The comics demographics say a lot
I first saw this story posted in The Daily Cartoonist, where Alan Gardner was polite enough to call it an "Interesting Survey." I would call it ridiculous for so many reasons. One reason is because this just proves the state of newspapers today.
The Topeka Capital-Journal did a comics survey and the top five in their newspaper came out to be The top-five popular features were Pickles (95%), Family Circus (92%), Hi and Louis (89%), Blondie (88%) and Beetle Bailey (82%).
Pearls Before Swine (66%) and Doonesbury (59%) came out toward the bottom and are being dropped. They are adding Dustin, Mutts, Rhymes with Orange, WuMo and Shoe. All good ones although I think WuMo is a one trick pony.
This is so sad for so many reasons. It shows the demographic of newspaper readers today for one thing, although I'm sure younger people read the daily newspaper but not like older folks do and also newspapers might get younger readers if they started treating the comics with respect.
Just think what might happen if newspapers started treating all their features with respect -- adding more sports and columns and of course enlarging and adding to the comics. New readers might just start picking up an issue or two. I do feel that most of the younger readers get their comics online where they have the choice of any comics they prefer.
And younger readers probably do read the daily newspaper, but they read it digitally and on the go. And again, as for comics, they have thousands to choose from online and are not subjected to the handful of comics that a daily newspapers's comics editor decides are funny or fit surveys and demographics.
I have to agree. Amen to GoComics.com.
The Topeka Capital-Journal did a comics survey and the top five in their newspaper came out to be The top-five popular features were Pickles (95%), Family Circus (92%), Hi and Louis (89%), Blondie (88%) and Beetle Bailey (82%).
Pearls Before Swine (66%) and Doonesbury (59%) came out toward the bottom and are being dropped. They are adding Dustin, Mutts, Rhymes with Orange, WuMo and Shoe. All good ones although I think WuMo is a one trick pony.
This is so sad for so many reasons. It shows the demographic of newspaper readers today for one thing, although I'm sure younger people read the daily newspaper but not like older folks do and also newspapers might get younger readers if they started treating the comics with respect.
Just think what might happen if newspapers started treating all their features with respect -- adding more sports and columns and of course enlarging and adding to the comics. New readers might just start picking up an issue or two. I do feel that most of the younger readers get their comics online where they have the choice of any comics they prefer.
And younger readers probably do read the daily newspaper, but they read it digitally and on the go. And again, as for comics, they have thousands to choose from online and are not subjected to the handful of comics that a daily newspapers's comics editor decides are funny or fit surveys and demographics.
One person left this comment on the Topeka Capital-Journal website:
"I hadn't heard of WuMo, so I went on-line and read a week of it. It's not bad, but hardly great. Despite what the article suggests, it's no Calvin and Hobbes.
In fact, I think that all three of the strips being eliminated were funnier than WuMo; they're among the few that actually make me laugh. If the woman quoted above thinks that Pearls is "mean and hurtful," it's pretty mild compared to some of today's edgy TV shows.
The majority should rule, but I'm glad I found gocomics.com years ago."
I have to agree. Amen to GoComics.com.
posted by Tom Falco at 1:10 AM
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