The 'M' Word in 9/7 'Doonesbury'

By: Dave Astor Garry Trudeau issued a rare statement about his upcoming "Doonesbury" comic mentioning masturbation, as a number of newspapers reportedly plan to replace it with a substitute strip.

The Sunday Sept. 7 comic shows Rev. Sloan reading a newspaper article about a (true-life) study saying regular masturbation might help prevent prostate cancer. Boopsie responds that talk about sex makes her uncomfortable. "You're dating yourself," says Sloan. To which Zonker adds: "Hey, did you hear self-dating prevents cancer?"

Trudeau stated: "The strip isn't really about masturbation or the prostate cancer study as such, but about the shifting nature of taboos and the inability of two adults to have a certain kind of serious conversation. ... Still, I understand that the mention of certain words per se will not be acceptable to some family newspapers, which is why the syndicate is making an alternative strip available."

Universal Press Syndicate does not know how many of Trudeau's 1,400 or so clients will run the substitute strip, said Kathie Kerr, Universal's director of communications. The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel polled 34 "Doonesbury" clients, with 19 saying they would publish the alternate comic. One editor said the original Sept. 7 strip is "beyond the reasonable boundaries of good taste to us."

Trudeau said the offering of an alternative comic (from last September) "is certainly a departure from past practice, and it does not signal our intention to start supplying replacement strips ... every time there's a chance someone might be offended by the regular release. It's a South Park world now, and younger readers are unlikely to be shocked or confused by anything they find in 'Doonesbury.'"

Indeed, many newspapers discuss sex and other potentially controversial topics elsewhere in their pages. But there's still a feeling among some editors that comics sections should be "family-friendly" because they're seen as having more kid readers than most other parts of the newspaper.

Of course, an increasing number of strips have dealt with societal issues in recent years -- and the 1970-founded "Doonesbury" is a prime example. "Garry has always pushed the envelope on social, health, economic, and political topics," said Kerr. "The Sept. 7 strip is certainly in character with his comic."

Trudeau's remarks were sent to newspapers that asked for a statement from the cartoonist.

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Et cetera ...

Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services weekly "News2Use" package is adding four columns from the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. They include "Healthy Living" by Carolyn Poirot, "Family Life" by Amanda Rogers, "Home & Garden" by Alyson Ward, and "Savvy Consumer" by Teresa McUsic. Each feature will appear monthly on a rotating basis.

Associated Press illustrator John "Tex" Carlton died Aug. 27 at the age of 96. During his 1932-70 career at AP, he sketched the Lindbergh kidnapping trial, John Glenn's trip into space, and people such as Fidel Castro, John F. Kennedy, and George Patton.

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Editor's note: This November, E&P is scheduled to run its third annual "Features of the Year" spread. If you have any syndicated features you'd like to nominate, please e-mail Dave Astor (at the address below) their names and a brief explanation of why you feel they're having a particularly good 2003. The four categories include best comic, best editorial cartoons, best column, and best feature. The last category can include non-Op-Ed columns, puzzles, children's features, paginated pages, etc.
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