# zombie comic strips **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491 "2009-06-02T16:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/41 "2009-06-03T02:56:59Z")
**For Better or For Worse** - Last summer, the cartoonist wrapped up the plotline in a big wedding and “happily ever after” conclusion, after (IIRC) announcing earlier in the year that she’d planned to finally retire and spend time with her husband. All’s well that ends well, right? Nope. Nearing the “home stretch”, her husband left her, and she unretired - she still brought the old storyline to a close, then started the comic strip **all over again** , with the same plotlines and some minor dialogue changes and references updated. I’m not even sure that she redid any or much art, since she claimed she was going back to her old style of drawing. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/42 "2009-06-03T03:02:00Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > **For Better or For Worse** - Last summer, the cartoonist wrapped up the plotline in a big wedding and “happily ever after” conclusion, after (IIRC) announcing earlier in the year that she’d planned to finally retire and spend time with her husband. All’s well that ends well, right? Nope. Nearing the “home stretch”, her husband left her, and she unretired - she still brought the old storyline to a close, then started the comic strip **all over again** , with the same plotlines and some minor dialogue changes and references updated. I’m not even sure that she redid any or much art, since she claimed she was going back to her old style of drawing. And this time around, she’s more or less making John a pretty assholish dick, I guess to make sure we all know what an assholish dick his real-life model is. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/43 "2009-06-03T03:04:29Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > And this time around, she’s more or less making John a pretty assholish dick, I guess to make sure we all know what an assholish dick his real-life model is. Oh yes, I forgot - the strip was a wish-fulfillment fantasy for her the first time around (making the characters carry out her stated wishes for their RL versions’ lives), so this time she’s demonizing her ex too. Not that she treated him like a shining model of good husbandness the first time around, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/44 "2009-06-03T03:44:17Z")
On the other hand, I am saddened that the rebirth of **Pogo** failed. There a re lots of good new strips out there, but they fail ( **Liberty Meadows** , **The World of Lilly Wong** ) or cannot into papers ( **Simulated Comic Content** ). We ought to get rid of the zombies and let new talent have its day. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/45 "2009-06-03T03:56:15Z")
**Liberty Meadows** is hardly what I’d call “new,” but you have a point. Inertia combined with the future of newspapers these days will not give real talent a place in print. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/46 "2009-06-03T11:11:41Z")
Do any papers carry Liberty Meadows? I know frank Cho was getting annoyed with all of the censoring of his material. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/47 "2009-06-03T11:22:49Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > On the other hand, I am saddened that the rebirth of **Pogo** failed. There a re lots of good new strips out there, but they fail ( **Liberty Meadows** , **The World of Lilly Wong** ) or cannot into papers ( **Simulated Comic Content** ). > > We ought to get rid of the zombies and let new talent have its day. I agree with your last statement, Paul. To be clear, I understand why some strips live on in zombified form…but still there are some that are less about actually being funny or entertaining then they are about taking up space because some old codger can’t let it go and writes the editor. **Blondie** will probably always be around…even if I don’t like it very much there are people that do. Same with\*\* BC\*\*… But come on…_ **Nancy? Snuffy Smith?** _ I find it hard to swallow that a significant number of the readership of any paper would cancel their subs just because they were replaced. But as I said its just my opinion. For instance I don’t think **Liberty Meadows** fails…it fits a certain demographic and sometimes the humor isn’t my cup of tea, but its wonderfully drawn and quirky at times. I have a friend that thinks **Pooch Cafe** is stupid, but it makes me laugh more often than not. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/48 "2009-06-03T15:05:21Z")
