I am not surprised. But maybe some of the male cartoonists, those that are still alive and popular, should speak out and support these immensely talented women!
GoComics has a sample of their women cartoonists. There are 15 in the sample, but it doesn’t give any idea of the total number. I tried to count the number off the Find Comics A-Z list, but there are too many where the sex of the cartoonists isn’t obvious from their name. Some years ago, I had way too much time on my hands, and counted the raw number of cartoons. At the time, it was about 500.
Two larger questions: How does GoComics select cartoons to run? And 2, how many women cartoonists are there? Or, rather, how many would there be if there were more opportunities?
My brother, some years back, canceled his subscription to the Houston Chronicle because they dropped Get Fuzzy in favor of BCN. The Chronicles explanation at the time it reorganized their comics page was that they were getting rid of old reruns in favor of new, up and coming cartoonist. Wallace the Brave was also added at this time. As of now, the Chronicle has a four page Sunday comics page and BCN is on the front page of that below the fold.
Frankly I’m amazed comic strips are still printed. I LOVE so many of them and would probably drop my printed newspaper but for comics but still amazed they exist
According to Statista, only 12% of Americans read newspapers, as of February, 2022.
Twice as many of these readers were male — 16% of all men read newspapers and only 8% of the women did. Men also led in consuming both cable and network news, online-only news and radio. But women had heavier social media participation.
This sad disparity (which supports some traditional “ditsy woman” social stereotypes) neither explains nor excuses the DailyCartoonist.com data, especially if we assume that all of these men reading newspapers were alive. (Granted, this assumption was sometimes questioned by stereotypical 1950’s housewives who attempted to converse with their husbands while they read newspapers at the breakfast table.)
One of the charms of Breaking Cat News is that it combines a well-drawn, witty, compassionate and family-friendly comic with an engaging and vital social media connection through “The Orb.” People have often noted that the kind (no pun intended) of social interaction and sense of community provided here are unique.
Newspapers may be going the way of the dinosaur ( — and like dinosaurs, may soon serve primarily as a source of “bad carbon footprint” fuel.) But BCN and the Orb are well-positioned to withstand a transition to a purely digital format, especially with continued Patreon support.
Sorry for my opinion, but I think, that posting comics on newspapers – it’s too outrated method and marking time. So I don’t see any problems, if women are less then dead men on funny pages… Newspapers are dead too. But maybe it in USA is still a thing. BCN must keep up with the times
GO GEORGIA!!!! ღƪ(ˆ◡ˆ)ʃ♡ƪ(ˆ◡ˆ)ʃ♪ You tell it, Tabitha! From its foundations the news is meant to be the nation’s “watchdog” to investigate and report on “government overreach and wrongdoing and to hold those in power accountable for their actions.” Now, true, while national comic syndication is not part of the “government,” its power should still be checked by the media to ensure it is treating comic artists equally and fairly. It is reasonable to posit that if women can be cut out of comic syndication, women can also be cut out of obtaining jobs traditionally reserved for males. Not so very long ago this was the case. We could regress if we’re not careful. Just my two cents.
I ♥ Tabitha. And Beatrix looks so cute in her outrage!
I still take a printed paper, but it’s local and while it has a crossword in it, there are no comics in it. I think it has 20 pages usually, mostly the stuff you find in rural papers and covers three or four little townships. It’s a chatty little thing and I like it, so I support it, but the only way I get my comics is online. BCN is the first in my timeline and the one I spend the most time on every morning because Georgia is a wonderful cartoonist and this community is family.
So does anyone know – are this weeks’ particular strips being run in newspapers? I know Georgia was worried that they wouldn’t run this protest and would instead print reruns.
Since more than 2% of physical paper subscriptions today are probably dead people whose heirs haven’t noticed they need their subscription cancelled yet, seems only fair that they run ancient cartoons by dead men. Oh dear. I’m hoping that rather than fixing the paper syndication model, which seems like a lost cause, they update cartoonists’ pay to reflect the fact that most people today read comics online.
Print edition newspapers are read by walking/talking fossils who only want to read Beetle Bailey or Blondie. And therein lies the rub. Excellent comics created by women are available, but you have to go search for them. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon Go-Comics, but now I can’t begin my day without coming here first.
