There’s an interesting, if doom prophesizing, article about newspaper comic strips in the July 19 issue of Newsweek.
As a cartoonist who’s trying to make a name (and some money) for himself, this article has really got me steamed. It almost seems that newspapers resent the comics strips that helped make them the successful publications they are!
Before TV and the internet, newspapers fought over comics strips becuase the right cartoon could mean a large boost in circulation. Now comics are the red-headed step-child of content.
Listen, I’m not one of these guys who’s constantly pining for the old days and griping about markets lost, but it’s reports like this that frustrate me into thinking about abandoning the strip concecpts I’m working on and concentrating solely on the magazine and greeting card markets that still respect cartoons and cartoonists.
In fact, in recent years magazines have begun to publish more cartoons again! Reader’s Digest began publishing cartoons only a few years ago, and the response has been outstanding! Other smaller magazines are adding cartoons again too! What do they know that the newspapers don’t?!
There’s still a huge market out there for cartoons and I think it’s time newspapers understood that. Please write your local newspapers and ask for more comics! Bigger comics! Better comics! Don’t just take what they’re grudgingly handing out, stand up and make your voice heard! “Cartoons!” we’ll all shout! “Give us CARTOONS!”