As of today the comics division of the Washington Post Writers Group (WPWG) no longer exists. The distribution of the last Fort Knox comic strip for November 10, 2024 effectively shutters the comics and cartoon division of the WPWG that began in 1979. The Washington Post Writers Group itself began in 1973 as an outgrowth of The Washington Post Service syndicating newspaper columns and features.
The closest I can date the debut is December 1973/January 1974. A December 24, 1973 George F. Will column is credited to “Washington Post Service,” while the January 22, 1974 Will column is credited to “Washington Post Writers Group.” The syndicate at this time has no comic strips or editorial cartoons in its offerings, though it would soon be distributing Geoffrey Moss graphics.
Although occasionally called editorial cartoons the Moss illustrations are more commonly called some version of what Moss himself called them: “captionless editorial graphics,” referring to himself as a “conceptual political satirist.” But they are syndicated by the WPWG and used by opinion page editors to illustrate a wide variety of related, or relatable, columns, opinions, and features.
By the late 1970s comic strips come into play thanks to The Washington Post losing the rights to Doonesbury.
In 1979 Time Inc., owner of The Washington Star, bought into Universal Press Syndicate and took G.B. Trudeau away from The Washington Post which in turn created a comic strip to replace the very popular Doonesbury.
Dupont Circle would not do the trick, lasting less than a year. It wouldn’t even make it into the Washington Post Writers Group’s advertisement in the 1980 Editor and Publisher (E&P) Syndicate Directory, but it was the WPWG’s first comic strip. The 1981 E&P Syndicate Directory WPWG ad would feature their second and far more successful comic strip – one that would also be accused of being a Doonesbury simulacrum.
Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County would be the WPWG’s second and most successful comic strip
As seen above the ad also promotes Geoffrey Moss’ Mossprints and two actual editorial cartoonists: The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Tony Auth and newcomer Steve Benson. Moss and Auth were also seen in the 1980 ad.
The Washington Post Writers Group never went all in for comic strips or for editorial cartoonists. The 1990 Editor and Publisher Syndicate Directory ad promoted only three comic strips and no editorial cartoonists.
But the syndicate did carry on with respected editor Amy Lago in charge of the comics and cartoons.
Then in a surprise announcement they declared that comics and cartoons were no longer a part of their future.
The Washington Post is winding down its syndicated cartoon service
The early 2022 notice of WPWG dropping distribution of editorial cartoons was soon expanded to the comic strips when they made it known that they would not be renewing any comic or cartoon contracts, though they would honor the ones then in effect and distribute the comics until the contracts expired.
By June of 2022 the WPWG editorial cartoonists Clay Bennett, Lisa Benson, Tim Campbell, Jeff Danziger, and Jack Ohman moved en masse to the newly formed Counterpoint Media.
The comic strip creators also began moving. Dave Blazek moved his Loose Parts to Andrews McMeel in June 2022 and Brian Crane did the same the following month with Pickles. Later in July of 2022 Mike Lester took his Mike du Jour to Andrews McMeel. In November 2022 Darrin Bell moved Candorville to King Features. In 2023 Donna A. Lewis transferred Reply All and Reply All Lite to Counterpoint, as did The Weingartens and David Clark with Barney & Clyde a few months later. Rather than continue his strip Paul Jon Boscacci has decided to end Fort Knox.
Comics editor Amy Lago moved to Counterpoint with the WPWG editorial cartoonists, but kept a blue pencil at the Washington Post Writers Group until the last (Paul Jon) of the cartoonists had left See Amy’s correction in comments.
So with Fort Knox’s last strip appearing November 10, 2024 the comics/cartoon division of WPWG is closed. And The Big Five comics syndicates becomes The Big Four: Andrews McMeel Syndication, Creators Syndicate, King Features Syndicate, Tribune Content Agency, Washington Post Writers Syndicate.
With the help of Allan Holtz and Wikipedia we have a list of Washington Post Writers Group comic strips*:
Dupont Circle 1979-1980
Bloom County 1980-1989
Middle Ages 1984-1985
Cheeverwood 1985-1987
Lug Nuts 1986-1987
Safe Havens 1988-1992
Outland 1989-1995
Pickles 1990-2022
Non Sequitur 1992-1999
Cheap Thrills Cuisine 1993-2014(?)
Smart Alex 1995
PC and Pixel 1996-2008(?)
Stitches 1997-1998
Homer the Reluctant Soul 1998-1999
12:01 1999
That’s Life 1999-2005
Red and Rover 2000-2016
Out of the Gene Pool 2001-2008
Shrubbery 2002-2003
Bo Nanas 2003-2007
Candorville 2003-2022
Opus 2003-2008
Watch Your Head 2006-2014
Little Dog Lost 2007-2016
It’s All About You 2007-2010
Home and Away 2008-2015
Fort Knox 2009-2024
Barney & Clyde 2010-2023
Rudy Park 2011-2018
Reply All 2011-2023
Reply All Lite 2011-2023
Mike du Jour 2012-2022
Loose Parts 2014-2022
*dates indicates the time with the WPWG only – some comics began earlier elsewhere and many moved on afterward; dates do not include strips in rerun status
Apologies to the editorial cartoonists, I couldn’t find a comprehensive list. Along with Clay Bennett, Lisa Benson, Tim Campbell, Jeff Danziger, and Jack Ohman noted above, and Tony Auth and Steve Benson, we can add Signe Wilkinson, Mike Lester, Nick Anderson, and Darrin Bell who, at one time or another, had their political cartoons syndicated by the WPWG.
