The LA Times has an excellent story about the future of the comic strip, as seen by the likes of Berke Breathed, Cathy Guisewite, and Wiley Miller. They are appearing at a panel discussion in LA on Sunday.
I can’t say it better than Mr. Breathed: “ ‘I don’t think you’ll ever see another ‘Calvin & Hobbes,’ ‘Bloom County’ or ‘Doonesbury’ again,’ says Breathed, 48, who received the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1987. ‘The popularity of those strips was built on a young audience great comic strips are not built on the backs of aging readers.’
“Part of the problem, Breathed and other cartoonists say, is that newspapers, when choosing their comic strip lineup, put too much emphasis on the opinions of aging readers. As a result, stalwart strips such as ‘Peanuts,’ which continues to run as a reprint since the death of Charles M. Schulz in 2000, and ‘Blondie,’ which was created in 1930 by Chic Young, tend to remain entrenched on comics pages.
“As middle-of-the-road as ‘Blondie’ is, it’s surprising to learn that it has come to represent a divisive topic in the comic strip community. Young passed away in 1973, and since then ‘Blondie’ has been carried on by his son, Dean, and is known as an example of a ‘legacy’ strip.
“‘As an art form, comics are threatened by legacy strips,’ Breathed says. ‘The fact that papers are running [legacy strips] throughout the country is a sign that they’re desperate to cling to the readers they think they need, and they’re afraid to take risks and find the new talent.’”
To complete the vicious cycle, syndicates gauge the timidity of newspaper editors, and as a result, choose only the blandest offerings to syndicate.
That means even the bravest newspaper editor has a watered-down selection to choose from if he or she actually wants to find some new talent for the comics page.
In response, Denise Joyce, president of the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, “says that while comics are not the huge player they used to be 20 or 30 years ago, they are definitely on the minds of features editors.”
“Regarding legacy strips, Joyce admits it’s difficult to replace them without making their fans angry. As a compromise, Joyce says her paper is running some comics online and Web-linking to others.”
Of course, once their newspaper readers discover comics published on the Web, they’re bound to discover a much wider world of comics that aren’t available in their newspapers, aren’t they? Comics that are neither watered-down nor timid.
So, in a way, people like me are indebted to the myopia of people like Ms. Joyce.
You keep sending them, Ms. Joyce, and I’ll keep keeping them.
Read the whole story.
In the depths of Dr. Muskiday’s laboratory, he unveils his newest invention to his longtime companion — a holographic clone of Miss Match. Using micronanos he can read emotions using bioluminescent mood clouds! However, although competition breeds innovation, a comment from a humble lab rat proves that it can also lead to aggravation.
Evil Inc After Dark
Meanwhile, over in Evil Inc After Dark, readers have already witnessed the results of the long-anticipated Team-Up Talk between Lightning Lady and Angus. It was a heated conversation, to say the least — and it marked a genuine first in EiAD’s ten-year history. Longtime readers will know exactly why that matters… and why the ramifications are only just beginning.
Yesterday's bonus cartoon that explored a completely new kind of shopping experience. No spoilers, but let’s just say consumer expectations are about to be challenged in ways the Better Business Bureau definitely didn’t anticipate. There’s also a brand-new Evil Inc Erotica story inspired by the most recent Monster Girl Poll winner, along with a surprise bonus reward waiting just around the corner.
Wanna see what you're missing? Here's a -very- NSFW preview.
ComicLab
In this week’s episode, “Quietly LOL,” Brad and Dave dig into the many ways we react to humor — from full-on belly laughs to the silent internal “that was good” response. Along the way, they tackle some big (and surprisingly relatable) topics:
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Patreon Quips was a case of "competition breeds innovation" — but are we actually going to use it?
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Why you never stop building an audience, even when things feel “established”
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And yes… being scared of Reddit comments is universal!
It’s thoughtful, funny, and quietly reassuring — the ComicLab sweet spot. comiclabpodcast.com
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/comic-lab/id1331204679
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3xJpaHpmwUWCG1sH9CLzGl
Transcript
Panel 1:
Dr. Muskiday, presenting excitedly:
"Behold! Project SMILE: It's my Synaptic Mood Indicator and Linguistic Emulator."
Panel 2:
Dr. Muskiday, holding a perfume atomizer, sprays mist toward a lab rat in a cage:
"I spray micronanos in a 'mood mist' that bond with the subject's synaptic receptors."
Panel 3:
Dr. Muskiday continues as a close-up of the mist forms a pink bioluminescent cloud above the lab rat:
"They translate the subject's emotions into a bioluminescent cloud emitted through the skin."
Panel 4:
Dr. Muskiday observes the glowing rat in the cage. A cloud over its head displays a padlock and a key:
"And now we know everything happening in the subject's mind!"
Panel 5:
Lab rat, standing and speaking from inside the cage:
"You coulda just asked."
Holo-Clone Miss Match, surprised:
"Wow! It can TALK?!"
Dr. Muskiday, resigned:
"~Sigh~ Yes..."
Panel 6:
Dr. Muskiday slumps, disappointed:
"That's the result of my transgenic intelligence transfer system. A total failure."
Panel 7:
Holo-Clone Miss Match, curious:
"Inconsistent results?"
Dr. Muskiday, irritated:
"There were about three hundred mad scientists ahead of me, trying to patent the same acronym."
Expanded Alt Text
Seven-panel Evil Inc comic strip featuring Holo-Clone Miss Match and Dr. Muskiday, a humanoid figure with a fly’s head, standing beside a small cage containing a white lab rat. In a scene that proves that proves once again that competition breeds innovation, Dr. Muskiday introduces “Project SMILE,” which stands for Synaptic Mood Indicator and Linguistic Emulator. In the second panel, he sprays a pink mist toward the lab rat. In the third panel, the mist causes the lab rat to emit a glowing pink bioluminescent cloud. The fourth panel shows the rat glowing inside the cage, as Dr. Muskiday says they can now know the subject’s thoughts. In the fifth panel, the lab rat speaks clearly, saying, “You coulda just asked,” to Holo-Clone Miss Match’s surprise. Dr. Muskiday sighs in response. In the sixth panel, Dr. Muskiday explains that this speech is due to his failed “transgenic intelligence transfer system.” In the final panel, Miss Match assumes the project had inconsistent results, but Dr. Muskiday bitterly says hundreds of other mad scientists were ahead of him, trying to patent the same acronym.
