in good humor

If it was easy, they'd call it hockey.

2009-02-18T14:06:00.002-07:00

That's a shout out to my curling friends.

And here's one to my curling friends who also play hockey (Sean, Amy, Heather, Alyssa):

Bring back Bucky!

2009-02-06T09:26:00.003-07:00

I love to hear from comics readers. Even when they're ticked off!!

And most of The Gazette readers who have called this week are ticked that "Get Fuzzy" is on the "space available" list and they've only seen it once.

So, I'm actively seeking a spot for it on the comics pages.

What's gotta go, folks?

What can go so that we can all check in with Bucky, Satchel and Rob each morning!?

Today's missing strips

2009-02-04T08:48:00.006-07:00

For you fans missing your fix of today's "Get Fuzzy," "F Minus" and "Rose is Rose," here they are.

I've gotten a few calls lamenting we didn't pick up "The Knight Life," and comments - see above - about "Deflocked."

I'm even getting initial feedback - mixed - on "Rip Haywire," which I didn't expect for a week or more.

Keep the comments coming, I'm still watching to see how much space we'll get day to day.

I'll need to take a look at the Sunday comics, too. Not for space - it'll remain the same cramped pages - but for lineup.

Send in your likes/dislikes here or drop me a line at dena.rosenberry@gazette.com.

Gazette reader makes Cartoonist blog

2009-02-03T13:26:00.002-07:00

Today's Your Space column by Andrea Brown, which featured a Gazette reader who is tired of all the changes to his newspaper, made the top item on today's Daily Cartoonist blog.

I've had a few comments on the space-available comics, mostly from "Get Fuzzy" fans. Warren Epstein (entertainment) yelled across the newsroom earlier: "Did we kill Bucky!?" Someone had called wondering whether the strip was dropped.

No, it's still with us - when we can fit it in.

I'm open to suggestions, though. Should "Get Fuzzy" make the regular lineup and something else go to the "space available" list?

Let me know!

Mike and Ike

2009-02-02T15:55:00.003-07:00

Total sight gag, but I've looked at it and laughed 5 or 6 times today.

Who has chewed (and chewed) a Mike and Ike and wondered, "Mike and Ike?"

Of all the Mikes and all the Ikes (OK, name more than 3)...

Funny zombies

2009-02-02T09:17:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Darby Conley for the "Shaun of the Dead" shout out in today's paper. My son and I love that movie! And for the dig at movie reviewers - not critics, reviewers - who go on and on and on about a film's lack of meaning. As if entertainment weren't enough reason to make a movie!

That Phillip riff gets me every time. And Queen playing in the pub when the group whacks the zombies.

First "Cul De Sac"

2009-01-30T14:20:00.004-07:00

Maybe it's because I grew up on a cul de sac that I love this strip so much. Maybe it's because no matter where we live or when we grew up, it's all so true. And I LOVE Richard's artwork.

He posted this recently on his blog. The first "Cul De Sac." Each frame makes me laugh. And the kicker is priceless.

The strip is slowly growing on readers of The Gazette. Every week or so I hear from someone who says they've started reading it regularly after playing hit-and-miss for months.

Taking another stab at this

2009-01-29T08:25:00.006-07:00

OK, it's not that I have found more time in my day. But I'm getting e-mails and phone calls asking where I am (hmmm, I seem to still be here). And I suppose in this day and age of American newspapers it's natural to wonder whether I'm still here or whether I'm asking "Do you want fries with that?"

It's full speed ahead here at The Gaz and my work includes helping implement some major changes to the look of the paper and what's included in its pages.

My beloved comics have not gone untouched.

If you read the paper, in print or online, you'll notice changes beginning Monday. You can read about the whole shebang in Sunday's paper, but I'll give my blog readers a heads-up to the comics changes.

First, the comics will appear in a tab section - the same size as Go!, our Friday entertainment section.

Second, we're adding Goren Bridge and Hocus Focus to the pages. Those features have been appearing in classifieds for some time - before I got here nearly 5 years ago. (My, how time flies.)

Third, to accommodate those features, we have to drop a few comics. To start with, I'm dropping the Test Center. We've been running "Deflocked" and "The Knight Life" there - probably longer than we should have, too.

Of course, I was tempted to drop comics I would never read if it wasn't part of my job. But I don't have the same taste as Gazette readers, obviously, so that didn't seem right.

So, I went back through your comments, letters and e-mails.

Two comics we've run for a while will appear as space is available from here out: "Rose is Rose" and "F Minus." Neither have ever had a big following, and there are other strips in our selection that cover the same bases - family and sight gags.

Next, I'd already contracted to try "Rip Haywire" for 6 months. It's a new strip that harkens to the old serials. It was supposed to start running Jan. 5, but through a mixup, was left off the pages.

It will take the place, at least for now, of "Get Fuzzy." I'd prefer to drop one of the legacy strips that repeat the same jokes over and over, but apparently many readers would not. And I figure they're getting enough changes, they really don't need me messing with their old standbys on the comics pages.

And, in addition to those readers who constantly complain about "that nasty cat," quite a few regular readers have chimed in to say they have grown weary of the strip in recent months.

I'll be looking to you, the comics readers, to let me know what you think of the new lineup. If you'd rather I bring "Fuzzy" back and drop something else, let me know.

Believe me, it could have been worse. At one point I was fighting to prevent this change meaning the demise of an entire page of comics. I've managed to keep that off the table multiple times in the past 3 years. I hope you'll forgive me for sacrificing a few, even if they were among your regulars.

I'd still like to find a place for "Argyle Sweater," though. How about in place of "Dennis the Menace?"

OK, enough. Let me have it with both barrels!

You know you're a teenager when

2008-09-22T14:24:00.003-06:00

Today's "Zits" gave me a laugh. I'm not sure about his locker, but I can confirm this is my son's notebooks and backpack.

Poncho's excellent adventure

2008-09-16T17:17:00.004-06:00

Saw this on The Daily Cartoonist today.

Paul Gilligan, creator of "Pooch Cafe," is creating a plush version of Poncho to send to fans. They're asked to take a photo of themselves with Poncho and send him on to another fan who'll do the same.

You can see photos of the stuffed Poncho here at Gilligan's site.

We should definitely host Poncho here in Colorado Springs, don't you think!? I mean, it's THE BEST CITY FOR DOGS!!!

He could visit Garden of the Gods and the cadets at the Air Force Academy. Go up Pikes Peak - how could he resist America's Mountain?

'For Better' returns?

2008-09-15T17:10:00.006-06:00

This strip appeared in Sunday's Gazette comics section:

Does that mean we'll continue running "For Better or For Worse"?

No, it doesn't look that way. There doesn't seem to be an outpouring of support for the re-runs. There are people who would have liked the story to continue, however.

We'll still have the strip in Sundays for a week or two because they're printed so far ahead -- it's an outsourcing thing.

