There is no way we can catch up on all the news
that happened during this site’s two year hiatus.
Just this year alone there was:
Wayno taking over the daily Bizarro panel,
the end of Bud Grace’s Ernie/Piranha Club strip,
the death of superstar Mort Walker,
the end of Chris Monroe’s Violet Days,
Will Henry’s Wallace the Brave beginning syndication,
the end of Rick Stromoski’s Soup to Nutz (sniff, bye Andy),
and more.
But I feel I would be remiss in not mentioning what seems
to be the biggest comic news story of the year…so far.
Earlier this month someone calling herself
Olivia Jaimes took over the Nancy comic strip.
http://www.gocomics.com/nancy/
The change in gags, writing, and art styles was instantly and
voluminously greeted with both huzzahs and groans.
The change has catapulted Nancy regularly into the
Top Ten of most viewed strips on the GoComics site.
And, amazingly, the comments section full of both pros and cons is
surprisingly easy on the snark – at least for comic strip responders.
digression:
As most of you probably know, “snark” seems to be the goal
of most of those who post comments about comic strips.
Yesterday the most impressive thing about the Sunday Funnies,
to me, was the Judge Parker title panel.
Don’t know if it is Expressionism or Cubism or something else,
but the art and angles and colors of Mike Manley’s piece of Art
was outstanding. Worthy of being part of a Cliff Sterrett page.
https://comicskingdom.com/judge-parker/2018-04-29
Of 120 comments no one mentioned that panel.
I am sorely disappointed in those comics fans.
(No, editorializing will not be a regular feature of my posts,
I just had to get that off my chest.)
Anyway,
the pseudonymous Olivia Jaimes has been doing the Nancy dailies
since April 9. To bring this back into current news status –
today Ms. Jaimes becomes the daily and Sunday cartoonist.
Andrews McMeel has announced that beginning May 6
she will take on the Sunday page chores.
Sad to hear three strips ended their run.
I loved Rick Stromoski’s “Soup to Nutz” strip. Funny writing and art. Sorry to see it go.
Ernie/Piranha Club had a great 30-year run. Happy retirement, Bud Grace!
Olivia Jaimes is NOT the real name of the cartoonist drawing “Nancy.” Is Nancy really Nancy’s name? And what about those kids in “Wallace the Brave” since Will Henry is not Will Henry’s real name? Comics are confusing.
As Bill Watterson so succinctly put it long ago, if you’re good enough to do someone else’s strip, you should be good enough to do your own. Nancy, like all comics strips, should have passed along with its creator, making room for new, younger voices to have a chance.
Why the provocative headline when “Olivia” taking on fans of the previous incarnations isn’t part of the post?
Not mentioned: The possible long rerun hiatus of Big Nate.