And to be clear:
Washington Post Licensing & Syndication continues with columns and features on a wide variety of subjects.
It really does highlight that Washington Post, despite having a few hits (mostly “Bloom County” and “Pickles”), never really dived into comics as much as other syndicates.
First time I heard of “Dupont Circle”. I always assumed “Bloom County” was their first strip.
Al Leeds was editor and GM of the Washington Post Writers Group during many of its growth years and later managed the LA Times-Washington Post News Service. Al always had the best industry and shop talk when he presented features in my Florida newsrooms 1980-94. We published 28 daily strips and 34 on Sunday in the Ledger, Lakeland and the Ocala Star-Banner. My late father Bob Mathes represented Editor & Publisher and its Syndicate Directory, a unique guide. Al retired after around four decades with The Post.
Great background Mark. Thanks.
Is Reply All and Reply All Lite still in comic strip syndication? If so, by what syndicate?
“In 2023 Donna A. Lewis transferred Reply All and Reply All Lite to Counterpoint [Media]”
https://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/replyall/
and
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/comics/reply-all/
Out of the Gene Pool was renamed Single and Looking during the last year or two.
An unremembered number of years ago vacationing in Flagler Beach Fl someone named Amy Lago called me and invited me to become a part of WPWG -two features both my editorial and Mike Du Jour comic strip. I remember less of the call than I do my reaction after we hung up. I was incredibly honored and still am. This is a stupid job. Try answering “what do you do?” in a bar conversation when you’re a cartoonist. But when the WAPO calls you you’re humbled and I don’t do humble very well. Amy’s boss whose name I don’t recall but wish I could said to me as I walked out of our first meeting in DC “just be funny”. I’ve let him down many times I’m sure but not for lack of trying. Sales savant jim Toler and I became friends and during one phone call had to pause our call because his wine delivery had just arrived. Syndicated cartooning was a second act for me after 20 years in commercial illustration and cartooning doesn’t care if you can draw. (See Tom Toles.) I can so but I had to find out if I could write (Tom Toles could). The WAPO gave me the opportunity to find out and for that I will forever be grateful. -ML
Thanks for adding to “The WPWG Story” Mike.
Safe Havens continues to this very day, at Comics Kingdom.
I had the pleasure of coloring Fort Knox dailies since 2016 and Mike du Jour for a while, both through the blessing of knowing Amy Lago. You couldn’t find a more stark contrast in drawing styles. Paul Jon’s Fort Knox reflected (appropriately) military discipline with his technical art cleanliness and sealed shapes, a colorist’s best friend. Mike’s wonderfully free-form characters and word balloons without outlines required a more painterly approach on my part, but it was an equally enjoyable task. The differences between these two strips were superseded by what they had in common: consistently funny!
“and sealed shapes, a colorist’s best friend”.
Yeah, the pain bucket tool is pretty useless. Sorry I did that to you.
Frank, you are a wonderful colorist, cartoonist and friend. Glad my obsessive line work made your life just a bit more easy. Haha.
One of the greatest honors of my life was the time I spent as editorial assistant to Amy Lago at WPWG. It was hard but rewarding work and I cherish the relationships with the creators that WPWG and Amy fostered. A remarkable number of groundbreaking comics and editorial cartoonists got the oxygen and the audience they needed thanks to the vision of Amy and and the WPWG. I am truly saddened by this loss to the cartooning community.
These other comic strip syndicates survive today with WPWG now defunct:
Andrews-McMeel
King Features
Tribune Content Agency
Creators
Counterpoint
…and Chad Carpenter still self syndicates his Tundra comic strip.
Now you’ve made me curious: were Herblock and Tom Toles not syndicated by WPWG?
As far as I know “WPWG” was never a part of their byline or credit.
Theirs always read “Herblock The Washington Post” and “Tom Toles The Washington Post.”
Neither (afaik) were ever mentioned in the WPWG E&P Syndicate Directory ads.
I’m pretty sure Toles was with Universal (now AMS) for syndication.
From at least 1987 through the year 2000 “Herblock’s Cartoon” was distributed by Creators.
In the nerdly tradition of one-upmanship, let me add Shrubbery by Signe Wilkinson (2002-03) to your list of WPWG strips. It was somewhat editorial in nature as befits the title and creator, but formatted as a comic strip.
Thanks Allan; added to the list.
(Pretty sneaky throwing one out here that isn’t in The Book 😉
Hey, folks, just need to clarify one point: My last day at WPWG was July 1, 2022. I did not continue with The Post in any capacity after that.
Thanks for the correction Amy.
Amy was with me “spiritually” till the very end.
Still with you, PJB!!!