Comics of a different sweater

2008-09-09T13:30:00.003-06:00

Ha! That's one of my cats - Darth Grayder - for sure. Have I mentioned she also plays fetch? She's such an odd little bundle of fur.

Well, after a flurry of early morning e-mails, it appeared our paginators were all set to add "The Argyle Sweater" and "The Knight Life" to Wednesday's paper. (Somehow the request to add the comics beginning Monday was overlooked.)

Then the last e-mail came. "Argyle" is available only as a panel. Doh! I knew there was a reason we didn't test it last month.

So, I'll need to find another panel to test alongside it. Maybe "Speed Bump?"

In the meantime, to get the tests off and rolling and give you all a chance to see 2 other comics, we're shooting for a Wednesday (although it could be Thursday) start to "The Knight Life" and "Deflocked."

Here's a little intro to "Deflocked."

comics go geopolitical

2008-09-08T18:27:00.001-06:00

I really needed this bit by "Pearls Before Swine" creator Stephan Pastis. And it works perfectly on our pages because "Hi & Lois" sits right next to "Pearls."

He kills me when he riffs on other creators.

Ouch! Too close to home

2008-09-08T18:16:00.003-06:00

I saved most of today's comics till the now, as I wait to proofread Tuesday's Business section.

This one, appropriately, carries a business theme. Too bad it's a bittersweet humor for those of us working in newsrooms (who number fewer and fewer each day).

I have another "Non Sequitur" posted next to my computer:

The end of

2008-09-08T17:38:00.004-06:00

The Daily Cartoonist and The Comics Reporter are pondering whether the end of "Opus" is near, foreshadowed with this visit by Elvis in Sunday's strip.

We used to run "Opus" in The Gazette, in all its gorgeous technicolor glory. I hated to give it up, because when Berkeley Breathed is on, he's ON. But detractors ended up taking too much of my time. Still, it was great to hear from people who cared so much!!

BTW, if you want a magical Christmas book for a kid, check out Breathed's "Red Ranger Came Calling." I have read that book to my son, now 14, numerous times each Christmas season since he was 4 or 5. I don't know if he'll sit still for any stories this year, but if there's one that captures his imagination, it'll be this one.

Not even an Argyle sweaterlet

2008-09-08T15:43:00.004-06:00

Well, we were supposed to see a change in the Comics Test Center today. Apparently not.

I've sent an e-mail to our paginators asking what happened. No word yet.

But here's "The Argyle Sweater" you should have seen in today's Gazette.

And here is an example of "The Knight Life," although I don't think it's the one that would have appeared in today's paper. I think the creator, Keith Knight, has a set of strips he uses to introduce the comic to new readers.

Let me know what you think. It doesn't look like the strips will appear in Tuesday's paper, either, so I'll try to post them here first thing.

'Peanuts' animator dies

2008-09-04T08:31:00.006-06:00

I saw this on the wire last night, but the night deskers didn't get it into The Gazette. (Editing my note: Yes, they did, it just didn't show up on a Web search.)

Bill Melendez, who animated Charles Schultz's wonderful "Peanuts" for TV, voiced Snoopy (think back - remember those overly dramatic acks and howls?) and worked for Disney, died in California at age 91.

Check out this piece in the LA Times, if only to see the wonderful photo of Mr. Melendez. What a character he must have been!

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" has been part of my Christmases my entire life. Someone, probably my mom, even sent me a tape that I played and watched with my friends the Christmases I spent overseas.

Thanks, Mr. Melendez, for decades of fine work. Rest in peace.

I can see the gang around the little tree and Linus standing in the spotlight on stage right now. I feel less riled, too.

Funny in a painful way

2008-09-04T08:15:00.003-06:00

The weekend's "Madam & Eve" from South Africa. Nice dig on Mugabe, who has driven Zimbabwe into quite a hole in the past decade, from supplying food to other southern African countries to not being able to feed its own people, from a growing black middle class to driving millions into desperate poverty.

It's not even 8:30 and I've already spent an hour on the ice AND I'm both riled and caffeinated. Look out!

Tundra cartoonist honored

2008-09-03T09:32:00.002-06:00

Saw this on The Daily Cartoonist.

Chad Carpenter, who creates "Tundra," a fairly recent addition to The Gazette's comic pages (well, in the scope of Gazette history), was named Alaska's "Cartoonist Laureate."

Check it out, complete with photo of the official document.

I don't see enough "whereas" phrases!

Zits creator takes buyout

2008-09-03T08:55:00.004-06:00

Jim Borgman, creator with Jim Scott of the hugely popular "Zits" comic strip and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for cartooning, has taken a buyout from his employer, the Cincinnati Enquirer, after 32 years there.

Looks like he'll continue to create "Zits," which is a relief to teenagers and parents and grandparents of teenagers everywhere.

Here's a bit more on what happened and what he'll be doing.

Here's today's strip:

So far, calls / emails in favor of change

2008-09-02T12:13:00.003-06:00

It's early yet, but in the first dozen responses to dropping "For Better or For Worse," the approvals have it.

A couple of folks called to say they were upset, but when they learned the continued comic isn't entirely new, they said they'd rather we continue searching for a replacement than run reworked or even revived old strips.

The Daily Cartoonist is asking people to report it on what's happening at papers around the country. Some are dropping, some continuing, some giving it a trial, some keeping it only online.

Here's the LA Times' plan, which calls for keeping it in limited form, at least for the next month or so, I believe.

Of course, this brings up the question of what to do with other strips that are in reruns or close enough, such as "Peanuts," "Dennis the Menace," "Marmaduke," "Blondie"... The difference, it appears, at least to readers, is the other strips don't have the continuing, involved storyline.

Change sooner than expected

2008-09-02T08:42:00.002-06:00

I was told we couldn't change the comics pages this soon, but it appears the paginators were able to make the switch and place "Cul de Sac" in the spot previously held by "For Better or For Worse." It'll still take a few weeks to see any changes in the Sunday comics pages. Apparently they're now done nearly a month ahead...

"Daddy's Home" got a pretty good reception. We'll see what happens with "The Knight Life" and "The Argyle Sweater." Those two strips should begin appearing in the Comics Test Center area Monday the 8th.

Let me know what you think!

BC turns to druggie humor

2008-08-25T09:20:00.002-06:00

A little Jeff Spicoli humor in your morning comics. An odd direction for B.C., for sure.

Comics in America

2008-08-20T09:35:00.003-06:00

Sharing that morning laugh from Frazz because school's back in session and I know how much kids love playing with words.

Great piece about the state of comics in America by comics reporter Tom Spurgeon here.

If you've ever wondered how strips get into syndication, how creators get paid, why you don't see more strips or more different strips in most newspapers, click on over and give it a read.

If you want to see someone who's really having fun with his strip and the multimedia world, check out Scott Adam's Dilbert site.

cat person's comic

2008-08-14T18:31:00.002-06:00

I'm showing this "Get Fuzzy" to all my cat-loving friends. This is our two (Darth Grayder and Black Maul), for sure.