I am an Old Person, so for me **Liberty Meadows** is new and edgy. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/49 "2009-06-03T15:11:44Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > **Cathy** : ACK! Or as I’ve seen it said on the CC site “Cathy must die”. I only get Cathy on Sundays, but I agree. Actually, a zombie Cathy strip might be slightly readable. Of course Romero has already done zombies at the mall. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/50 "2009-06-03T16:23:44Z")
There aren’t enough good new strips out there, so I am glad that Calvin and Hobbes still runs in reruns - and Bloom County too. But I don’t read Peanuts anymore. It was never _really_ funny, but I have such great memories of the holiday specials, so I did read it for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/51 "2009-06-03T18:03:03Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Sixteen years of Bushes and a lot of good subject material, particularly the last eight. Eight years of Clinton, and how many jokes can you make about fellatio? Maybe they’ll get some good jokes about Obama. [nitpick]I know it seems like sixteen years of Bush, but HW was a one-termer so it was really only twelve. (Unless you count the years that he was VP under Reagan, then it’s twenty!)[/nitpick] Hey, has anyone mentioned **Marmaduke** yet? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/52 "2009-06-03T18:21:01Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > [nitpick]HW was a one-termer so it was really only twelve. [/nitpick] > > Hey, has anyone mentioned **Marmaduke** yet? Thanks! I knew that. the 'mudge periodically mentions [Marmaduke.](http://joshreads.com/?cat=32) ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/53 "2009-06-03T19:08:44Z")
**Jolly Roger** , believe it or not I know a guy who is a big Nancy fan. As in he wrote to our local paper protesting the planned removal of the strip. He’s about my age, too. I think he’s about 41. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/54 "2009-06-03T19:31:13Z")
Well they keep [The Comics Curmudgeon](http://joshreads.com/) in fresh material so I for one am grateful for them because he’s hilarious. Incidentally, does anyone know if Apartment 3G is actually available to read as a daily strip online anywhere? I’ve only found archived stuff and I’ve actually become quite hooked on it. The comics curmudgeon doesn’t review it every day so I occasionally miss epic news like Tommy being proposed to. To get back on topic, I think Fred Basset is the worst comic strip ever. ETA: I see the OP is aware of the Comics Curmudgeon. ah well. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/55 "2009-06-03T20:03:06Z")
> [@Promethea](#): > > Incidentally, does anyone know if Apartment 3G is actually available to read as a daily strip online anywhere? I’ve only found archived stuff and I’ve actually become quite hooked on it. The comics curmudgeon doesn’t review it every day so I occasionally miss epic news like Tommy being proposed to. [The Houston Chronicle](http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/buildcp.mpl?v=3.0&page=1&quality=high&cpp=100&c=19&c=66&c=100&c=52&c=2&c=75&c=84&c=102&c=104&c=12&c=13&c=82&c=154&c=106&c=107&c=108&c=47&c=74&c=90&c=27&c=110&c=18&c=38&c=112&c=16&c=17&c=71&c=20&c=114&c=68&c=24&c=115&c=116&c=31&c=86&c=117&c=28&c=144&c=5&c=119&c=120&c=34&c=78&c=155&c=121&c=37&c=1&c=72&c=87&c=123&c=124&c=60&c=138&c=79&c=40&c=127&c=136&c=129&c=135&c=4&c=147&c=146&c=148&c=130&c=30&c=140&c=77&c=46&c=35&c=137&c=134) online has it. That particular arrangement is actually the one that Josh Fruhlinger uses, or at least did a couple of years ago. I have it in my bookmarks as “Curmudgeon’s Comics List” so he must have posted the link on the blog at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/56 "2009-06-03T23:37:59Z")
> [@Carl\_Corey](#): > > **Jolly Roger** , believe it or not I know a guy who is a big Nancy fan. As in he wrote to our local paper protesting the planned removal of the strip. > > He’s about my age, too. I think he’s about 41. Wow. I stand corrected! I know my grandfater liked Nancy but he died in 1980! I’m older than your friend by at leat 4 years. I’m fairly shure that Nancy’s creater (B?ushmiller, wasn’t it?) is gone to the great beyond. Isn’t it time to retire the strip and let something new take its place? Also, why does Nancy’s hair look like tow porcupines stapled to her head? