Expanded, Segmented Comics Make Debut at Raleigh 'N&O'

By: E&P Staff The News & Observer's expanded comics section made its debut yesterday -- and it's segmented by genre.

At a time when many papers are cutting back on their comics, the Raleigh, N.C.-based daily made news earlier this month when it decided to expand its lineup of strips .

News & Observer Features Editor Thad Ogburn said the paper added nine comics. Newcomers include "Mother Goose and Grimm," "Tundra," "Sherman's Lagoon," "F Minus," "Candorville," and "Mallard Fillmore"; and reinstated strips are "Cathy," "Hagar the Horrible," and "Drabble."

"We've also moved some things around to help you find your favorites more easily," Ogburn wrote in a note to readers. "On our first comics page, we've set aside the top half of the space for old favorites and the bottom half for family-oriented strips. The second page has an area for newer comics at the top and controversial, adult-oriented material at the bottom.

"We know you'll like some strips and dislike others. That's fine. Just skip right over those you don't care for. I can assure you that someone else does like them."

Ogburn's article was linked today on Tom Spurgeon's Comics Reporter blog.