The victory celebration makes it.

End of FBoFW

2008-08-11T11:26:00.003-06:00

Word is "For Better or For Worse" will end Aug. 31, to be followed by an appreciation from Lynn Johnston. And then reruns.

Write now to let me know what you think of reruns vs. a new strip!

Comment below or e-mail dena.rosenberry@gazette.com

The most annoying song

2008-08-07T11:00:00.002-06:00

that Dagwood can come up with is "YMCA"?

C'mon, "Safety Dance" or "Mr. Roboto" are WAY more annoying.

Thank me now.

Richard Thompson Q&A

2008-08-07T08:51:00.003-06:00

The Daily Cartoonist highlighted an interview Panels and Pixels blogger Chris Mautner did with with insanely talented "Cul de Sac" creator Richard Thompson, who talks about life before the daily strip. Check it out here.

Panels and Pixels also has an interview with Darrin Bell, creator of "Candorville," which we've been testing.

What's the reaction to "Candorville"? Mixed. It seems to be popular with readers who are looking for a character-driven strip. It's obvious that not everyone is. We're adding "F Minus," at least for now, because it has been well-received by respondents to the Test Comic Center (and because, through someone else's doing, we've been paying for it for some time, even though I didn't know about it. Hmmm...).

I still like "Argyle Sweater," so want to give that a chance. But I don't want just a gaggle of gag strips, either.

What to do, what to do. Help me decide. Write. Here or at dena.rosenberry@gazette.com

It gets an A in readers' books

2008-07-29T09:32:00.002-06:00

It has a large fan group - and a pretty adamant one, too - so "F Minus" will take the place of "Diesel Sweeties" on our pages Aug. 11.

Still looking at other strips, though. Another change or two is/are likely in coming weeks.

Anyone following "The Knight Life" by Keith Knight? Keith was supposed to be at Comic-Con in San Diego, which I missed this year. Too much going on this year.

If his syndicate will let me, I'll sample that strip next.

out of town but smiling

2008-07-10T11:09:00.002-06:00

I'm on the road, in Seattle, but I'm checking comments. I'll be off kayaking in the San Juans for a few days, but will try to get a connection and post something afterward. Seems our "F Minus" fans are missing their strip.

I'll check out the strips in the Seattle Times and Post-Intelligencer and see how we stack up. Then I'm off to Bismarck, N.D., for a curling bonspiel. We'll see what they're laughing at up in Bismarck, too.

Whoo-hoo!

2008-07-03T10:49:00.004-06:00

I've heard from a few of you - "Agnes" fans, too - who already are missing their snicker or belly laugh of the day, and we're just 4 days into this test.

So here's today's "F Minus." It's like being in our newsroom and someone mentioning Kansas (Go Jayhawks!).

We take a break from comics

2008-07-03T09:52:00.002-06:00

to bring you this photo, which will appear with a Tuesday Life story about Wheezie and Zak's 1st birthday. It's a good day when you can get paid to put a photo of a two-headed bearded dragon in the paper.

True to life

2008-07-01T08:41:00.003-06:00

Again, I couldn't get a "Candorville" strip to load, but you can see Darrin's work at his web site and, of course, the dailies that will appear in The Gazette through July.

I got a message yesterday from Brian saying "Diesel Sweeties" will no longer be syndicated after mid-August. And I'm still wondering what to do with "For Better or For Worse." So, if you like any of the test comics or have something you'd like to see us try, let me know.

I'm bummed about "Diesel," but I understand creator Rich Stevens' decision. He has been creating print and online versions of the strip, which is a lot of work even if it did bring in bags more money. And apparently it didn't.

I'll keep reading it online and sharing DS merch with friends in the office. Keep it up, Rich! Maybe I'll see you at Comic-Con again.

It's official: new test comics

2008-06-26T09:53:00.005-06:00

Beginning Monday you'll see "Candorville" and "Daddy's Home" in the test center.

I'm shortening the tests to 1 month. 2 months was OK, and 3 was definitely too long. I get most of the feedback in the first 4 weeks, so I'll stick to a month. Don't be shy in sharing your thoughts - here or via e-mail (dena.rosenberry@gazette.com).

Whew! Not enough laughs of recent

2008-06-19T11:34:00.004-06:00

Wow. Nearly 2 months since I last posted. Time flies when ... Well, I guess time just flies.

Anyway, I'm settling in at this new desk, in this new job, at this new computer, on this new computer system.

My goal is to resume posting, sharing funnies and news of the funnies. We need humor in our lives, gosh darnit!

John Matthews of Universal Press Syndicate stopped by yesterday on his swing through the Rocky Mountain states. John is always good for a laugh (I say that in the most sincere way). He dropped off new packets of "Cul de Sac" and "The Argyle Sweater," which I still enjoy.

He said I can add "The Argyle Sweater" to the Test Center. I think you'll like it. We shared a few here on the blog a while back. Look for that as soon as I pick another panel strip to test.

And I need to continue to share "Cul de Sac," because I think it's a great strip. Not for everyone, but what great strips are?

Brian Patten over at the Washington Post Writers Group says I can test "Candorville." I hope to start that Monday. I'll see if Creators will allow us to check out "Daddy's Home." After all the hubbub here on the blog, we'll see what other readers think of it.

Gotta jet. More later.

math and science humor

2008-04-22T08:02:00.005-06:00

Saw a link off the Comics Curmudgeon for this comic, "xkcd" (described as a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language) (i'm in love!), and had to share it. Had to send a link to my desktop for regular updates.

It's been a rough coupla weeks (just started a new job here at The Gaz), but I hope to get back on track here at "in good humor." It's time to pick a couple of new strips for the Comics Test Center in The Gazette. There's been fairly good support for "F Minus" these last few weeks. Moderate support for "Agnes." And increasing support for "Cul de Sac," which could be the sleeper hit here. I mean, how can you not like this?:

Of COURSE that's what the gate is for!

Here's a look at another new fave, "The Argyle Sweater."

I'll ask to see if we can test it, but I think my buddy John at Universal Press is going to say, "Dena, if you like it so much, buy it." Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, as we know: My tastes do not necessarily reflect the tastes of Gazette readers.

I've heard from someone who wants to see "Crankshaft" and someone who wants "Piranha Club." A few folks egging me to get other web comics into print.

Send your ideas and I'll start making pitches to the syndicates. Any more votes for "Daddy's Home"??

Scott Adams nails it

2008-04-08T09:17:00.002-06:00

Whoa, that's harsh. But who hasn't been there!? Man, I love that first panel. The look on the guy's face and the coffee splashing out. So simple, so biting. Humor that provokes a nervous laugh in cubicleland.

The link between badgers and waffles

2008-03-25T09:30:00.005-06:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Cul de Sac is outta the test center. So, sue me. The more I read it, the more I enjoy it. Here's today's peek into the neighborhood. Creator Richard Thompson noted in a previous post that he commutes from room to room in his home. I'd swear somedays he's peeked into mine -- Otterloop West.

