Petz told me that when Zuda closed down, he was offered a percentage of what he would have earned on the contract he won last January, despite the fact that he hadn’t produced any work for them yet. “The people at DC I was dealing with and who I’ve since become friends with were (and still are) very supportive,” he said. “So in the end I got some money and more importantly, I was given my rights back. That was the biggest deal. I own War of the Woods 100 percent.”

This announcement is a big one and one wonders how United Media, who grew the famous office strip into one of the most widely syndicated strips in the world, could let it get away. Earlier this year, Universal Uclick announced that it was taking over the syndication of Charles Schulz’ Peanuts. Dilbert and Peanuts are/were the biggest titles in the United Media portfolio.

The press release is skimpy on details other than the typical canned statements of praise. Scott mentions Universal as the industry leader and Hugh Andrews, president and CEO of Andrews McMeel Publishing, notes that the syndicate has the unique position of being a book publisher, syndicate (print/web) and mobile app provider for its features. That is a big advantage that other syndicates will struggle to compete against in the future.

More details to follow as I get them.

UPDATE: I’ve received a response from from United Media regarding the sale. They clarified one item that wasn’t clear to me before. When Iconix bought the rights to Peanuts and Dilbert last spring, they bought the properties – not just the licensing rights as I had earlier understood. Once the sale was complete, Iconix had the right to move the strips to another syndicate if they wished. Iconix signed with Universal Uclick to host Dilbert.com. My contact at United tells me that that it was “not a surprise to us that the syndication went there as well.” The transition of the property has been ongoing for several months already with Universal slated to take complete control of the syndication the end of June.

CLARIFICATION: In my post above I use the phrase that United let these properties “get away” as if the creators or their families were unhappy and left. I am reminded that the parent company of United Media, EW Scripps willingly sold the properties. It was up to Iconix (and I suspect the creators and families) that determined where the strips landed.

Last week King Features Syndicate released an iPhone, iPod Touch app for their DailyINK subscription service. Today, they’ve released the iPad version of the same app.

The app, technically is a single app that runs in both small screens (iPhone) and larger screens (iPad) – so if you have an iPad and downloaded it last week, you only need to update the app to get the full experience.

What I like:
Adding, removing comics to my subscription is very simple. Simply touch the “+” button next to the ones I want to add and the “-” I want to remove and done. My options are renewed instantly.

When browsing through all the feature’s samples, description, etc., the app knows which ones I’ve already subscribed to (or not). If I want to add one to my list, a button is available without having to go back out to my subscriptions page.

If I want to read an earlier strip, I simply tap and drag to the right and the current strip slides off the page and the next one downloads. You can also jump to a calendar date and move forward in time the same way.

Like the iPhone version, if you want to see zoom into the comic to see a large version, just double tap the comic and it zooms up (when in portrait mode) and automatically moves to the beginning of the strip. In landscape mode, the comic spans the full width of the device’s screen.

Just one thing that I hope they’ll improve in a future release. When reading my subscriptions, each comic is placed in a white background that has a fixed height – sufficient for horizontal strips – but when taller features (panels and editorial cartoons) are displayed, they are shrunk to the height of the comic strips. At this height they’re illegible. I can touch the comic and a larger version is brought up, but that’s one more action that shouldn’t be necessary if the height of the comic wasn’t set so small. I found myself removing most of the editorial cartoons and panels from my subscription because it was like hitting a speed bump on an otherwise smooth ride.

Okay – one more thing. If I find comic that I love, I want to be able to share it on Twitter or Facebook – not necessary post the comic – just a link to it so others can see it. Such a feature helps comics go viral, but I’m sure to offer that, King would have to open their comics up a bit – something they’ve been reticent to do.

The app is a free download. If you have a DailyINK subscription and an iPod, it’s the preferred way to go. Like I mentioned last week, the iPhone/iPod Touch version is really good too.

Here’s a quick rundown of my experience playing with the app.

The four featured strips when I tried it out: Baby Blues, Bizarro, Dustin, and Hagar the Horrible. Zits showed up at the top of the screen (the other four are featured links). Across the bottom are four options: Daily Comic (the featured strips), My DailyINK (access for subscribers to get their strips), Browse and Help. In the browse feature, you see the titles of all the comics in the King Features portfolio. Each feature includes a short description, seven day samples, information on the artist, feature and characters and the ability to add the feature to your subscription (for subscribers).

One of the difficult things about comics on such small screens – especially for multi panel strips is that they either render so small as unreadable or the zooming feature is clunky. The comic loads in the middle of the screen (landscape or portrait). In landscape, I can read the print (I still have good vision). In portrait view the comic is illegible. But King did an excellent job with the zooming. Double tap on screen and the comic zooms larger and automagically pans to the left to the beginning of the strip to start you out at the beginning panel. This was great for the Arctic Circle strip I was viewing. Mother Goose and Grimm is often a horizontal one panel so when I zoomed it moved to the left when the punchline was in the middle of the strip. With comics, there is no perfect solution and King deserves credit for doing it in a very polished manner.