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/57 "2009-06-04T05:31:20Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > Two reasons: Old people and money. Actually there’s a third: Editors who consider the comics page a hassle. > > Frustrated Cartoonist Rant: > > It doesn’t matter that the zombie strips are no longer fresh or funny. They’re familiar. And that makes them favorites of the older demographic, the one demographic newspapers are trying to cling on to. New comics with fresh ideas or perspectives have limited opportunities to see print and are usually the first ones to get the chop, usually because the didn’t click with their older demographic. Never mind attracting a younger one. > > And most comic editors rather not deal with angry old people. Not only do they not want to sour their base, but they don’t consider the comic section worthy of the effort. Unlike the early days, when comic were viewed as a means of increasing readership, they’re now looked upon as being beneath the business of _serious_ _journalism_. So instead of devoting effort and discernment to the content of the section, most editors stick with what works for their dwindling readership and toss up a poll every now and then to feign interest. No other section’s content is decided that way, especially when the results are skewed in favor of those with the time and inclination to participate. I don’t know if I qualify as “old” in your view. I’m 51, and I really can’t stand stale comics. For instance, I loved the Boondocks, with the angry eyes, and the grandpa who wouldn’t stand for any sass, and the Very Enlightened Neighbors. That strip wasn’t like any other that I’d seen, and it was hilarious. I love Sherman’s Lagoon, which is somewhat like a regular comic strip, but with sea critters. Sometimes it’s about normal domestic situations. Sometimes it’s about a hermit crab’s hunt for (human) toes to pinch. It’s almost always funny. Pearls Before Swine is interesting because sometimes it’s a parable about humans, but other times it’s about the dynamics of animals in an urban setting. And I love the crocodiles. They’re so earnest, and sooooo dumb. On the other hand, I can’t stand many of the old standards. Peanuts was great the first time around, and when I was a kid, but my tastes have grown up, and now I want almonds and even cashews. A Rose is a Rose is sometimes funny, but more often has so much saccharine it sets my teeth on edge. Saccharine may be sweet, but it has a bitter aftertaste. I never thought Dennis the Menace was funny, and the same goes for Marmaduke and the original Family Circus, although the DFC is sometimes laugh out loud funny. Back when Cathy was a fairly new comic, I liked it, but even though Cathy has changed a little over the years, it’s still mostly the same old jokes which have had all the LOL sucked out of them. I have to say that my very favorite comics now are mostly webcomics, and most of them couldn’t be printed in a family newspaper for one reason or another. I still prefer deadtree format, but I don’t know how much longer it’s going to last. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/58 "2009-06-04T06:18:58Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Check out Nancy’s [aunt Fritzi](http://images.google.com/images?q=aunt%20fritzi&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi)sometime. I’d hit [that](http://www.boingboing.net/images/_blogger_968_1002_1600_nancybon.jpg). Yozza! ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/59 "2009-06-04T07:56:19Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > [The Houston Chronicle](http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/buildcp.mpl?v=3.0&page=1&quality=high&cpp=100&c=19&c=66&c=100&c=52&c=2&c=75&c=84&c=102&c=104&c=12&c=13&c=82&c=154&c=106&c=107&c=108&c=47&c=74&c=90&c=27&c=110&c=18&c=38&c=112&c=16&c=17&c=71&c=20&c=114&c=68&c=24&c=115&c=116&c=31&c=86&c=117&c=28&c=144&c=5&c=119&c=120&c=34&c=78&c=155&c=121&c=37&c=1&c=72&c=87&c=123&c=124&c=60&c=138&c=79&c=40&c=127&c=136&c=129&c=135&c=4&c=147&c=146&c=148&c=130&c=30&c=140&c=77&c=46&c=35&c=137&c=134) online has it. That particular arrangement is actually the one that Josh Fruhlinger uses, or at least did a couple of years ago. I have it in my bookmarks as “Curmudgeon’s Comics List” so he must have posted the link on the blog at some point. Oh cool, thank you so much! It has Mary Worth as well, so yay! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491/60 "2009-06-06T02:00:18Z")
Yoou know what strip I was sorry to see go? [_ **Big Top** _](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Top_(comic_strip)). It was genuinely funny and entertaining. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-comic-strips/498491.md?page=4)