I don't get it

2008-03-25T09:19:00.007-06:00

At all. Can someone explain? Windex? Velvet?

Meanwhile, I'm hearing a bit about "Agnes" and "F Minus." Mostly positive. Most of the negative comments come in letters from our older readers. Such as this, from Jack:

"Agnes": Ho-hum, yawn, shrug.

"F Minus": Pointless, absurd in most cases. Offends the sensibilities. Where did you find this abomination?

I suppose some "F Minus" fans would say absurdity is the point of the comic, and that it doesn't strive to be sensible. But, "abomination?" C'mon. A tad strong, I believe.

Traffic n beans

2008-03-19T14:39:00.001-06:00

I have to share this. Talk about a freaking slice of life! Start to finish, deja vu. I especially love the last panel.

It's kid humor day.

2008-03-18T08:47:00.003-06:00

Mother Goose and Grimm So THAT's where M&Ms come from.

Sherman's Lagoon A little ED and then a little SBD. Does it get any better?

Check out Arctic Circle

2008-03-13T08:38:00.006-06:00

A poster asked if I'd seen Arctic Circle. Yep, I have a folder from the syndicate. It went over so-so in the office. Thanks for reminding me to check in on it and see how it's coming along.

It's about Ed, Oscar and Gordo, three penguins who migrate from antarctica to the artic. Antics regularly include their polar bear, tern, lemming and rabbit friends. Alex Hallatt, the creator, lives in Lyttelton, a wonderful town on New Zealand's south island. My friends and I stopped there while tramping some years ago. A real delight. A guy we met at the train station insisted we stay at his home instead of finding a youth hostel or a cheap motel. Everyone was friendly and the surroundings are absolutely gorgeous.

Here's a couple of sample strips to get a feel for the 'guins and their banter:

Take a look at the site and let me know what you think. We should pop in and look at Cul de Sac today, too. I miss those rascals!

Another cartoonist friend loses his job

2008-03-12T16:04:00.003-06:00

I mentioned yesterday there was an online interview with former Gazette editorial cartoonist Chuck Asay. It's a bummer we don't have a staff cartoonist, especially for local issues. Now I read on The Daily Cartoonist that another former colleague lost his job cartooning for the editorial pages.

Gordon Campbell started out freelancing and then was picked up full time at The Daily Bulletin in Ontario, Calif. He's a great guy, who brought a local flavor and voice to that paper's opinion pages. He had a few things to say about it.

It's about time

2008-03-12T15:03:00.005-06:00

This is what kills me about story strips. It can take for-freaking-ever to move a story along...

Did it really take the other man to get to this point? Haven't followed this storyline? Read the last week or so here.

A double-whammy:

A talk with Chuck Asay

2008-03-11T08:45:00.003-06:00

Chuck Asay, former Gazette editorial cartoonist whose work still appears in our paper through syndication, did an e-mail interview with Charles Brubaker, Baitu creator and blogger.

You can read it here. It comes complete with examples of Chuck's work.

Chuck's a wonderful man and was a lot of fun in the newsroom - always ready for conversation and a hearty laugh.

Ouch! Talk about hitting a sore spot...

2008-03-06T09:21:00.003-07:00

How many cubicles do you suppose this is hanging in today?

Sometimes Non Sequitur slays me.

Tatulli times 2

2008-03-05T12:51:00.003-07:00

Requests come in from time to time for Lio creator Mark Tatulli's other strip, Heart of the City.

Worth a test?

Here's today's strip:

Click here to see the archives.

Day By Day gets a vote

2008-03-05T11:04:00.003-07:00

Just got a call from a guy who said he has been disturbed by the test comics so far. He suggested we run "Day by Day" by Chris Muir.

Here's today's strip:

OK... No agenda there. With only a page and a half of comics, I think we'll stay away from overt politics. And I don't have enough time in the day to respond to all those phone calls!

Do comics influence behavior?

2008-03-05T09:12:00.005-07:00

I've received two complaints in recent days about comics "inciting bad behavior in kids" -- Lio and Zits. I hear people out, but find it difficult to believe these comics unduly influence kids' actions.

A teacher called to say Sunday's Lio might incite violence against teachers and that the strip, in general, includes too much violence and bad behavior. Here's the strip:

I have at least a dozen close friends who are teachers. None has complained about the strip - this particular one, or others.

Does Beetle Bailey incite young soldiers to sloth or older soldiers to skirt chasing? Does Dennis the Menace incite kids to play practical jokes? Do adults read Dilbert and then go off on their boss?

I dunno, just seems people place way to much importance on the strips they don't like.

I've mentioned Zits. Here's today's strip, which prompted a complaint from someone who has had issues with the strip before -- it is leading to the downfall of American society:

How about trying Curtis?

2008-03-04T11:12:00.003-07:00

A faithful comics reader commented on yesterday's posting and called to say she'd like us to consider running "Curtis" on our pages. I read it now and then. What do you think?

Would you rather see "Curtis" or, say, "Hi and Lois"???

Here's the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday "Curtis" comics this week:

New comics missing today

2008-03-03T11:42:00.003-07:00

Well, somehow wires got crossed at the paginators and our new test comics didn't make today's paper. We should be squared away for tomorrow, though.

Here's today's "Agnes" and "F Minus," which should have appeared in the comics test center:

Agnes, of course, includes characters you'll see over and over, so getting a feel for them may make the difference between enjoying the strip and skipping it.

F Minus, however, is a gag a day, so it's easier to pop in and out of.

Dagwood and Blondie at a loss for words

2008-03-03T11:31:00.001-07:00

Are they making fun of themselves?

This strip is, after all, all about reruns.

Next week's test comics

2008-02-29T15:29:00.003-07:00

Here are the 2 new test comics. We'll run them at least a month. Maybe not two, since I don't think they require the set-up of characters as other strips.

Agnes:

F Minus:

Keep the comments rolling in. It'll help me figure out what to do with any future openings on the pages -- or what to drop and what to add.

Huh?

2008-02-28T09:35:00.003-07:00

Again - huh?

Just got this note from Margaret Brettschneider:

Hey, tried to comment on the two new comics, and whatever the heck is happening to one of my favorites, Family Circus....what's with the stupid snowman, anyway. Let's get back to the real comic value of Family Circus.
Anyway, that blogspot to comment doesn't work, so I'm trying this way around the problem (e-mailing the newsroom). Those two new strips, Cul de Sac and Family Tree are both pretty stupid...not worth the space.
In my book, the best thing in the whole comic strip section is Marmaduke....and of course, Lola, and Beetle Bailey...these three never get old or stale...always fresh...and the expressions on Marmaduke never fail to crack us all up.
Anyway, just wanted to put in my two cents' worth. Please get Family Circus back to normal too, while you are at it....whoever dreamed up this snowman stuff needs to be throttled....

I hope she's being sarcastic...

Two by two - oops!

