Report to Readers by Susan LoTempio

Comics controversy

  Don't  mess with the comics. That's what readers tell me in no uncertain terms.

In fact, there are few things this paper can do that upsets readers as much as dropping a comic strip. Which is why the last two times we made changes we surveyed readers first to find out the strips they liked best, and the ones they liked the least. Even though we dropped several comics that scored the lowest, we still had hundreds and hundreds of complaints.

The deal with comics is that every single reader - young and old - has his or her favorite. And every single reader has a strip they could care less about. So no matter what the change, a lot of readers will lose a strip they've read for years.

We have learned over the years, however, not to even think about dropping "For Better or Worse," "Peanuts" and "Family Circus." Some day ask me about the "Prince Valiant" and "Mutts" debacle.

But how long must we carry a comic after its author goes on to cartoon heaven?

Which brings me to the recent death of Johnny Hart, creator of "The Wizard of Id." The syndicate that offers this strip was quick to let newspapers know that there is a plan to keep that strip alive with fresh material (as opposed to Peanuts," which has been offering old material years after the death of Charles Schulz).

According to Creators Syndicate, Jeff Parker has been working on "Wizard of Id" for 20 years, and will continue to produce new strips. Hart's other creation, "B.C." (which The News does not run) is being taken over by his daughter.

I worry that these long-running comics - and I would put "Crankshaft," "Garfield," "Sally Forth," "Hi and Lois," "Dennis the Menace" and "Beetle Baily" in that category - prevent fresh, young talent from getting a space on the comics pages. Their topics tend to be more edgy and modern, often with  a political bent.

But when readers tell us they want the same old strips, what are we to do? Right now we run 33 comics Monday through Saturday, (the Sunday color comics section is slightly different). Wouldn't it be a good idea to find something new on the Comics Pages every couple of months?

Isn't time for "Peanuts" to rest in peace?

"For Better or For Worse"

   That comic strip has consistently been voted the top favorite of newspaper readers here and all over the country.

To say that Lynn Johnston, the author of the strip, has a loyal following is an understatement. Her fans are passionate about her long-running story of the Patterson family.

Here's the bad news: Johnston informed her syndicate that she planned to retire in September of this year. In other words, she would stop producing the strip.

The 59-year-old has told the media that she is tired of the personal drain of creating a seven-day comic strip and is dealing with a painful neurological condition called dystonia.

Here's the good news: Rather than killing "For Better of For Worse," Johnston and her syndicate have decided to continue it in 'hybrid" form.  What this means, her editor explained to me, is that there will be a mix of old and new strips.

Johnston will retell storylines (old drawings) through the eyes of younger members of the Patterson family, such as son Michael (new drawings).

She plans to freshen the drawings of the older strips as she integrates the old and new storylines.

Sounds like an interesting experiment, and for fans of the strip it's very good news. Otherwise, "For Better or For Worse" would go away completely, or live on in reruns. And if you ask me, there are too many reruns on newspaper comics pages now (take that, Snoopy!). Personally, I'd like to see some fresh, new talent.