This is something of a potential debate, I suppose. Even though “Peanuts” ended, it is being re-run. The sames goes for “Calvin and Hobbes” and “One Big Happy.” The question is, should these fondly remembered strips continue to take up newspaper space by being re-run years later or be retired entirely. In the former case, the advantage is that a new generation of comics readers will be exposed to a classic strip in the paper. But the latter case allows newer cartoonists to break in and get more newspapers to carry their strips. The subject is ripe for debate, and keep in mind that “Peanuts Classics” still runs in most newspapers, with editors almost afraid to cancel it. “Calvin and Hobbes Classics” and “One Big Happy Classics” each still run in a number of papers too.

What do you think?

For one, why can’t Charles Schulz rest in peace? Peanuts was horrible when I started reading newspapers around the turn of the 1970s, and never improved. Now, the syndicate is running recycled strips from 1959.

Lynn Johnston hasn’t retired – and has given new life to FBOFW, although she is about to take away life from Grandpa Jim, from what I saw in the October 3, 2007 strip. Grandpa Jim and Lisa Moore (Funky Winkerbean) are about to die off on the very same day. Yes, it will be a sad day on the funny pages…

Bill near Philly

“But that goes against the entire premise of the strip.” she grumbled.

“Exactly,” I said.

“Then I guess *I* won’t start reading it again,” she muttered.

And that’s when the the trained robot zombie ninjas ATTACKED!

Okay, not really. But if one longtime reader reacts this way, how are others going to? It’s disrespectful.

True, Lynn Johnston’s been doing this for years, and has earned the right to do what she wants. But this…this would be the comics equivalent of a neverending television ‘clip show’! Ick!

Shudder.

But I don’t think anyone’s arguing it’s not good business for HER and her syndicate that she hang around in some has-been kind of way and grab for all the money she can, kinda like it’s good business for studios to make Rambo 4 or Jaws 6. But for heaven’s sake, who wants to see it?

I just hope fans don’t put up with this, and that papers put a stop to such a cynical attempt to simply take their money without giving their readers a worthwhile product, and run strips where the creator actually cares, and isn’t phoning in half-baked drivel from her yacht.

I don’t care if I absolutely hate a strip – I’d much prefer to see any comic the artist puts his/her heart and soul into than something that’s a just a pure money grab through clutching onto newspaper slots without being willing to do the work.

That’s the most anti-’artistic’ behavior I can think of, and demeans everything Lynn Johnston used to be about.

The FBoFW approach is different than strips where the cartoonist has retired, although a hybrid. If I were running the syndicate, I’d press to keep the profitable strips going … probably even try to keep old strips recirculating. Of course what they will have to evaluate is if this new hybrid approach holds the interest of the reader/editor (or market share anyway).

That being said, I wouldn’t expect any cartoonist trying to get syndicated or increase their audience to like the approach … until they are ready to retire or slow down!

Here’s what Scott Adams mentioned on his blog today about how he treats “Dilbert”:

Tell us how the years you spent at Berkeley Haas have influenced your strips

A. It hasn’t influenced the strip creatively. But it’s no accident that I have an a Berkeley MBA and Dilbert is the most successful strip (economically) in many years. I run it like a business.

Back when I was in cartooning, I was in it for the love of the art. After spending these last 7 years away from the industry in the business sector I see comics more as commercial products (cartoonist(s) is the producer, syndicates as marketing and delivery, newspapers/public as the consumer). Why would any business savvy cartoonist opt to discontinue a feature that is making money? I always thought Scott Adams was a sell out for slapping Dilbert into every conceivable, licensable product, but now I think he’s the model of what modern cartooning should be – at least those who want a livable income from their creation.

“Is it that difficult to let a new strip take that place in the paper?”

Precisely! Well said.

For Better or For Worse, for those of us who haven’t been following its characters for many years, is a pretty mediocre comic. It’s not funny, it’s not insightful. It seems to depend almost entirely on you caring about the characters and how they interact, which I respect and understand.

But for many of us NON-Lynnaholics, there are MANY far better comics out there.

Now, if Lynn stops character development, then even the Lynnaholics will have no reason to follow the strip (other than some sort of trip down memory lane??).

Well, if a trip down memory lane is what you want, BUY A BOOK!!

If you can’t tell, I am so sick of bad old comics in my newspaper, it drives me NUTS!

There’s great comics talent out there. Newspapers should get with it. Or even old paper-hounds like myself will stop reading them.