2008-02-27T15:16:00.002-07:00

A reader called attention to today's Argyle Sweater. So THAT's what happened to unicorns.

I was talking to Wash. Post syndicate rep yesterday about how many times we hear "Such and such is the next Calvin and Hobbes" or "This comic is the next Far Side."

This may be the next Far Side.

Name dropping doesn't help these two

2008-02-27T09:05:00.004-07:00

What the hey? Two strips in a day name dropping for a laugh - and getting nothing. What's with the Larry King snowman, anyway? What is this, the fourth day of nonsensical snowman drawings in Family Circus? Who is enjoying this? And why? Check the Comics Curmudgeon for another take on the weird Fam Circus streak.

Capturing a kid's imagination

2008-02-26T15:43:00.002-07:00

I always wanted to get a bunch of those growing creatures and soak them at once. If only they grew that large!!

laugh out loud funny

2008-02-26T09:00:00.002-07:00

I SO needed this first thing today. Thank you, Stephan Pastis!

Lynn Johnston interview

2008-02-22T18:37:00.002-07:00

Pam Becker of the Chicago Tribune recently talked with "For Better or For Worse: creator Lynn Johnston and wrote this story.

Here's the short version:

Johnston says she will end the current plotlines of her 29-year-old strip by September.

Then she will start from the beginning again, rerunning the old strips — but tinkering with some to “augment” or “fix some of the stuff,” she says.

She had hoped to end the current story lines in September 2007, then segue into the old strips in the guise of flashbacks experienced by the present-day characters.

The hybrid strip debuted in September 2007. As of now, readers are seeing present-day strips on some days, and old strips — some from as far back as 28 years ago — on other days.

Some readers have expressed confusion.

Johnston has not been happy either.

So she made the decision to pursue this new course - revisiting the entire strip.

The Ventura County (Calif.) Star in January announced plans to drop the strip in the fall when the reruns begin. Editor Joe Howry was quoted saying that “rehashing old strips” is “unfair to our readers.”

Johnston and her syndicate believe strong demand for the older strip still exists.

The strip, which runs in about 2,000 newspapers, has had about a dozen cancellations since July, but eight new clients signed on in that time, according to Kathie Kerr, a spokeswoman for Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the strip.

Johnston does plan to say goodbye to her readers when she ends the present-day story. “There will be some printed material the day following the strip’s story line ... ending,” she said.

READERS: Let me know what you think of this idea!

Argyle coming to syndication

2008-02-22T10:52:00.003-07:00

Don't know if any of you have been reading this online, but Argyle Sweater is being offered by Universal Press Syndicate. You can read more about it and creator Scott Hilburn here. I've been passing it around the office, and it's getting good reviews.

No, we won't call it the next Far Side, but we are calling it worth a look, and giving us more laughs than most of the strips that come in.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Don't know whether we can sample this one.

I'm looking at putting Agnes and Over the Hedge into the comic test area. They aren't new, but we've never had them in our lineup as far as I can tell. Thoughts?

Oh, snap!

2008-02-21T09:33:00.004-07:00

We argue in the newsroom all the time about TV and why some horrible shows continue while great ones are canceled. Now we know.

when cartoonists go off!

2008-02-21T09:27:00.001-07:00

I laughed out loud at this take on the "future of comics" that appeared on Cul de Sac creator Richard Thompson's blog. Check it out here.

For you Pickles fans

2008-02-21T09:17:00.003-07:00

Good gracious! It's been nearly a week since I posted. Sorry for the absence. We sure need our laughs when everyone around us is sick with flu and the dreaded crud!

I was talking with Pickles fans last night, so thought I'd share today's strip. It did make me laugh.

A bunion shaped like Paula Abdul

2008-02-15T15:00:00.002-07:00

I keep getting stuck on that middle panel. Who saw that coming? Lola! Getting snarky as they're getting on in years.

Attention Pikes Peak area comics fans

2008-02-14T17:28:00.005-07:00

I have to tell you I'm having fun reading your comments and following your links to other strips and commentaries about comics and the comics pages.

To reward you folks who are participating on the blog, I'm offering collections of comics that come to me from various syndicates.

I'll list the books I have. I'll hand them out to local folks who tell me why they love specific comics.

There's no deadline, it'll be an ongoing thing.

You can post your comments here and then e-mail me that you want to be included in this informal sort of competition, or you can simply send your comments to be via e-mail (although I'll probably use them here without your name attached).

My e-mail: dena.rosenberry@gazette.com.

Here's the books and links to the strips:

Tundra: The Comic Strip Mother Nature Warned You About

Brevity 2: Another Collection of Comics by guy & rodd

Get Fuzzy: LoserPalooza

Mutts: Animal Friendly (A Mutts Treasury)

Edge City: A Comic Strip Collection by Terry and Patty LaBan

Zits: Rude, Crude and Tattooed

For Better or For Worse: Teaching ... is a Learning Experience!

Stone Soup: Desperate Households

Brewster Rockit: Close Encounters of the Worst Kind

Get Fuzzy: I'm Ready for My Movie Contract

Spot the Frog: It's Hard to Comb a Grass Toupee

Dilbert: Positive Attitude

Doonesbury: Welcome to the Nerd Farm!

FoxTrot: And When She Opened the Closet, All the Clothes Were Polyester!

Lio: Happiness is a Squishy Cephalopod

Dilbert: Cubes and Punishment

Funky Winkerbean: Lisa's Story, the Other Shoe

No, I totally DON'T have a Rudy Park book. I think I sold it in our annual charity sale at Christmas. But today's strip made me laugh. It's so true.

Enter away! Don't like those books? How about a box of Girl Scout cookies?

Shall we take Sheldon?

2008-02-14T17:22:00.003-07:00

Randy280z suggests we take a look at Sheldon, a strip by Dave Kellett.

I went to the site, laughed out loud at a few strips, and tried the random strip generator (I LOVE those).

And I got a Chuck Norris gag. What are the odds?

Check out the site and let me know what you think?

One of my favs

2008-02-14T17:08:00.005-07:00

This is one of my favorite strips, Madam & Eve. I started reading it when I lived in Cape Town in the early '90s, and try to keep up with it. Some of it rings especially true if you live in South Africa, of course, but usually it doesn't matter. Recent strips have dealt with politics and power outages. Even if the names of politicians and utility companies are different, the themes remain the same no matter where you live!

Cartoonists of Color hold "draw in"

2008-02-13T09:09:00.005-07:00

A group of artists Sunday drew attention to the lack of characters of color in comic strips (or, perhaps more accurately, comic strips that feature characters of color), the lack of cartoonists of color, and the lack of newspapers that run both

The artists took a theme that occurs in real life. The reader who complains comics are too PC or have too many characters of color or contain a word in Spanish.

That's Darrin Bell's Candorville, above.

Maybe we'll toss it in the test center and see what you all think. It reads very "urban," but even though we don't live that, maybe it would be fun to read, like watching a TV show set in Chicago.

