This is an installment of 2023 U.S. Newspaper Comics: Debuts, Departures, and the Dearly Departed.
(part 1: Debuts and Departures– – part 2: Detours and Deviations – – part 3: the Dearly Departed)
2023 DETOURS/DEVIATIONS
Some changes to U. S. newspaper comic strips and panels in 2023.
Rick Detorie goes six days a week as his One Big Happy Sundays
go into rerun status beginning January 1, 2023.
Mike Peters, beginning January 1, 2023, moved his Mother Goose and Grimm comic strip
to Andrews McMeel Syndication from King Features Syndicate.
Also during January 2023 Mike Peters’s editorial cartoons went from KFS to AMS
(though a year later Mike’s ed-op cartoons have yet to show up at GoComics or AMS).
January 2, 2023: Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis switched distributors
from King Features Syndicate to Andrews McMeel Syndication.
After Steve Kelley and The Pittsburgh Post -Gazette part ways after December 2022,
Tim Hartman becomes The Post-Gazettes regular editorial cartoonist as of the week of January 7, 2023.
Now it’s Barney & Clyde by The Weingartens and David Clark switching syndicates.
Leaving the Washington Post Writers Group and joining Counterpoint Media
beginning February 6 for the dailies and February 26 for the Sundays – both 2023.
Gary Brookins, who had handed the daily Shoe comic strip over to Ben Lansing
after the September 12, 2020 issue, did the same with the Sunday page.
Gary’s last Sunday: January 15, 2023; Ben’s first Sunday: January 22, 2023.
Dick Tracy reruns a 2018 (April 1-8) Minit Mysteries on February 12-19, 2023.
A new Minit Mysteries by guest writer E. O. Costello and guest artist
Mike Segara runs from August 27 to September 10, 2023.
Eric Costello return as guest writer of the regular Dick Tracy comic strip
from September 17 – December 24, 2023.
After returning to The Duplex for a year (or 11 months anyway) Glenn McCoy
turns the strip back over to his brother again.
Gary McCoy takes over the dailies on March 20 and the Sundays on April 16, 2023.
Jack Ohman’s editorial cartoons return to Tribune Content Agency on May 1, 2023.
(Chicago Tribune-New York News/Tribune Media Services/Tribune Content Agency 1980-2017;
Washington Post Writers Group 2018-2022; Counterpoint 2022-2023)
May 9, 2023: Michael Ramirez begins contributing weekly editorial cartoons to The Washington Post.
July 2023: McClatchy newspapers fire Pulitzer Prize-winning staff
editorial cartoonists Jack Ohman, Joel Pett, and Kevin Siers.
July 2023: The San Diego Union-Tribune fires Pulitzer Prize-winning
staff editorial cartoonist Steve Breen.
Shadia Amin leaves the Tuesday duties on the twice weekly Olive & Popeye after her August 22, 2023 contribution.
Randy Milholland, the Thursday cartoonist fills in on Tuesdays from August 29 – September 26, 2023.
Emi Burdge debuts as the new Tuesday cartoonist on October 3, 2023.
Counterpoint takes over distribution of Darrin Bell’s Rudy Park reruns on September 1, 2023.
Ralph Smith who has assisted Bill Schorr with gags on The Grizzwells since 1997,
and has been a co-signer of the strip since June 19, 2000 when his gags are used,
last signed onto the strip on October 17, 2023.
October 21, 2023: Marvel and King Features ends distribution of The Amazing Spider-Man comic strip.
It had been in rerun status since March 24, 2019.
The week of October 23, 2023 King Features Weekly Service switches from distributing
Jim Keefe’s Flash Gordon Sunday reruns to Dan Schkade’s all new Flash Gordon Sundays.
Due to illness Mike Manley turns the art chores of The Phantom over to Bret Blevins from
October 30 to November 18, 2023. Bret is followed by The Phantom Sunday artist Jeff Weigel
on dailies from November30, 2023 through the end of the year.
Due to illness Bret Blevins also spells artist Mike Manley on the Judge Parker comic strip
at least from October 30 to November 4, 2023.
The annual Guest Jumble Week for 2023 runs November 13 to November 18 and the guest cartoonists are
Robb Armstrong, John Rose, Chuck Dillon, Norm Fueti, Jules Rivera, $upr Dee (our feature image).
After five and a half years “guest artist” Junco Canché, Jr. moves on from La Cucaracha after the
November 18, 2023 edition (Junco returns a final time with the December 10, 2023 strip.)
Creator and original cartoonist Lalo Acaraz returns to art duties with the November 19, 2023 strip.
Scott Underwood has been a collaborator/assistant inker/co-signer on the Sunday Slylock Fox since January 9, 2022.
Since that time he has occasionally appeared on the daily version helping Bob Weber, Jr.
Beginning December 18, 2023 it seems Scott has become a regular co-signer on the dailies.
[Monday January 1, 2024: No Scott co-signature.]
After 55 years, 3 months, and 23 days The Lockhorns last King Features panels are on December 31, 2023.
Beginning January 1, 2024 Bunny Hoest and John Reiner comic is syndicated by Andrews McMeel.
Additions and Corrections
Welcomed and Encouraged.
Is there a reason that such a significant number of cartoonists are leaving KFS to migrate to AMS and GoComics? I don’t mind at all, the GC-website is much easier (and cheaper) to use than Comics Kingdom, but I figure that when this many moves happen all at once, there must be some underlying reason for it.
There would be as many reasons to switch syndicates as there are for anyone to switch jobs – working conditions, recognition, respect, attention, etc. A major reason is monetary of course. No one from those recent transitions from KFS to AMS (Baby Blues, Sherman’s Lagoon, Mother Goose and Grimm, Crankshaft, and now The Lockhorns) have spoken about the change publicly. They are all creator owned and have all been around for a while. My GUESS would be that contract time came around and they got a better deal on the percentage split (cartoonist vs syndicate) from newspaper fees from their new syndicate. Or… Maybe a better deal on processing fees? Maybe the promise of a better sales effort? Maybe a guaranteed paycheck amount? Maybe book deals (or better book deals) with AMU Publishing? Maybe the syndicate refused to renew the contract? NOT SURE. I DON’T THINK internet income (Comics Kingdom/GoComics) is enough, yet, to be a deciding factor.
Truth be told: I don’t know why they switched syndicates.
On the other hand Candorville (to KFS), Pickles (to AMS, Loose Parts (to AMS), Mike du Jour (to AMS) and Barney & Clyde (to Counterpoint) switched syndicates because the Washington Post Writers Group is slowing shuttering their operation and is not renewing contracts.