An editor’s guide to comics

With the latest discussion of the News and Observer comic poll and the features editor jumping into our discussion, I found this column by the Cincinnati Post editor Keith Herrell interesting. Herrell was the Living editor at the Post back in the day when the comics were delivered by mail.

I was The Post’s Living editor, with comics as part of my empire, when Schulz died. I remember then-Editor Paul Knue telling me that “Classic Peanuts” would probably run for a year or so, then fade away. As it turns out, “Classic Peanuts” will still be going strong when The Post prints its last edition Dec. 31.

Is that such a bad thing? That depends on the strip, and the situation. I find “Classic Peanuts” to be very much a product of the times in which it was written – few things say “1960s” like Snoopy in full World War I Flying Ace mode, with his doghouse standing in for a Sopwith Camel – so continuing it strikes me as out of synch. “For Better or For Worse,” meanwhile, deals with universals such as child-rearing and aging parents, and I’ve enjoyed revisiting the old strips.

My favorite part of being Living editor came at the end of the week, when a clerk would deliver page proofs for all six days of the next week’s comics. I would grab a cup of coffee, retreat to my office and settle in to get a sneak peek at what was new with Sally Forth, Dilbert and the rest of the gang. I also played a role in comic strip selection, butting heads with Knue and invariably coming out on the short end of any disagreement. I remain convinced that, while he faithfully asked me for my opinion whenever it was time to replace a strip, the first thing he did when I recommended one was eliminate it from consideration.

3 thoughts on “An editor’s guide to comics

  1. WELL, if editors added MORE comics and ran them LARGER, then people might have a reason to buy newspapers instead of surfing the web, no? Personally I read all three pages the Washington Post runs and pick up some of the free papers in DC to read their comics.

  2. MORE and LARGER comics would necessitate MORE and LARGER newspages not filled with ADVERTISING, which is as LIKELY as BILL WATTERSON launching a MYSPACE page.

    The biggest challenge to newspaper comic art (other than incurious and timid editors) is ever-shrinking newspage width. Compared to the broadpages on which masters like Kelly and Capp had their work printed, today’s newspapers are downright anorexic. Some strips are so small I have trouble reading them; Get Fuzzy is particularly tough on my AARP-eligible eyebones.

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