See other artists' interpretation of the strip here:

Watch Your Head

Herb and Jamaal

Cafe con Leche

Mama's Boyz

Housebroken

Tim Jackson

You can read more about the event and see info from a Washington Post Writers Group survey of 1,413 daily newspapers, looking at the comics they run in The Daily Cartoonist.

Don, this is Frazz speaking

2008-02-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Gaz comics fan Don commented on my last Frazz post below that today's strip speaks to him. Boy howdy!

Who hasn't had similar, though likely less eloquent thoughts, at this time of year?

I need to share this one with my 14-year-old hopeless romantic.

Loving Frazz

2008-02-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Frazz is my favorite strip right now. Just had to share today's with anyone who missed it.

Daddy's Home family strip debuts

2008-02-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

A new strip, "Daddy's Home," by Gary Markstein and Anthony Rubino Jr. debuts in March. I'll run a few of the first month's worth here.
The catch in this family strip is dad works from home. It looks like typically family strip fodder.

Dad's a bit of a bumbler around the homefront and carpools and such.

Check out the link and let me know if you think this should make it to our Comics Test Center in the paper.

That makes me sad

2008-02-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

I just read this on the Web site of "Baldo" creators Hector Cantu and Carlos Castellanos:

Gus Arriola, creator of Gordo, died Saturday at age 90, at his home in Carmel, Calif.

I grew up reading Gordo, which celebrated Mexican culture in America long before anyone else in cartooning that I can think of. We didn't live too far from Mexico, so it didn't seem foreign to me, but in interviews Gus Arriola said he created "Gordo" to introduce others to what must have seemed a far off and exotic land.

Like many others, I still sometimes refer to one of my cats as Pussy Gato. I'd long forgotten the connection.

Read his obit in the San Francisco Chronicle here.

Read an interview on Hogan's Alley here.

Rest in peace, Gus.

Creative minds think alike

2008-02-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

I was commenting yesterday, I think, about how you'll sometimes see strips that carry the same theme or have the same punchline or gag.

Today isn't a prime example, but it still makes you wonder what's in the Kool-Aid!

A quick laugh

2008-02-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

I know it's just a gag, but I laughed - and set it out for my son to read before he went to school. Sometimes it's just what I need to start the day.

Family Tree reflects life, too

2008-02-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Oh, you naysayers, are you trying to tell me this isn't a snippet of real life? That it isn't making a statement?

Yeah, they may not all be funny, but neither is "For Better or For Worse," and that's been the top-ranked strip in The Gazette for years.

Why call "Lio" mean-spirited and not call "The Lockhorns" mean-spirited?

Diesel reflects

2008-02-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said.

Maybe too close to home

2008-01-30T12:17:00.001-07:00

I laughed at this Close to Home panel -- because I've certainly felt that way. "You need another crown, Ms. Rosenberry. Oh, did I show you the photos from our Tahiti vacation. We went shortly after your last visit..."

Your Frank & Ernest fix

2008-01-29T18:10:00.001-07:00

A bone for you "Frank & Ernest" fans! Keep those cards and letters coming.

Is F&E better or worse, day in and day out, than, say, "Marmaduke"? "Dennis the Menace?" "Family Circus?"

Cubiclers unite!

2008-01-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

To those who write in to say "Dilbert" is not funny, I respond: "You must not work in an office."

Brevity - funny a lot - or not

2008-01-25T12:06:00.001-07:00

OK, someone else - or the same (hard to say with anonymous comments) - asking for Brevity.

But is it funny? I haven't been reading it of late, but before we dropped it I thought it was hitting maybe once or twice a week.

Follow the link, read back a few weeks or months, and let me know what you think.

Agnes makes me laugh

2008-01-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

and think.

I've heard from a few Agnes fans. You can look through archives here.

So far, there's not much of a local fan base for Family Tree. A bit more for Cul de Sac, but nothing definitive. Readers are all over the map in their requests. My favorites so far are people who demand "no more animals!"

Here are a couple of comments about Cul de Sac on Dog eat Doug creator Brian Anderson's site. Interesting note: Two readers who say they don't enjoy Cul de Sac mentioned they like Dog eat Doug. Now we know DeD's Anderson is a Cul de Sac fan.

He also point to a strip that made me laugh out loud just now: Stewart the Bison by Scott Metzger. Here it is (oops, more animals!) :

For Better "re-runs" clarified

2008-01-24T16:56:00.001-07:00

I was reading The Daily Cartoonist, a aimed at professional cartoonists, and saw an entry from Monday about Lynn Johnston's plans for the much-loved "For Better or For Worse."

The clarifications ran in an interview in E & P, a journal about the newspaper industry.

Check out the interview to see how Johnston's planning to tweak the "flashback" concept.

She says that by this fall all of her characters will freeze in time. After that, the 1979-launched comic will focus on the younger versions of the characters, some new material and some old, and drawn in her original style.

If you follow the comments, you'll see what others think of the idea.

More and more, I have to agree with some of the comments and a lot of local fans who have written in: Let the strip end on a high note. If you want to dive back into the past and rework the storylines, come out with a book. Fans will buy it.

Check out the links and let me know what you think.

Fans, are you eager to see this?

Chickweed Lane

2008-01-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

9 Chickweed Lane is another strip that readers ask for every now and then. I'm told The Gazette used to run it, but it fell out of favor and was dropped. I see it now and then, but it doesn't strike a chord with me.

A couple of readers have said we "wouldn't dare" run it. I've never seen anything in the strip that would be too controversial to run. It just doesn't seem that compelling.

Anyone out there a fan?

Another workplace comic

2008-01-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Terence sent an e-mail asking if we could get a better balance of strips -- fewer family strips.

Here's one that's listed a workplace comic, Working It Out.

Do we need less family? Another serial? More one-panel gags?

Do soldiers love Beetle Bailey?

2008-01-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

It's a question that pops up - often. Isn't there a more contemporary comic strip about the military?

Do we run Beetle Bailey because soldiers and others in/retired from the military like it, or because we think they like it?

I've heard variations on both questions since we began the test comic strips a week ago. Here's the skinny.

I haven't found a better military comic strip -- and I'd love to. Much like Dilbert and us folks in office land, the military is a never-ending source of humor, intended or otherwise.

So, if you see a military strip you love more than Beetle, let me know.

Do folks in the military or retired from the military love Beetle? I don't know. Some readers identify themselves as military, but not all.

Whether you're in the military or not, feel free to share your thoughts on the strip. I find it too predictable to read with regularity. I have plenty of relatives in/out of the military and grew up near an Air Force base with lots of Air Force families in my neighborhood, but I stopped snickering at the antics ages ago.

What about you?

Tumblin' Tumbleweeds

2008-01-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

Ron wrote in to ask whether we'd consider running Tumbleweeds.

I haven't thought of that strip in ages! I ran in my hometown paper when I was little.

Never seen it? There's a sample above. Does it still resonate? Is the whole Cowboy and Indian thing too much a throwback? Bring a smile? Chuckle? Laugh? Outrage?