I believe the future for comics is venues like Go Comics. We need to drive people here and pay the cartoonists fairly for their work. The more people who subscribe to Go Comics and pic BCN as one of the comics they follow, the better this venue can pay Georgia for her work.
As a woman, I honestly never counted how many of the strips I read are written by women vs men. I choose the strips for my feed based upon what I like, not on who writes them.
Totally unfair…Talented women need more opportunities to break through with their comics—the ‘old guard’ is just that…old and stale. Let the new comics help stem the tide of dead and dying newspapers nationwide!
Here’s a solution, for those cheapo, Newspaper CEO’s- Print all legacy comics separately, under the heading, Classic comics. The people, who still love them, can get their fix and maybe then you have room for the other comics!
Daily, I read BCN before the WAPO and the NYTimes. BCN reporters help me get an upbeat attitude for the rest of the day, no matter the headlines in other news sources.
We gave up on our subscription to the local printed paper years ago—delivery became very problematic and actual content was down to nearly nothing, so it wasn’t worth the cost. Not to mention the fact that the comics were so small we needed a microscope to read them! I don’t mind at all paying a subscription to someplace like GoComics to get the content I want in a format I can actually see. And I really love the fact that I can use Patreon to support artists like Georgia (who make my life a little happier every day!) directly.
When I was a wee thing, my dad would bring the NY Post home from work in The City, mostly so my sister and I could read the comics. On Sundays, though, we got the NY Times, which I thought was a terrible paper because it had no funny pages. My grandparents would save the Sunday strips from their local paper for us. Full color! We loved it.
These days I read the NY Times myself, and I’m so grateful for GoComics (full color!).
It would be great if somewhere in this discussion there was a clearly stated outline of of how exactly printed and online comics generate income for their authors.
I miss newspapers. When I want to pack something I have nothing to wrap it in. And when I want to paint something I have nothing to spread on the floor. Fortunately I don’t have a bird, so I don’t have to worry about the bottom of the cage.
I read the article on The Washington Post. I understand the need to make cuts but the way it’s done is biased against the very talented women who make up a small portion of the pool. Like many occupations, the comics were male dominated for a long time. So the available pool is smaller. That just means that we as readers need to make ourselves heard that much more.
For those wondering about who are women cartoonists, here is a partial list here on Go Comics from my own favorites list.Georgia Dunn, BCN!; Nancy Beiman, Fur Babies; Amanda El-Dewey, Amanda the Great; Huda Fahmy, Yes, I’m Hot in This; Brook McEldowney, 9 Chickweed Lane; Gwen Tarpley, Cat’s Cafe; T. Shepherd, Snow Sez; Angie Bailey, Texts from Mittens; Jan Sorensen, Opinion Cartoons. And many more I keep meaning to explore.
I’ve been acutely and painfully aware of the slow demise of print media, since my husband worked as a newspaper photographer and reporter when he was younger, was a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines, and eventually published and edited a scuba diving magazine that didn’t survive the shift from print to online writing. He constantly bemoans the death of the print format. He’s writing web content now — as am I.
Both of us are frightened by the way AI can direct people to news and social media that will just reinforce their existing beliefs. This can be a major force in the social and political polarization of the country. It inhibits productive dialogue. (In areas where people of different persuasions are able to mix — like the Orb — there’s often a “no political or religious discussions” rule. The current discussion of representation of women in comics is the exception that proves the rule…the topic only came up when it threatened BCN’s existence.)
Newspaper readership’s currently skewed towards an older demographic…so old as to have a substantial representation among a geriatric population that’s “set inits ways” and most comfortable with stuff that reminds them of their “glory days.” And they don’t want comics that they can’t understand, or that use humor to challenge their beliefs. Using reruns of favorite old comics works well in this environment. Newspapers don’t want to risk some geezer canceling his subscription because his favorite old comic was replaced by some wacky cartooning that deals with stuff he can’t understand.
Yes! So proud of Georgia for writing and running these strips. Wonderful to see Tabitha and Beatrix, especially speaking out for an important real-world bulletin!
