2021 Comic Strip Detours and Deviations

This is an installment of 2021 Newspaper Comics: Debuts, Departures, and the Dearly Departed.
(part 1:Debuts – – part 2: Departures – – part 3: Dearly Departed – – part 4: Detours/Deviations)


2021 Detours/Deviations
Detailing some changes in syndicated U. S. newspaper comics in 2021.

 


2021 Flash Forward (Comics Kingdom webcomic) cartoonists:
January 3 – Rhandi Fisher
January 10 – Shan Horan
January 17 – Peter Poplaski
January 24 – Olive Rae Binker
January 31 – Roger Langridge
February 7 – Joanna Starer & Khary Randolph
February 14 – Lauren Pierce
February 21 – Bill Bettwy
February 28 – Wes Molebash
March 7 – Tana Ford
March 14 – Ned Barnett
March 21 – Gordon McAlpin & Michael Moreci
March 28 – Alberto Becattini & Massimo Gamberi
April 4 – Woodrow Phoenix
April 11 – Jordan Gibson
April 18 – Kate Sheridan
April 25 – Ryan Estrada

May 2 – Michi
May 9 – Liniers
May 16 – Liana Kangas
May 23 – Valentine Barker
May 30 – Finnegan & Millet
June 6 – Denis Kitchen
June 13 – Don Schkade
June 20 – Kel McDonald
June 27 – Evan E. Notes
July 4 – Erica Henderson
July 11 – Danielle Chuatice
July 18 – Brian ‘Box’ Brown
July 25 – Magnolia Porter Siddell
August 1 – Lar deSouza
August 8 – Ethan K. Parker
August 15 – Sebastian Piriz
August 22 – June Brigman & Roy Richardson

 


On January 12, 2021 Half Full by Maria Scrivan switched syndicates,
from Tribune Content Agency to Andrews McMeel Syndication.

 


Roger Mahoney, who had retired as the Andy Capp artist in late 2020
returned to draw (signed) the January 10 and 17 Sundays of 2021. 

Due to illness Goldsmith took a sabbatical from Andy Capp
and Garrett reworked and re-scripted old Mahoney drawn strips
from March 29 to May 1, 2021 (UK dates) when Goldsmith returned as artist.

 


Sunday Shoe cartoonist Gary Brookins stepped in to spell
daily Shoe cartoonist Ben Lansing for the February 15-20, 2021 strips.

 


In March ed-op cartoonist Dan Wasserman retired. He had been doing
one cartoon a week (more or less) since 2018. The Boston Globe
and GoComics both have his last cartoon as March 23, 2021.
Dan continues to post an occasional cartoon on his social media.

 


Mallard Fillmore began 2021 with the same rotation that 2020 ended:
Creator Bruce Tinsley doing Sundays and two daily strips,
while cartoonist Loren Fishman did the other four daily comics.
Beginning the week of March 8 Tinsley and Fishman began splitting
the dailies evenly with both doing three per week (Bruce still doing Sundays).
This continues until June 9 (Wednesday) when Tinsley turns over
all the dailies going forward to Fishman. The last Sunday by Bruce
is June 27. July 4, 2021 on the Sundays are by Loren.
The Tinsley signature returns with reruns for the November 14 (Sunday),
November 17 (Wednesday), and November 23 &24 (Tuesday & Wednesday).
The new Tinsley from November 29 (Monday) to December 1 (Wednesday).
Loren Fishman does all the other dates. (Whew!)

 


Compu-toon by Charles Boyce, which has been online only
for quite a while as far as I know, went six days a week.
Beginning April 10, 2021 the Saturday panel went rerun and
was subtitled “Compu-toon Classic.”

 


After 17 years John Graziano retired from drawing the
Ripley’s Believe It or Not feature. The new artist is Kieran Castaño.
Kieran drew the daily panel unsigned from April 26 to May 8, 2021
and a couple unsigned Sundays of May 9 and May 16, 2021.
Castaño returned as the (signed) artist beginning August 9 on the dailies.
For the Sundays Kieran began regular (signed) duties on November 6, 2021.
He has remained the artist since those dates.

 


June 20, 2021 (Sunday) was the last day that Andrews McMeel distributed
the Tarzan comic strip (no other syndicate picked up the banner).
It had been in rerun status since July 31, 1979 for the dailies
and in Sunday reruns since May 26, 2002.
GoComics continues to rerun the strip on its website.

 


Memorial Day Sunday art (May 30, 2021) for Fort Knox was by
Norman Felchle, an annual occurrence for that Sunday’s installment.

 

 
Tom Batiuk’s Sunday Funky Winkerbean featured five Atomik Komix faux
comic book covers during 2021. The May 30th issue was by Thom Zahler.
The art team of James Pascoe and Rob Ro drew the August 1, September12,
and December 5 “covers.” Bob Wiacek and Rob Ro were the October 24 artists.

 


Andrews McMeel Syndication stopped distributing the James Bond comic strip
reruns on July 31, 2021. The last new James Bond strip had appeared in 1984.

 


Joe Staton fulfilled his ten year commitment to the Dick Tracy comic strip
and ended his term as penciller of the strip on October 24, 2021.
He was succeeded by Shelley Pleger on the October 25, 2021 (Monday)
strip who had been inking and lettering the strip for Joe.
Joe Staton returned to help (ink?) on the Christmas 2021 strip.


The annual Guest Jumbler Week saw Jeff Knurek call on colleagues.
The Jumble features for the week of November 15-20, 2021 had
Greg and Karen Evans (Luann), Rick Stromoski (Andrew’s Journal),
Will Henry (Wallace the Brave), Dan Thompson (Rip Haywire),
Ray Billingsley (Curtis), and Olivia James (Nancy) each do a turn.

 


Due to illness and death in the family of Rick McKee Gary Brookins
subbed for Rick on the Pluggers daily panel from November 1-13, 2021;
and the Sundays of November 14 & 21, 2021.

Additions and Corrections 
Welcomed and Encouraged

all images © their respective copyright owners

2 thoughts on “2021 Comic Strip Detours and Deviations

  1. For the November 2021 annual guest Jumbler week: Is the Rick Stromoski strip “Andrew’s Journal” also known as “Soup to Nutz”?

Comments are closed.

Top