Are family strips funny?

2008-01-18T15:01:00.001-07:00

I get a lot of calls and letters complaining that many of the family strips aren't funny.

Do they need to be?

I like Zits because it is a family strip and I think it's funny. I like Baldo because I like the kid characters and I like the multigenerational and multicultural family interacts.

A reader wrote that she enjoys For Better or For Worse and Stone Soup (above) because they "deal with the challenges of modern family life (and motherhood)."

That doesn't indicate they're funny, just that they deal with familiar subjects or deal with topics that reader can relate to.

That's today's Stone Soup above. The reader asked for its addition to the test lineup. Why not?

Springs humor spreads

2008-01-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm at the end of a two-day board meeting with features editors from across the country. Everyone is asking about the changes to our comics pages and the response. It's interesting to hear how important comics are to everyone, no matter the paper, and how reluctant some editors are to engage in conversation about the strips.

Here's a strip I've had requests to run. In fact, I think another department pays for this already, so I could run it today. Maybe we should start a campaign to add more space for comics!

Have you seen F Minus? Any thoughts? Seems to strive for the Far Side fans, but I haven't seen it enough to know whether it hits the mark.

Get your Hagar fix

2008-01-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

For you Hagar fans, here's today's strip. Hope it makes you chuckle.

I've contacted the company that paginates our comics-puzzles pages. Someone there grabbed The Gazette's pages and sent them down here to be printed before checking with his/her supervisor. That's how we got pages without Hagar. He should return with his antics in tomorrow's Food section.

B.C. still with us

2008-01-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

I got a number of calls and an e-mail or two this morning, asking why we removed "B.C." from the comics pages. We didn't. It's still there, where it has been.

We removed "Wizard of Id" and "Frank & Ernest" - as the result of a vote by Gazette readers.

If you're a fan, let me know.

And if you're a fan of our newer strips, particularly "Lio," "Diesel Sweeties" and "Pooch Cafe," let your voice be heard. I don't generally hear from readers younger than 50 - unsolicited, anyway. I talk to younger readers all the time, and solicit their likes/dislikes on comics. But when I ask readers to vote or send in their opinions, I'm usually talking to folks who are my mom's age or older.

That doesn't give me a good idea of what all readers think. And that's what I need to make decisions. So: Everyone speak up!

New phase of 'For Better or For Worse'

2007-08-29T11:17:00.001-06:00

Wondering what's going to happen to the most beloved strip in The Gazette?

We announcd many months ago that creator Lynn Johnston was planning a semi-retirement, and would be weaving in old storylines with contemporary characters and filling in some gaps in the Patterson family's tale.

That is set to start next week. And, updated from earlier talk, it appears it won't last all that long.

Here's the latest description of what's to come:

“For Better or For Worse” begins a new phase Monday as character Michael Patterson looks through a family photo album with his 5-year-old daughter, Meredith. With this strip, Michael begins retelling the Patterson family story by recounting the courtship of his parents, John and Elly, the central characters in the 28-year-old comic strip.

In a mixture of new, old and retouched work, readers will begin to see scenes of the past -- Elly reading in the library at college and catching the eye of the young dental student who will one day become her husband.

“This was an opportunity to give my readers new material, as well as my being able to pick and choose through the original art and making it different, making it a new entity, as it were,” says Johnston.

Johnston will keep fans engaged with a mix of special strips from the past and newly drawn panels that will help reintroduce favorite storylines. The strip’s current storyline will be interlaced with Michael's remembrances until it gradually reaches a natural closing stage sometime early next year.

When that happens, time will stop for the extended Patterson family, but not their stories. The stories will be relived by a current generation of fans and introduced for the first time to a new generation.

Right now, Johnston is still exploring the budding romance between oldest daughter Elizabeth and an old high school flame.

"I'm interested and readers are interested to know what is going to happen with Anthony and Elizabeth," she said. "That resolution can't happen too fast. They've only just started to see each other again after a long time apart."

If you're a FBoFW fan, what do you think? What do you like best about the strip?

Funny on many levels

2007-08-16T15:43:00.000-06:00

A wire piece on Dilbert creator Scott Adams reminds me: If you love a certain comic, poke around to see if he/she/they has/have a Web site. In the case of Adams, you can check out his Web site and his blog.

The blog is what writer Jessica Milcetich called a dumping ground for Adams' thoughts on life.

He talks about what he's doing and thinking and also posits ideas, asking for readers' input and reactions. I think I'll join the dialogue; it already seems as if Adams has been hanging out in every newsroom and office I've ever worked in.

Have you ever sworn a colleague sent him a memo you'd just received and he'd written that day's strip about it?

A kid I can relate to

2007-08-15T15:56:00.000-06:00

The folks who are voting via mail to keep/drop some of our old standby comics by and large detest "Lio," which I think is one of the most inventive strips to come out in years. They largely ignore "Frazz," too, my current favorite strip. What gives?

Lio reminds me of Charles Adams, Edward Gorey. Creator Mark Tatulli says he has always been intrigued by the artwork of an obscure 19th century artist, A. J. Volck.

"He was a political satirist during the Civil War, a Southern sympathizer, and I was always so fascinated with his darkly detailed illustrations. Every time I looked at his spidery pen-and-ink drawings I found something new. And maybe because his politics were 180 degrees from my own, often depicting Abraham Lincoln as a demonic figure, I was repulsed but still appreciated the craft of his work. I wanted to capture something like that with LIO…art that immediately stirs an emotion, simply by pen technique, even before you know what the strip is about. I don't know if I was successful, but I'm pleased with the results."

So Sweet

2007-08-13T08:46:00.000-06:00

I ran into Rich Stevens, creator of online and in-print "Diesel Sweeties," at Comic-Con, the international convention of comic artists and fans and TV, movie, game and pop culture geeks in San Diego.

He was funny and self-deprecating, just what you'd expect. Didn't have much time to chat, as we were at the end of a long day - after a long day's drive - and he'd already been standing around talking to people for three days.

Thought of him this morning cuz when I saw the Batman theme. Batman's a fav.

I get a lot of negative comments about the strip from older readers. Not that unexpected. Lots of younger fans, especially pop culture fans. I love the computer drawing - in a different way than I love the drawing in Mutts or Lio or Baldo, for example. And I love Clango and his big heart.

A true curse of death

2007-07-20T10:51:00.000-06:00

Can comics be serious

2007-07-17T08:55:00.000-06:00

Once again, "Funky Winkerbean" is tackling a serious topic - cancer - and once again there are complaints this isn't something we should read about on the "funny pages." All I can wonder, when I get these calls is: How long have you been reading the comics??

In an interview with Diane O'Donnell of Newhouse News Service, creator Tom Batiuk shrugged off naysayers, noting fans were "voting" 3-to-1 in favor of the tory line so far.