This is one of the reasons I read my comics online. Newspapers are quite literally yesterday’s news. I mean, I did enjoy reading a newspaper years ago when there was no alternative, but now they’ve gotten so thin, so chintzy, and so mean with their content that I don’t bother. Our local paper, the Halifax Herald, longest running newspaper in Canada, has recently filed for bankruptcy protection. It’s not hard to see why. They’ve lost the classified market to Craigslist, Kijiji, and Facebook Marketpkace. They’ve reduced frequency from seven days a week to four (making old news even older). They’ve lost most of their advertisers. And because they’ve cut content back so much (including comics) that they’ve lost most of their readers as well.
Women cartoonists need to be represented more in the funny pages. Of course, what would really be great is if there were more syndicated comics done by autistic people or other people with special needs. (Are there any?) Now that would really be progressive.
I’m wondering how many of the newspapers that Georgia is currently in are going to print this arc. It will be interesting to find out, but I don’t know how. I suppose Georgia will be notified of the ones who refuse to publish this commentary. I can even see some of them putting it on the “editorial” page as an editorial cartoon!
I haven’t gotten a newspaper in 20 years…once comics started on the web, I’ve been reading all my comics on the internet. GoComics have made it easier. I also used to subscribe to Comics Kingdom, but they started charging too much, so I dropped them. I also go to Patreon and follow 3 comic creators. As for the sex of who writes them…I don’t care, as long as they’re good comics. If I don’t like the comic, I don’t follow them. I have dropped a few comics from GoComics because I just didn’t like them. I will on occasion go looking to see what’s new on here.
Georgia posted: "Facebook Menu“One of my local newspapers, ‘The Seattle Times’ ran Tabitha’s broadcast today! I’ve also heard that ‘The Houston Chronicle’ did as well! There was a worry before this week’s strips were submitted that some newspapers might not run them. I’m delighted to see and hear of newspapers who ran the broadcast! I suspect the “independent and locally operated for more than 127 years” helps in The Seattle Times’ case! Did your newspaper run it? I’m trying to find out how many did and if any opted out. If your newspaper ran it, PLEASE reach out and thank them!! I’m so grateful to every newspaper that kept these strips in their funny pages this week, and I’d love for them to get a lot of positive emails and messages about it! Pushing back on Gannett and other newspaper companies taking their newspaper editors’ choice of comics away and limiting them to 34 pre-selected strips is in all of our best interests—cartoonists, newspapers, readers, and newspaper editors alike! If your newspaper did run it, I’d love to get a picture of it if you don’t mind snapping a quick photo and posting it in the comments!A heartfelt thank you to ‘The Seattle Times,’ ‘The Houston Chronicle,’ and every other newspaper who ran these strips! I hope to get a list together for thank yous!”
OT: As a late celebration of BCN’s birthday last week I gifted my vet’s office with a copy of “Take it Away Tommy” and “Elvis Puffs Out” when I took Mac in for his follow up appointment today. They said everything was healing up good and he can eat crunchy food again if he wants, which will make everyone happy since I can now have that out again for them. He did still have a bit of inflammation so he has to go back in another month for another follow up to make sure that goes away.
I could hear the feedback as Tabitha’s transmission cut in. This isn’t just a Bulletin, it’s a Special Report. This is where the BCN universe connects with and influences the external, objective world (outside the Mega-Orb and its influences). There can and should be other comics universes where this occurs, including ones like Doonesbury where addressing the readers (not just cats watching cat television) is more common.
Sad but true. As much as I like Peanuts, it’s all available online and in books. Why does it need to be in newspapers over the work of living cartoonists? Newspapers are a dying medium, in part because they do nothing to attract new readers.
uncle snipe about 2 months ago
I am not surprised. But maybe some of the male cartoonists, those that are still alive and popular, should speak out and support these immensely talented women!
Ricky Bennett about 2 months ago
In a race between comic strip artists, the result was a draw…
Bill Thompson about 2 months ago
And what of the legacy strips? Cats should have nine lives, not zombie strips!
Sue Ellen about 2 months ago
I love the disgruntled look on Beatrix’s face.
