Iowa Editor Discusses Dilemma Faced by Many 'For Better' Comic Clients

By: E&P Staff The dilemma of whether or not to keep "For Better or For Worse" when it goes into "new-runs" Sept. 1 was encapsulated in a piece by The Gazette of Cedar Rapids Editor Steve Buttry.

"I've enjoyed Lynn Johnston's strips," he told readers in a Saturday column. "My family's about the same age as her family.... It's not my favorite strip, but it's one of the handful that I read."

Then, after explaining Johnston's plan to start her 1979-launched comic over with a mix of old and new material, Buttry said: "My preference in all cases is to present fresh, original content to our audience on all platforms. I may keep a strip going with reruns during a brief break, but I'm hesitant to go back in time for a comic that's half (and I suspect it will be more) recycled material."

He concluded: "Tell me what you think we should do: Keep 'For Better or For Worse,' watch the first month or two and then decide, or thank Lynn Johnston for 29 wonderful years and give another comic a chance to become a favorite?"

Buttry's complete column, along with reader comments, can be seen here.

Last Wednesday's E&P story about the "new-runs" can be seen here.

"For Better or For Worse" runs in more than 2,000 newspapers via Universal Press Syndicate.