# Continuing Peanuts is unjust to new cartoonists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370 "2015-11-12T14:08:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/41 "2015-11-12T19:40:28Z")
Concerns about space in print media? That’s locking the barn door after the horse has boarded the _Titanic_. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/42 "2015-11-12T19:45:47Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > This. All the successful young cartoonists publish on the web. Do you think Kate Beaton or Randall Munroe want newspaper strips? They like money just like anyone else. Yes, Peanuts should be buried with a stake thru it’s heart. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/43 "2015-11-12T19:48:00Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > What strips that are better than “Peanuts” are being kept out of your paper? Tank McNamara. Bloom County. Fox trot. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/44 "2015-11-12T19:49:27Z")
Oh, and Blondie has to go also. It’s changed tone a lot. Now Dagwood is a goof-off that never does any good work, and Mr Dithers is right. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/45 "2015-11-12T20:01:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Tank McNamara. Bloom County. Fox trot. The revived Bloom County is web-only, and Foxtrot is Sunday-only. The daily Peanuts isn’t keeping those out of your paper. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/46 "2015-11-12T20:12:55Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Tank McNamara. Bloom County. Fox trot. Just to note that the recently-revived Bloom County is, AFAICT, only appearing on Berke Breathed’s Facebook feed, and that FoxTrot became a Sundays-only strip at the beginning of 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/47 "2015-11-12T20:18:19Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > The revived Bloom County is web-only, and Foxtrot is Sunday-only. The daily Peanuts isn’t keeping those out of your paper. Also, Tank McNamara is terrible. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/48 "2015-11-12T20:41:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They like money just like anyone else. They make money. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/49 "2015-11-12T20:50:54Z")
> [@bup](#): > > If dead-tree papers mattered anymore, I’d agree with the OP. > > Young cartoonists who want to be in print in a daily dead tree newspaper are wildly out of touch. That’s my feeling, too. I don’t think there are really any up-and-comers who want to be in newspaper comics anymore. I think the fact that Peanuts runs like this is a testament to that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/50 "2015-11-12T21:24:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They like money just like anyone else. I imagine they also like the editorial freedom that comes from, you know, not having an editor. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/51 "2015-11-12T21:33:53Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > While I tend to agree with the OP, and think it’s a waste to rerun old Peanuts comics, that is a decision for newspaper editors to make. And in that vein, for the life of me I can’t figure out who reads strips such as Prince Valiant, Alley Oop, Mary Worth and other comic strips taking up valuable space. Obviously, the comics editors are trying to maximize interest and readership. If We The People are more likely to buy a paper that has Peanuts in it, over some new strip, the editor is making the right choice. Mary Worth is actually pretty good. I started paying attention back in 1983, and, while it’s had some ups and downs, it’s really a pretty good dramatic story, with better-than-average art. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Comic book readers hate changes to the lineup of strips, so dropping anything is going to get some complaints. . . . I actually subscribed to my local newspaper when they started running “Walt Kelly’s Pogo” by Sternecky and Doyle. It was a remarkably good counterfeit of Kelly’s original style. I honestly think, if you performed a double-blind test, a typical reader would not be able to tell which strips were S&D and which were Kelly. ETA: when that strip ended, I cancelled my subscription. The San Diego Union-Tribune is a rotten newspaper. > [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Also, Tank McNamara is terrible. No way! Tank is great! It’s the “Doonesbury” of sports. I learn more about sports controversies from Tank than from any other news source! And the ongoing soap opera plots – can Tank ever find and keep a girlfriend? – are fun. I’ve loved this strip from the very first. [“Another Day, Another $11,247.63.”](http://www.amazon.com/Another-another-247-63-McNamara-collection/dp/0836220161) (I think this was the first Tank collection. I still haul it out, dust it off, and re-read it now and then!) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/52 "2015-11-12T21:35:01Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Just to note that the recently-revived Bloom County is, AFAICT, only appearing on Berke Breathed’s Facebook feed, and that FoxTrot became a Sundays-only strip at the beginning of 2007. Bloom County 2015 is also available at [Comics.com](http://Comics.com). Also, Tank is great! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/53 "2015-11-12T21:45:14Z")
> [@bup](#): > > If dead-tree papers mattered anymore, I’d agree with the OP. > > Young cartoonists who want to be in print in a daily dead tree newspaper are wildly out of touch. They do matter and being syndicated means the Gravy Train. Not to mention, publishers interested in printing your collections. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/54 "2015-11-12T21:53:08Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t think there are really any up-and-comers who want to be in newspaper comics anymore. The two most recent additions to my local paper’s comics page are both Scandinavian imports, oddly enough: WuMo and Carpe Diem. I have a hard time telling them apart, as both are gag-a-day strips featuring similarly rotten art and lame jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/55 "2015-11-12T22:00:16Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > ETA: when that strip ended, I cancelled my subscription. The San Diego Union-Tribune is a rotten newspaper. Man, that’s the truth. I grew up with it (actually, I grew up with the separate Union and Evening Tribune papers before they merged), but now when I visit San Diego I’m shocked at what reads like the Fox News of newsprint. At least they have a pretty generous comics selection. Didn’t even know Tank McNamara was still running, but I used to enjoy it a lot, even though I didn’t get some of the jokes that relied on actual knowledge of sports. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/56 "2015-11-12T22:12:15Z")
I used to have a comic in the newspaper until last year. It’s a near impossible environment for new, young artists to succeed. Legacy strips are one of several problems. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/57 "2015-11-12T22:35:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They do matter and being syndicated means the Gravy Train. Not to mention, publishers interested in printing your collections. [Gravy train?](http://www.glasbergen.com/frequently-asked-questions-about-cartooning/) Frank Cho and Richard Stevens both walked away from syndicated newspaper gigs. In Stevens’ case, he said it was for monetary reasons - his online model made him more. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/58 "2015-11-12T22:47:43Z")
> [@bup](#): > > [Gravy train?](http://www.glasbergen.com/frequently-asked-questions-about-cartooning/) > Frank Cho and Richard Stevens both walked away from syndicated newspaper gigs. In Stevens’ case, he said it was for monetary reasons - his online model made him more. Cho? The guy who _as a judge_ nominated \*his own work \*for a prize? (and won). he pulled his as his cartoon was adult and had to be censored. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/59 "2015-11-12T23:17:29Z")
Taking the OP at face value, exactly how many new cartoonists are being kept out of the field because Charles Schulz remains in print? The newspaper strip medium employs, at most, about 200 artists. The biggest menace to strips is that newspapers are dropping dead, cutting back, replacing the comics page with Suddoku (which actually happened at the last newspaper I worked for). As one of the most popular draws to the comics page, **Peanuts** probably does more good than harm to up-and-coming cartoonists, kind of like Marvel Comics keeps comic shops afloat and able to stock any indy comic books at all. A newspaper that cancels **Peanuts** reprints wouldn’t think twice about cancelling **Mutts, Lio** or any other strip with artistic or humorous merit. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370/60 "2015-11-12T23:21:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Cho? The guy who _as a judge_ nominated \*his own work \*for a prize? (and won). he pulled his as his cartoon was adult and had to be censored. I know Frank Cho. He did that incredibly tacky thing to protest the generally low quality of new comics being nominated, not to pocket yet another prize. It wasn’t a cool thing to do, but he kind of had a point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-peanuts-is-unjust-to-new-cartoonists/737370.md?page=4)