Posted on: July 31, 2006

Firstly, Darrin Bell’s Candorville will come out with its second collection this September…. The book is published through Andrews McMeel and can be pre-ordered through amazon.comSecondly, Bill Mauldin, a pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist and often best remembered for his cartoon characters of Joe and Willie during World War II, will have a series of books published by Fantagraphic according to Editor and Publisher (who cites the Comics Reporter).

According to the Reuter’s story the DVD will include a hybernated feature that can be activated after November 28 (presumably to coincide with peak Christmas buying season), a four minute mini-movie with all the original voice talent. The mini-movie is a parody of reality tv called “Hammy’s Boomerang Adventure.”The DVD also includes “Behind the Hedge,” a look at the real-life animals that inspired the film’s critters; filmmaker commentaries; a mock “infomercial” spoofing the career opportunities of pest control; a “making-of” documentary; cast interviews; and a virtual drawing lesson by a DreamWorks animator on how to sketch Hammy.Over the Hedge took in $151.7 million domestically.

The topic for this In Focus article has been rolling around in my mind for a few months now. Since October, when I started this blog, I�ve read several reports (usually around end of financial quarters) that bemoan the dropping circulations and overall readership of the newspaper. How was this trend affecting the big six syndicates who sell editorial cartoons and comic strips?� Because their business is so closely dependent on the health of the newspaper industry � what were syndicates doing to grow their business in this climate and ultimately, how would these trends affect the current or future syndicated cartoonist?

King Features has announced that Jim Borgman and Jerry Scott’s Zits has crossed another client list milestone with over 1,500 subscribers worldwide.  Zits was launched in 1997 and within it’s first four years had already surpassed 500 clients, according to Jay Kennedy, Editor in Chief of King Features.

According to the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, 75% of those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 24 who said they read the a newspaper when they were younger (13-to-17) now read their local paper at least once a week.Eighty-one percent of those surveyed said they read the local Sunday paper in the past four weeks and 66% said they read it last Sunday.MORI Research conducted the study on behalf of the NAA Foundation….  The study also noted that roughly 800 papers carry some sort of syndicated youth content for all ages.The study shows that when teens pick up the paper they are more attracted to stories written by their peers (but not by much).