For the second time, "Funky" character Lisa Moore is battling cancer. She fought breast cancer in 1999 and the series, "Lisa's Story," which followed the character through diagnosis, mastectomy, chemotheraphy and recovery, was later released as a book. In recent days, Lisa has accepted her time is short - the cancer has returned.

This second bout also will be bound into book form, with the majority of royalties going to the American Cancer Society.

Like many real people, "Funky's" Lisa is becoming a champion for research, treatment and for the rights of people fighting cancer. “Those are nice strips because they allow me to deal with talking about chemo, but not make it so stark. It allows me to deflect it a little bit by just picturing her as a superhero,” Batiuk, who battled prostate cancer a few years ago, told O'Donnell.

Sometimes, yes, the comics make us laugh. Sometimes they make us think. Sometimes they make us cry. This one is doing all of them. And why not?

Love for editorial cartoons

2007-03-13T18:26:00.000-06:00

When Gazette editorial cartoonist Chuck Asay recently retired we heard an outpouring of love from the community. Agree with his views or not, you had to respect a man for cranking out pertinent cartoons day after day for years. Too few papers, I think, have local cartoonists. I hope we'll keep Chuck in our rotation.

Ran across this about another fan of editorial cartoons:
By David Casstevens, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

GRANBURY, Texas — After a prosperous career in construction, Bob Newton is enjoying retirement. He pilots his own airplane, housing the Bonanza in a hangar attached to an office at his home. The office area includes a private theater with two rows of black leather lounge chairs, a 10-foot-wide screen, a high-definition projector and state-of-the-art sound. The 66-year-old former builder can afford almost any toy he wants, but his most valued possession is an extensive collection of original editorial cartoons — hundreds of ink-on-paper illustrations — that his late mother acquired over four decades from newspaper artists nationwide.

Each cartoon was a gift to Helen Newton of Fort Worth, Texas. She didn’t pay for any of them. About 75 of the illustrations, framed in black, adorn the terra cotta walls of her son’s home office. Seated at his desk, Newton is surrounded by caricatures of former U.S. presidents and other famous — and infamous — world leaders. The private collection is a timeline of American and world history from 1939 through the 1980s.

... Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are pictured outside the lunar module that landed on the moon. One of the space-suited figures in that 1969 Houston Chronicle cartoon is posting a sign to mark their achievement that fulfilled President Kennedy’s mandate to send Americans to the moon before the end of the decade. The sign reads, “To the Planets — or Bust!”

... In another drawing, former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, angered during a 1959 U.S. trip when he was told he couldn’t visit Disneyland, is throwing a tantrum. He is wearing Mickey Mouse ears.

... Helen Newton was a letter writer. ... Newton wrote to Cecil Jensen, cartoonist at The Chicago Daily News. She asked for one of his works, and he sent four originals. As her collection grew, Pulitzer Prize winners employed at daily newspapers in other cities contributed.

... The collection of illustrations serves as a reminder of progress, shifts in political power and the ever-changing nature of our world. Those who draw cartoons as political commentary have witnessed worrisome changes. As newspapers have merged, folded and cut costs, the number of staff editorial cartoonists at U.S. daily newspapers has dropped during the past few decades from more than 200 to about 80 today.

Members of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists have likened their annual conventions to reunions of World War II veterans. Each year, fewer and fewer members attend. ...

New comic

2007-02-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

What do you think? This is a fairly new comic, The Argyle Sweater, that was added to gocomics.com in December. There are a few panels out there that we've tested in the last few years, including Speed Bump , Strange Brew and The Flying McCoys. Each had its own fan base, but none seemed to knock readers' socks off.

Anyone thinking differently now? Check out the links and comment below or e-mail me dena.rosenberry@gazette.com. I've laughed out loud at each - always a good sign in my book.

Always funny? Not so much

2007-02-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

I commented on this a while ago down below, and it's a topic that continues.

I've had a couple of calls from readers who are unhappy I dropped Red & Rover because it's sweet. I figure we have sweet covered with Family Circus, Rose is Rose and Mutts. We also have lots of family strips. We have a few "snarky" strips. We have a few story strips. We have Lio, which though not to everyone's taste, is one of the most creative strips I've seen in years.

What's missing? What do we have too much of? What's the best comic strip you've seen that we don't run?

For Better or Worse?

2007-01-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Gazette TV writer Andy Wineke for spotting this story on the wires.

"For Better or Worse" is The Gazette's No. 1 comic with local teens, young adults, 30- to 50-somethings and seniors.

By ERIC HARRISON, Houston Chronicle

First, the bad news: Lynn Johnston needs a break.

The cartoonist has, after all, written and drawn the popular comic strip“For Better or for Worse” for 28 years, in sickness and in health, without complaint, while Aaron McGruder (“Boondocks”), Bill Watterson(“Calvin and Hobbes”) and others griped, took extended hiatuses and retired.

“What wusses!” she exclaims.

But Johnston turns 60 this year, and she wants to do things in life that are difficult to do while producing 365 comic strips a year. “I want to travel and study and paint, and I want to spend some time with friends and family,” Johnston says. “We’re starting to get to the stage when you go to funerals and that’s where you reunite with friends,” she continues. “I want to be able to spend time with friends while they’re still alive.”

The good news, however, is that Johnston isn’t retiring. Instead, the strip — which appears in more than 2,000 newspapers — will be transformed in September into what Johnston calls “a hybrid” of new and old material. She will continue to write and draw, but the new material will serve to frame flashbacks consisting primarily of recycled material. These strolls down memory lane also sometimes will contain new material that amplifies, embellishes or completes story lines of old.

For instance, Johnston mentions a character, Deena, who was absent from the strip for a long time without explanation. In her head she knew why Deena disappeared, but she never got around to drawing it. Now she will. For the most part, however, the continuing saga of the Patterson family will end. Characters will stop aging. Existing story lines will be wrapped up before the change. Think of the new format as a long goodbye.

This creative solution to the problem of cartoonist burnout will lessen Johnston’s workload while still making the strip available to readersdaily. “I wanted to retire completely,” says Johnston, who has never taken a break from the strip. Her thinking always was, “If Charles Schulz can do it, so can I,” she said, referring to the creator of ‘Peanuts,’ who drew his strip for just short of 50 years, giving it up only weeks before he died Feb. 12, 2000.

“I don’t know whether it’s my age or that I was raised on hard work,” Johnston says, but while other cartoonists complained about oppressive deadlines her feeling was, “You’ve got a job — do it.”

But now she says she’d love to be able, for the first time in almost three decades, to take a two-week vacation without first laboring nights and weekends to finish two weeks’ worth of strips in advance. ...

“For Better or for Worse” has blazed trails from the beginning. Not only was it the first family-centered strip created by a woman, but its characters also inhabited something like the real world instead of the usual timeless cartoon universe where nobody dies or moves away. ...

She will use the time between now and September to finish existing storylines and provide an ending. “It will be a full family circle, one full generation,” she says, noting that Michael, who was a child when the strip started, now has two children, just as his parents did in 1979 when “For Better or for Worse” began.