Jacob Mattingly about 2 months ago
I support this. I needed to be done. Its one thing to do interviews, which is saying it like this hammers it in
Kitty Queen about 2 months ago
I’m in my 70s and I can’t believe I’m still fighting this bulls€¥₩
GreasyOldTam about 2 months ago
GoComics has a sample of their women cartoonists. There are 15 in the sample, but it doesn’t give any idea of the total number. I tried to count the number off the Find Comics A-Z list, but there are too many where the sex of the cartoonists isn’t obvious from their name. Some years ago, I had way too much time on my hands, and counted the raw number of cartoons. At the time, it was about 500.
Two larger questions: How does GoComics select cartoons to run? And 2, how many women cartoonists are there? Or, rather, how many would there be if there were more opportunities?
kangtourcat about 2 months ago
My brother, some years back, canceled his subscription to the Houston Chronicle because they dropped Get Fuzzy in favor of BCN. The Chronicles explanation at the time it reorganized their comics page was that they were getting rid of old reruns in favor of new, up and coming cartoonist. Wallace the Brave was also added at this time. As of now, the Chronicle has a four page Sunday comics page and BCN is on the front page of that below the fold.
FreyjaRN Premium Member about 2 months ago
Glass ceilings are shameful. Try getting along in life without women.
Liz the Lucky Premium Member about 2 months ago
OT (Does involve a cat, though.)
Dirty Dragon about 2 months ago
Sing it, sister!
(It’s an extremely fair cop.)
kaylin about 2 months ago
I hope that you will still continue to have your comics here. To me this sounds like a Goodbye…?
saobadao about 2 months ago
Frankly I’m amazed comic strips are still printed. I LOVE so many of them and would probably drop my printed newspaper but for comics but still amazed they exist
BarbaraKrooss about 2 months ago
According to Statista, only 12% of Americans read newspapers, as of February, 2022.
Twice as many of these readers were male — 16% of all men read newspapers and only 8% of the women did. Men also led in consuming both cable and network news, online-only news and radio. But women had heavier social media participation.
This sad disparity (which supports some traditional “ditsy woman” social stereotypes) neither explains nor excuses the DailyCartoonist.com data, especially if we assume that all of these men reading newspapers were alive. (Granted, this assumption was sometimes questioned by stereotypical 1950’s housewives who attempted to converse with their husbands while they read newspapers at the breakfast table.)
One of the charms of Breaking Cat News is that it combines a well-drawn, witty, compassionate and family-friendly comic with an engaging and vital social media connection through “The Orb.” People have often noted that the kind (no pun intended) of social interaction and sense of community provided here are unique.
Newspapers may be going the way of the dinosaur ( — and like dinosaurs, may soon serve primarily as a source of “bad carbon footprint” fuel.) But BCN and the Orb are well-positioned to withstand a transition to a purely digital format, especially with continued Patreon support.
dmah Premium Member about 2 months ago
Love seeing the Tabitha and Beatrix together, representing both present and future generations in the fight against gender inequality. Brava, Georgia!
WelshRat Premium Member about 2 months ago
Certainly right. Especially about reruns.
stairsteppublishing about 2 months ago
Of the 11 strips I read, 6 are by women, 5 by men. Five feature women, and two about cats and one cats and dogs.
Marusya Step about 2 months ago
Sorry for my opinion, but I think, that posting comics on newspapers – it’s too outrated method and marking time. So I don’t see any problems, if women are less then dead men on funny pages… Newspapers are dead too. But maybe it in USA is still a thing. BCN must keep up with the times
emiesty about 2 months ago
Very excited to see what the next five days will bring. Go Tabitha!
daDoctah1 about 2 months ago
How do we count “Rose Is Rose”? The cartoonist is a man, but the strip has a very female (and not stereotypically “ditzy”) focus.
ElliottB.C.Rennie about 2 months ago
I have some very “non-family friendly comments to make, but out of courtesy for young kittens I’ll just scream”DOWN WITH THE PATRIARCHY!”
