Newspaper Comics - Soon Extinct?

Struggling comic-strip artistes must be finding it difficult to laugh these days.

The Wall Street Journal reports that newspapers' troubles are trickling down to the comics pages.

The article says:

“In palmier times, when cities could comfortably support two or even three dailies, reps from the syndicate services would typically offer their wares to the largest newspaper. No sale, no problem. Surely the rag across the street would sign on the dotted line. "And if certain strips changed hands in a competitive market it would make a difference in your readership," noted John Smyntek, syndicate editor at the Detroit Free Press. But in a one-paper town -- and these days, most towns are one-paper towns -- "there's no compelling reason for an editor to buy a new strip immediately," said Lisa Klem Wilson, general manager of United Media Syndication.

With budget constraints, an editor may feel no compelling reason to buy at all. "It's no secret that newspapers aren't as robust as they once were, and that trickles down to the comics pages," observed Brendan Burford, comics editor at King Features, a New York-based syndication service whose holdings include the venerable "Mary Worth," "Rex Morgan M.D.," "The Family Circus" and "Hi and Lois," as well as newer entries like "Tina's Groove," a clever look at the life, loves and annoying clientele of a young single waitress.

John Matthews, vice president of Universal Press Syndicate, put it more strongly. "It's tough out there. I just got an email from a newspaper editor saying he felt sorry for guys like me but not to bother coming to see him because he wasn't buying any new comics," said Mr. Matthews, whose Kansas City, Mo.-based company represents some 30 strips, among them the long-running "Doonesbury," "Cathy" and the innovative, wordless "Lio." "There's no new money and no expanding space."

Newspapers have traditionally invested heavily in syndication fees and newsprint to make comics available because they are so popular with readers. Virtually every daily newspaper in the nation used comics to attract readers, with two exceptions: The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

But, in fact, the plight of beleaguered comic-strip artistes isn’t new. With many big-city dailies folding or merging with other local papers in the past decade, the space devoted to comic strips has shrunk. As such, many cartoonists have been lured into commercialism – putting their comic-strip characters onto everything from greeting cards to t-shirts.

And, that’s not going away anytime soon. It’s a sad but true fact -- comics would be the first casualty of the industry's shift toward new media.