The app is a free download. Subscriptions run $1.99 a month or $19.99 for a year.

While I cherish my iPhone, the iPad is a much better experience for consuming media. Yes, I drink (guzzle) the Apple Kool-Aid heartily so I can’t wait for the iPad version which will be released “shortly.”

Check it out.

Without a doubt, Pibgorn is a comic strip that generates a lot of conversation. But given Pibgorn’s particular subject matter, and the themes depicted in many of Brooke’s breathtaking sketches and finished pieces, the nature of the conversation and atmosphere on the Pibgorn pages has often taken a turn for the…well, let’s lightly refer to it as ‘unrestrained.’

While we love a good conversation, the thing we cherish the most about GoComics is the openness of the community. Ours is a site where a vast group of individuals from all backgrounds and generations gathers daily to enjoy comics. As a place where the conversation often tipped in a direction we’d characterize as ‘mature’ in nature, the Pibgorn comments sections have long presented a prickly issue. The atmosphere was at odds with both Brooke’s intentions in creating and displaying his art, and with our goals for the GoComics community. It was a problem with no easy solution.

They also note that the move was done with Pibgorn creator Brooke McEldowney’s input and approval.

DailyInk has also announced that they are soon taking their comics to the iPhone, iPod and Ipad in the near future. The app will be free for current members.

• Brendan Burford, Bill Griffith, Matt Groening and Patrick McDonnell are paneling a tribute to the late Jay Kennedy.
• Brendan Burford: In Jay Kennedy’s tenure at King, he launched a strong number of features. Also well known for his underground comic collection
• Pat McDonnell: One of the things that make Jay such a successful editor is that he was an artist too.
• Jay and Patrick went to the same art college. Patrick went into illustration, Jay dropped out and when to a university.
• Patrick McDonnell: “Jay Kennedy was a generous individual who put his own artistic endeavors on hold to help so many others achieve theirs.”
• Bill Griffith also knew Jay Kennedy during Jay’s hippy years. Jay loved underground comics, but not for hippy reasons.
• Bill Griffith: Jay Kennedy gravitated to King Features because King was syndicating Zippy and Jay thought that was bold.
• Bill Griffith: “I felt much more secure in my career longevity because I knew Jay was an ally inside King.”
• Bill Griffiths: “Jay Kennedy wasn’t a collector, he was an appreciator.”
• Matt Groening: “I agree, Zippy is one of the weirdest comics…”
• Matt Groening: I became a great friends with Jay Kennedy because of mutual interest in obscure underground comics.
• Jay told Matt that he needed to stop drawing rabbits if he wanted to be successful. Simpsons are human based on that advice.

Jean Schulz, widow of Charles M. Schulz, commented, “After recently acquiring my husband’s copyrights with Iconix, we are pleased to be moving the syndication of the Peanuts comic strip to such a top industry player, especially since Universal has been such a long time publishing partner to the brand. We look forward to Universal’s syndication of the Peanuts comic strip into traditional and new media applications so a new generation of readers and viewers can enjoy the message of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all the Peanuts characters.”

Universal is one of the largest and most successful syndicates. In addition to making Peanuts available to newspapers, Universal offers printing (books, calendars) through Andrews McMeel, and a growing stable of offerings through mobile and the internet.

On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts comic strip launched in seven American newspapers. It still appears in over 2,200 newspapers, in 75 countries and 21 languages.

From their press release:

Universal Uclick, the world’s largest independent syndication company, announces the launch of UniversalUclick.com, a website designed to showcase the company’s diverse selection of comics, editorial cartoons, text features, games and puzzles available in print, online and on mobile phones worldwide.

The new site features the entire catalog of Universal Uclick features, including everything from iconic comic strip feline Garfield to beloved advice columnist Dear Abby to global puzzle sensation Sudoku. The site’s new, clean design allows editors and publishers to experience each product and shows them how these products can increase their audience and drive repeat visits to any publication, website or mobile application.  

“The new UniversalUclick.com gives visitors a one-stop shop where they can see our entire product catalog of diverse, high-quality features and games at the click of a mouse,” said Lee Salem, president and editor of Universal Uclick. “We’re now able to showcase our titles in a way that informs and entertains, with hundreds of world-renowned features and some of the most recognizable brands in existence.”

The new website also features the many creative solutions and licensing opportunities offered by Universal Uclick, including the leading pagination service, PageCaptain, hosted online services, custom online games and the exclusive Mobile Publisher product. Advertisers can find out about the many opportunities that exist in the Universal Uclick suite of top-rate websites like GoComics.com, ThePuzzleSociety.com and Garfield.com.

Publishers can search for products and solutions by clicking on the various tabs or searching the site by feature name, keyword or category.  Universal Uclick representatives can be reached easily from the Contact page for consultation on content packages and recommendations for publications and websites.

Take a look for yourself. Is this the next Poptropica?