Lady Bri about 2 months ago
GO GEORGIA!!!! ღƪ(ˆ◡ˆ)ʃ♡ƪ(ˆ◡ˆ)ʃ♪ You tell it, Tabitha! From its foundations the news is meant to be the nation’s “watchdog” to investigate and report on “government overreach and wrongdoing and to hold those in power accountable for their actions.” Now, true, while national comic syndication is not part of the “government,” its power should still be checked by the media to ensure it is treating comic artists equally and fairly. It is reasonable to posit that if women can be cut out of comic syndication, women can also be cut out of obtaining jobs traditionally reserved for males. Not so very long ago this was the case. We could regress if we’re not careful. Just my two cents.
I ♥ Tabitha. And Beatrix looks so cute in her outrage!
some idiot from R'lyeh Premium Member about 2 months ago
There’s an article on the Daily Cartoonist here:
www.dailycartoonist DOT COM / index DOT php/2024/03/17/the-funny-pages-phasing-out-females/
and an earlier look here:
https://www.dailycartoonistDOT COM /index DOT php/2024/02/24/the-real-gannett-conspiracy-chauvinism/
Mr. Organization about 2 months ago
Tabitha’s closing comment beautifully puts things in perspective.
Tigrisan Premium Member about 2 months ago
I still take a printed paper, but it’s local and while it has a crossword in it, there are no comics in it. I think it has 20 pages usually, mostly the stuff you find in rural papers and covers three or four little townships. It’s a chatty little thing and I like it, so I support it, but the only way I get my comics is online. BCN is the first in my timeline and the one I spend the most time on every morning because Georgia is a wonderful cartoonist and this community is family.
El-Kabong about 2 months ago
Adios, au revoir, auf wiedersehen.. goodbye!
cat19632001 about 2 months ago
So does anyone know – are this weeks’ particular strips being run in newspapers? I know Georgia was worried that they wouldn’t run this protest and would instead print reruns.
arolarson Premium Member about 2 months ago
Huzzah Georgia. Bravely done. Hope all the newspapers who still run BCN will be brave as well and run this week of strips.
Kitty Katz about 2 months ago
Meanwhile, Back on the Nile
Elvis-Anum: Time to work on the latest news scroll.
Beatrixia: I think Tabith-Isis has an editorial she wants to add.
*Enter Tabith-Isis*
Tabith-Isis: Bea is right. I want to write about an injustice in the newspapers in 2024.
Elvis: But that hasn’t even happened yet.
Tabs: So why wait till the last minute?
Bea: I agree we have to say something.
Elvis: Let’s hear what the Queen has to say.
Sometime Later
Queen Catshepsut the Golden: So you are saying that female cartoonists are grossly underrepresented in newspapers.
Tabs: That is so, Your Majesty. I intend to be proactive by a few centuries.
Queen Cat: And do you have an objection, Elvis.
Elvis: Not really. I just don’t see the point of writing about something that hasn’t happened yet.
Bea: But by showing our support, we will make our voice hears.
Elvis: There is that. Alright let’s add the editorial.
Thomios: And after that I’ll make tea and scones.
emiesty about 2 months ago
Slightly OT: Prince Valiant
rheddmobile about 2 months ago
Since more than 2% of physical paper subscriptions today are probably dead people whose heirs haven’t noticed they need their subscription cancelled yet, seems only fair that they run ancient cartoons by dead men. Oh dear. I’m hoping that rather than fixing the paper syndication model, which seems like a lost cause, they update cartoonists’ pay to reflect the fact that most people today read comics online.
Grace Premium Member about 2 months ago
Go Georgia, tell it like it is oops I mean Go Tabitha!
JohnTheFoole about 2 months ago
Checkout Lynda Barry…
Ignatz Premium Member about 2 months ago
Good for you, Georgia. Go for it.
WiiSportsPro21 about 2 months ago
Alert: Women must be part of strips!
Janet Gamble Premium Member about 2 months ago
I have tried nearly 15 times, over 30 years, to try and get my comic strip syndicated…no luck, at all!
rs0204 Premium Member about 2 months ago
Print edition newspapers are read by walking/talking fossils who only want to read Beetle Bailey or Blondie. And therein lies the rub. Excellent comics created by women are available, but you have to go search for them. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon Go-Comics, but now I can’t begin my day without coming here first.
