2025: Debuts, Departures, and the Dearly Departed – Part Two: Detours and Deviations
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This is an installment of 2025 U.S. Newspaper Comics: Debuts, Departures, and the Dearly Departed.
(part 1: Debuts and Departures – – part 2: Detours and Deviations – – part 3: Dearly Departed)
2025 DETOURS/DEVIATIONS
Some changes to U. S. newspaper comic strips and panels in 2025.
2025 began with Eric Costello as the guest writer of Dick Tracy as Mike Curtis
and his wife continued to fight health problems (Carole ultimately unsuccessfully).
Eric scripted Dick Tracy from January 1 to May 17 and July 13 to November 9, 2025.
Shelley Pleger is credited with subbing for regular artist Charles Ettinger in the May 11 title panel.
Mike wrote the comic strip from May 18 to July 12 and then returned on November 10 for the rest of the year.
A fifteen day Dick Tracy Minit Mysteries ran from October 26 to November 9, 2025
written by Eric Costello with art by Dave Beaty.
On January 3, 2025 King Features Editorial Director Tea Foughner left the company after 16 years.
Steve Martin continued supplying occasional gags for Harry Bliss‘ Bliss panel.
Glenn McCoy, who had returned to The Duplex dailies on December 30, 2024
began as the Sunday cartoonist on January 26, 2025.
Gary McCoy had done the three 2025 Sundays leading up to Glenn returning.
Luke McGarry assisted dad Steve McGarry by drawing some KidTown Sunday pages:
February 16-23, 2025; March 2-9, 2025, April 6, 2025; May 4-11, 2025; June 1-22, 2025;
September 28-October 5, 2025; November 2, 2025; and December 7-28, 2025.
My notes say Steve and Luke shared the drawing for the July 13 and 27, 2025 pages.
Otherwise it was all Steve McGarry art and script.
Mutts continued its rerun-with-occasional-new-strips habit into 2025.
Original material appeared February 23, May 17, June 8, August 4,
August 18, September 28, and November 30.
Patrick McDonnell reworked a few older strips with a 2025 copyright:
February 8 (originally February 12, 2005), July 29 (August 9, 2005),
July 31 (August 12, 2005), and August 12 (July 29, 2003).
Dan Schkade, while continuing to write Flash Gordon, turned over the art chores
(daily and Sunday) to a rotating cast of comic artists for five episodic chapters
in a sort of tribute to Munden’s Bar. The artists were:
J. Bone from February 17 to February 23, 2025
Sandy Jarrell from February 24 to March 2, 2025
Erica Henderson from March 3 to March 9, 2025
Ted Naifeh from March 10 to March 16, 2025
Jordan Gibson from March 17 to March 23, 2025
Schkade returned to art duties on March 24.
In other Flash Gordon changes the King Features Weekly Service (KFWS) stopped
distributing the current Schkade Sunday comic strip with the week of March 30 edition
and returned to the Jim Keefe Sundays beginning with the week of April 6, 2025.
(KFWS had switched from Keefe to Schkade with the week of October 23, 2023.)
Dana Simpson stopped creating new Phoebe and Her Unicorn dailies
with the March 29, 2025 issue. She continues new Sundays to this day.
Update: After running a number of reruns in 2025 Leigh Rubin set up a daily routine beginning with the week of April 14, 2025. Beginning that week and running through the end of the year Rubes went with new panels on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday, Friday and Saturdays went with reruns. Rubes Sundays have been all new since July 6, 2025.
Maria Scrivan, who had ended her syndicated Half Full panel in 2023
but continued new panels on an irregular basis for her GoComics page,
ended making new panels with the April 23, 2025 issue.
After seven years, since April 9, 2018, Olivia Jaimes (Olivia Walch) decided
to give up on the daily Nancy deadline with the September 1, 2025 (Monday) strip.
She returned to the comic for one last time on December 31, 2025.
Andrews McMeel reran Jaimes dailies from September 2-6, 2025 and then
switched to Ernie Bushmiller dailies from September 28-December 30, 2025.
The Sunday ran with Olivia Jaimes repeats from September 7-December 28, 2025.
[Caroline Cash would take over the Nancy comic strip beginning January 1, 2026 (a Thursday).]
On Sunday October 5, 2025 Bill Hinds began co-signing Marmaduke with Paul & Brad Anderson.
On Gil Thorp Rachel Merrill got an assist from Kit Mills who stepped in as
“guest artist” from October 6 to November 1 and from November 17-29, 2025.
The twice weekly, two cartoonist Olive & Popeye became a one cartoonist weekly in 2025.
Emi Burdge, who took over the Olive portion of the King Features Weekly Service comic
since the week of October 3, 2023 retired from the strip after the week of October 7, 2025 issue.
Unlike 2023, when Randy Milholland took on the Olive duties when Shadia Amin gave up on
the Olive part, no one took on the Olive segment this year. It has lain fallow since Burdge’s departure.
Paul Trap has retired from Thatababy with the last strip of 2025, turning it over to Jonathan Lemon.
On newspapers’ op/ed pages:
2024 update:
Creators Syndicate begins distributing Jon Russo cartoons.
2025:
Ann Telnaes quit contributing cartoons to The Washington Post on January 3, 2025.
Bob Castle retires as Comox Valley (B.C.) Record editorial cartoonist.
King Features Syndicate drops the Darrin Bell political cartoons.
In June 2025 new(ish) management at The Baltimore Sun fires Kevin (KAL) Kallaugher.
December 2025: Politico issues its last print edition.
December 2025: Walt Handelsman (The Times-Picayune/The Advocate) retires as an editoonist.
December 31, 2025: Mike Beckom issues his last editorial cartoon and retires.
Additions and Corrections
Welcomed and Encouraged
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