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.

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.

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.

Red and Rover was nominated for the National Cartoonist Society’s Divsion award for Comic Strip of the Year in 2004.

Brian’s other strip Adam@Home is currently syndicated through Universal as well.

Atlantic Syndication, the international division of Universal Press Syndicate, the largest independent syndicate in the United States, has combined with Universal Press Syndicate to form one company under a new company name, Universal Uclick.

Working as Universal Press Syndicate’s international division, Atlantic delivered universally loved comics, features and games to consumers all over the world. Under the new branding, Universal Uclick will continue to deliver to worldwide clients some of the most widely read syndicated content across a larger breadth of platforms including print, online and mobile. The Universal Uclick content includes the daily comic strips Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes and Doonesbury, the Dear Abby advice column, and a wide variety of interactive features, games and puzzles.

Atlantic Syndication president Kerry Slagle sees the new Universal Uclick entity leading the way into the future of global content syndication.

“The media industry has changed, and continues to change,” said Slagle. “The new name of our company better reflects what we do – provide content to all media platforms. Content delivery is evolving rapidly, as have the technology and distribution channels involved in getting content to consumers. By becoming a part of Universal Uclick, our international syndication company combines its own stellar reputation with that of Universal Uclick, forming a single organization known the world over as a provider of great content wherever it’s needed.”

Formed in 1933, Atlantic Syndication, operating as Editors Press Service, pioneered international syndication. Throughout its history the company has maintained its position as one of the world’s leading international syndication companies.

Atlantic Syndication not only serves as the exclusive international marketing organization for Universal Uclick, but also represents leading U.S. and British newspaper syndicates to publications throughout the world. Operating as Universal Uclick, the new company will represent The Christian Science Monitor News Service; GlobalPost, a new online international news service; The Independent news service from London; and The Daily, a fashion and celebrity news service.

The Universal Uclick client list exceeds 2,000 newspapers and magazines worldwide, including many of the world’s most prestigious periodicals.

We at GoComics want to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day! Since it would be impractical to send each and every one of our users a big box of gamble chocolate or a even a little candy heart stamped “U R COOL”, we’re offering all users 14 days of FREE unlimited access to our archives!

For the next two weeks, feel free to browse our entire collection of comics! This is your chance to go back and enjoy modern classics like Calvin and Hobbes, Doonesbury, Garfield, FoxTrot and The Boondocks, or newer hits like Lio, Cul de Sac and Pooch Cafe, from the very beginning! (Click on any of the preceding links to be taken directly to those comics’ first strips.)

Money was tight in the beginning, and Andrews and McMeel didn’t have the funds to compete with the fancy New York and Chicago offices of the big syndicates. They initially worked in a makeshift office over O’Briens bar near Grand Central Station … however, they were smart enough to get a mail drop box service that had a 5th Avenue address in a posh office building.

That allowed them to put that 5th Avenue address on their stationary to give them an air of respectability. And if someone insisted on visiting them at their “5th Avenue offices,” they’d arrive at the drop box building 10 minutes prior to the meeting and then come down the elevator to the lobby, the doors would open and they’d meet their guests.

The rest of the story is found on John’s blog and he promises to share other stories of UPS’s 40 year run to date.

Here’s a no audio slideshow of the people and places of the last 40 years.

Renowned comic book innovator Stan Lee’s newest creation will be the featured product at the Uclick booth. An announcement regarding this new creation will be posted here on The Daily Cartoonist on Tuesday.

Several Universal artists will be at the booth and others are scheduled to participate in panels.
Brooke McEldowney, creator of the fairy-themed GoComics hit Pibgorn – Thursday, 4pm and Saturday, 10:30am
Lucas Turnbloom, creator of the most recent GoComics addition, Imagine This – Thursday, 2pm and Friday, 2pm
Bill Amend, creator of the smash syndication hit FoxTrot – Saturday, 1pm
Also participating in this year’s event include Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant, Richard Thompson (Cul de Sac), and Ruben Bolling (Tom the Dancing Bug).

Uclick GoComics will also offer random drawings for free iPhone comic book apps throughout each day of the Con. Uclick GoComics will also give away an iPod Touch on Saturday, loaded with all 130+ Uclick-produced comic book apps, including 11 issues of Jeff Smith’s epic Bone, 12 issues of Tales of the TMNT, plus several limited series, graphic novels, manga, web comics and more.

Saturday’s events will be capped off by the Uclick GoComics-hosted “Made for Mobile” panel at 5:30pm, in which comic industry pros Shannon Wheeler, creator of the hit indie comic strip Too Much Coffee Man, and Rantze Hoseley, founder of the new digital comic book service Longbox, will discuss the trend toward digital comic books with Sunday Press Books founder Pete Maresca and Uclick editor/comics producer Shena Wolf.