CSotD: News Briefs
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Note the signature down at the bottom right of today's Rhymes With Orange.
Hilary Price has always been honest and generous about adding to the byline when she got an idea from someone — I've even had my own shout-out for a gag.
But this is diffo: Rina Piccolo — who has taken the strip over on several occasions while Hilary was taking a break — is now a permanent, for-real collaborator on the strip.
The new partnership actually kicked off with yesterday's RWO, but I'd already posted before I got word. I'll be interested to watch over the next couple of weeks as they settle in, but the established relationship through those vacation breaks could well make it pretty seamless: It's clear that the two are on much the same wavelength and Piccolo will not have to be brought up to speed.
No word on what, if anything, this means for Tina's Groove, which continues its own transformation, but I'll let you know if I hear anything. And I've already suggested that it's interesting enough that you ought to be watching anyway.
Elsewhere in Western Massachusetts
Meanwhile, about 40 miles northeast of the fabulous Rhymes With Orange studios and former toothbrush factory, another transformation has taken place as Chan Lowe has moved up from Florida to take a spot as deputy editorial page editor at the Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield.
This is big news in and of itself, since, alas, it's always big news when an editorial cartoonist gets a gig. But it's even bigger news when a newspaper opens up a new venue for a cartoonist, and this announcement from the president of the company is big, good news.
Rescuing the local paper from the clutches of corporate conformity is very good news for Pittsfield and the surrounding area, but it's also very good news in general because these local owners seem determined to prove that local journalism matters and can be a viable business.
I'm not going to regale you with another rant about localism, except to remind you that all those birth announcements and engagement write-ups and photos of Cub Scouts may seem trivial, but they're local stories for the people who buy the paper and who want to know that their friends' son is getting married to that nice girl he met in North Carolina.
The real trick to making this work is to hire people like Chan Lowe who can add to those local stories: Lowe will continue his syndicated work but will also be doing local cartoons. And, when I say "people like Chan Lowe," I'm thinking of the reporter who wrote this story, localizing what seems like a kind of silly issue but one which is costing the community real money.
She not only explains why it matters but backs it up with solid reporting from around the country to show it's not just some crank down at the public works department, and, you'll note, she's also a better writer than you'll find on larger papers and major websites. She even did her own photography, and it's damn good.
Keep her happy. And keep Chan Lowe happy. PIttsfield is a nice town in a beautiful part of the country and there's no reason either one of them should want to leave, unless you make them want to. So don't.
That used to be how the industry worked and the fact that it isn't anymore is why the industry is floundering, if not foundering.
Juxtaposition of the Day
Not only were both La Cucaracha and Speed Bump really stupid to begin with today, but they fell one right after the other on my GoComics feed.
And my readers realize that I don't mind stupid jokes if they make me laff, which these did. One right after the other.
And I also like intelligent jokes
Existential Comics poses an important question, which is, what if "Fox Force Five," the failed TV pilot Marcellus Wallace's wife starred in, were, instead, "Philosophy Force Five"?
It's a helluva question.
Fortunately, they have a helluvan answer.
Nothing about ketchup or even foot massages, but pretty damn funny anyway. Go read the rest.
And a little followup
I wish David Fitzsimmons had posted this earlier, because I'd have sure used it when I talked about this issue.
I bought a head of lettuce at our local coop yesterday, and it's not arugula but then I'm not hip and wouldn't appreciate such a fine, bitter weed anyway.
Mind you, our "local coop" isn't just a buyer's club where we gather once a week to divvy up the cheese and carry everything home in cardboard boxes. It's closing in on 80 years old, has a couple of full-sized stores in the area and, like the Berkshire Eagle, is proof that you don't have to be part of a chain to be viable both in scale and profitability.
I've been to Whole Foods and to Trader Joe's and there's nothing wrong with them. I also have nothing against Miatas or those little Smart Cars, except that I can only afford one automobile and it needs to have space for the dog and the capacity to work in all four seasons.
And, if I could afford a second car to run around in for funnsies in good weather, I never would have sold my VW Camper.
So if you can afford to spend money on toy cars and Yuppie Chow, good for you. I'm not opposed to it.
But come on: That thing about "If you're so smart, how come you ain't rich?" works both ways.
And if you're going to shop at a chain store, it doesn't matter how funky it is, it's still a chain, and you can't bitch and moan when it acts like a chain.
They sell arugala at our coop, too, but here's what they don't sell:
Out.
Now here's your moment of endearing naivete:
Mike Peterson has posted his "Comic Strip of the Day" column every day since 2010. His opinions are his own, but we welcome comments either agreeing or in opposition.
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