With the Sunday comics on the front page is "Lio". This is one strip which I just don't get. Some I just don't understand or the ones I do come across as just plain stupid.

I also agree with the Sunday funnies that "Dennis The Menace" and "Family Circus" have ran their course but I'd also like to see "Frank And Ernest" along with "Wizard Of Id" fall by the way side.

I really miss "Calvin And Hobbes" and hope something of that caliber with come forth.

Cynthia 2 years, 8 months ago

I totally agree with the strips you are removing.

I also don't get "Lio" at all, and I think it's a big waste of space.

The only strip I open the paper to read on Sunday is "Doonesbury" and "Dilbert". I hope these new additions are interesting.

I'm looking forward to checking out the new stuff. I hope they are a lot better than "Lio".

milo 2 years, 8 months ago

I adore Lio.

Enesvy 2 years, 8 months ago

Yes, please remove Peanuts. I grew up with that strip and loved it, but its humor fit the times and don't especially fit ours anymore. . Love Pearls before Swine. I agree with the changes...Hagar was never the same since Dik died. Just doesn't work. . Also, regarding For Better or for Worse, I don't believe these are re-runs. It is my understanding that she basically started over and will take the characters in different directions this time. So, I believe the strips you are getting from her are new.

2 years, 8 months ago

I say bring back Mark Trail and Alley Oop!

Enesvy 2 years, 8 months ago

Joanne, you can still find Blondie on the Seattle PI website. :)

ruglady65 2 years, 8 months ago

You ruined your newspaper by taking out Hagar and Dagwood. Nothing wrong in keeping good old comics. It is kind of like an old car that runs good and looks good. As it ages it just becomes even better. I may quit your paper for taking them out. They were the only two good comics in the whole thing. You ruined your comic strip when you removed them. And I have never written into this newspaper about anything in the 47 years I have been taking it.