Canadian Papers Make Major Comic Changes

By: Dave Astor Most newspapers revise their comic lineups at a glacial pace, but three Canadian dailies in Ontario made wholesale changes last week. The trio of Torstar papers added a number of strips with younger-reader appeal, and jettisoned older standbys such as "Andy Capp," "Beetle Bailey," "Cathy," "Doonesbury," "Garfield," "Peanuts," and "The Wizard of Id."

The Guelph Mercury, according to Managing Editor Bonnie Ewen, increased its roster of comics from 10 to 16 -- unusual at a time when the economy is causing many papers to freeze or shrink their feature budgets. As part of this process, the paper dropped six comics, added 12, and bumped some puzzles to the classifieds to make room for the extra funnies. The Record in Kitchener went from 11 to 16 comics, dropping seven and adding 12.

"This was quite a dramatic shift for us," said Record and Mercury Editor-in-Chief Lynn Haddrall.

Why more comics? "They're high readership," replied Haddrall. "We know that people like to go to the comics page to get away from everything else. There are a lot of depressing things in newspapers these days."

The Hamilton Spectator canceled seven comics and brought in nine -- creating space for the additional two by moving horoscopes to another page. Editor-in-Chief Dana Robbins said the previous lineup included some strips that had "lost their edge" and added that the section skewed too much to older readers. "We didn't have the balance that we needed," he told E&P Online.

Haddrall said her two papers also wanted to offer more for younger readers, and give some space to "gifted artists trying to break in." But she and Robbins emphasized that the papers kept a number of comics liked by older audiences. "We were trying to appeal to a variety of age groups," said Haddrall.

Robbins reported that fewer than 25 Spectator readers complained in the days after the changes, a small total at a paper with a daily circulation of more than 105,000. "I just came out from under my desk," quipped the editor, noting that reaction may have been muted by the paper's actions -- which included asking readers, before the changes were made, what comics they like and don't like.

Haddrall reported that the Record received about 200 reader comments about the changes, with some praising the paper for expanding its funnies lineup and others asking for certain comics to be reinstated. She said the larger response may be partially due to the Record just switching from an afternoon to morning daily, so readers were focused on how much the paper was changing.

Some of the newer comics added to the papers included "Mutts," "Rhymes With Orange," "The Other Coast," "Tina's Groove," and "Zits."

Haddrall concluded: "A lot of editors shy away from changes in the comics page, because they don't like to answer phone calls. But newspapers are all about change. It should be done on a regular basis."