News-Record.com

Changing comic strips is in the news again. We newspapers love to write about this topic.

My advice: Leave the comics pages alone. Maybe back in our parents' days, comics sold newspapers, but I would like to see evidence from the 21st century supporting the notion that they do now. People have way too many other sources of amusement these days.

I used to buy the editor line that comics are the way to get kids into the paper habit. That argument made some sense 30 years ago. I doubt we get many new readers that way now.

Readers write to me about comics more than anything else. One sentiment is constant and dominant: Don't change any of the old standards.

Comics are geared to current readers. Unless you're adding space -- meaning you don't have to eliminate any you currently have -- I wouldn't mess with them.

You have more important things to worry about.

On Sunday, 11 newspaper cartoonists will protest the lack of a greater number of cartoonists of color on newspaper comics pages.

But for one day -- this Sunday -- 11 cartoonists of color will be drawing essentially the same comic strip, using irony to literally illustrate that point. In each strip, the artists will portray a white reader grousing about a minority-drawn strip, complaining that it's a "Boondocks" rip-off and blaming it on "tokenism." "It's the one-minority rule," says Lalo Alcaraz ("La Cucaracha"). "We've got one black guy and we've got one Latino. There's not room for anything else."

On Sundays, we have two comic strips with dominant minority characters -- Curtis and Jump Start. That's out of 22 total strips. Pretty bad.

I can't imagine an editor saying "we already have a black strip." But it is true that we look at categories -- a few serials, a few single panels, a few family based strips, a few based around kids, a few with animals. And then there are those old boring standbys that you can't get rid of because your audience goes ballistic. Some readers just don't like new. Bottom line: we look for funny and clever.

I've made my sentiments about the comics pages known: don't actively mess with them. The pain isn't worth the gain.

But when one of the current strips ends its run as happens every so often, it's time to further diversify the page.

A reader thinks the current Dilbert series involving a character named Jesus is offensive. Here is today's.

Are you intentionally trying to see how many Christians read the comics? The Dilbert series that is running right now is so offensive during this season of Lent that I do not have ample words to express my dismay. The new employee Jesus (Hey-Zeus) turning coffee into wine, and giving Wally his normal sight back left me incredulous this morning.

Just wait until the sermons start rolling into your offices. Freedom of speech does not excuse a person from freedom of good judgment. I guess I found enough words to express my dismay.

What is it with cartoonists and religion? I readily admit that I don't understand why people get worked up over what cartoonists draw. When you make your living making fun of authority and institutions as Scott Adams does, religion is fair game. But it is just a comic strip, and it's meant to evoke a response. This series seems to be in questionable taste, but I don't find it offensive. Do you?

(I don't find it all that funny, either, but I know that humor takes all kinds.)

Thursday update: Other reactions here, here, here and here.