Every time we make a comics change, readers let us know how they feel. Politely stated, the feedback goes like this: The discontinued strip was sheer genius and the new strip is … not.
But what if I were to tell you that, for years, other readers had petitioned us to get rid of that strip? Neither side can fathom what the other sees in its favorites; what’s tired and stupid to one faction provides a much-needed chuckle every morning to the opposing camp.
The moral of this story is that there is no right or wrong in what makes us laugh, and that this newspaper has to satisfy a wide variety of tastes.
Why change at all, if it bothers even one reader? Because a newspaper must freshen its content to remain relevant and competitive. We periodically change sections, columnists and areas of coverage elsewhere in the newspaper; our comics receive the same care and attention.
Yet there’s a lesson in being too hasty to dump the older strips. The most popular ones maintain a consistent charm, while many newer cartoons that start out dandy lose their mojo in less than a year. Yet we believe strongly in exposing readers to new artists from time to time.
–Geoff Brown, Associate Managing Editor / Entertainment