I believe the future for comics is venues like Go Comics. We need to drive people here and pay the cartoonists fairly for their work. The more people who subscribe to Go Comics and pic BCN as one of the comics they follow, the better this venue can pay Georgia for her work.
WestNYC Premium Member about 2 months ago
Boycott Newspapers !
StoicLion1973 about 2 months ago
The newspapers are probably printing what people want to read. Equal opportunity does not yield equal results.
Just So So Premium Member about 2 months ago
As a woman, I honestly never counted how many of the strips I read are written by women vs men. I choose the strips for my feed based upon what I like, not on who writes them.
jrinnebraska about 2 months ago
Totally unfair…Talented women need more opportunities to break through with their comics—the ‘old guard’ is just that…old and stale. Let the new comics help stem the tide of dead and dying newspapers nationwide!
I AM CARTOON LADY! about 2 months ago
Here’s a solution, for those cheapo, Newspaper CEO’s- Print all legacy comics separately, under the heading, Classic comics. The people, who still love them, can get their fix and maybe then you have room for the other comics!
One Serious Cat about 2 months ago
Daily, I read BCN before the WAPO and the NYTimes. BCN reporters help me get an upbeat attitude for the rest of the day, no matter the headlines in other news sources.
rc_stone_1 about 2 months ago
Then be funnier than dead guys.
ladykat about 2 months ago
Georgia, you rock! So do Tabitha (long time no see) and Beatrix (ditto)!
cpiller Premium Member about 2 months ago
We gave up on our subscription to the local printed paper years ago—delivery became very problematic and actual content was down to nearly nothing, so it wasn’t worth the cost. Not to mention the fact that the comics were so small we needed a microscope to read them! I don’t mind at all paying a subscription to someplace like GoComics to get the content I want in a format I can actually see. And I really love the fact that I can use Patreon to support artists like Georgia (who make my life a little happier every day!) directly.
Miss Mina about 2 months ago
When I was a wee thing, my dad would bring the NY Post home from work in The City, mostly so my sister and I could read the comics. On Sundays, though, we got the NY Times, which I thought was a terrible paper because it had no funny pages. My grandparents would save the Sunday strips from their local paper for us. Full color! We loved it.
These days I read the NY Times myself, and I’m so grateful for GoComics (full color!).
Katzen1415 about 2 months ago
You’ve been preempted Elvis. Now for stories about women, by women.
rroxxanna about 2 months ago
<Loud applause, whistling, foot stomping, cheering>
Hurray, Georgia! Thank you !!!!! I hope this week’s strips become famous!
Alverant about 2 months ago
I hope Tabitha gives some examples of funny comics by women so we can check them out.
diskus Premium Member about 2 months ago
It would be great if somewhere in this discussion there was a clearly stated outline of of how exactly printed and online comics generate income for their authors.
2019faver about 2 months ago
This really sucks. That’s why I come here for my comics.
danielledopie about 2 months ago
Earth sure is special.
RonBerg13 Premium Member about 2 months ago
Yes, but how many women out of the population draw comics to start with?
Same for men…
Then we can talk percentages because we will have something to compare.
Banjo Gordy Premium Member about 2 months ago
Thicker black line to delineate cat characters certainly shows Georgia’s concern.
old_geek about 2 months ago
That’s not funny.
lauradolan about 2 months ago
I miss newspapers. When I want to pack something I have nothing to wrap it in. And when I want to paint something I have nothing to spread on the floor. Fortunately I don’t have a bird, so I don’t have to worry about the bottom of the cage.
pjsdoghouse2003 about 2 months ago
I read the article on The Washington Post. I understand the need to make cuts but the way it’s done is biased against the very talented women who make up a small portion of the pool. Like many occupations, the comics were male dominated for a long time. So the available pool is smaller. That just means that we as readers need to make ourselves heard that much more.
anomalous4 about 2 months ago
One “Like” is not enough. BRAVA, GEORGIA!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
JLChi about 2 months ago
The Chicago Tribune prints exactly one comic, “For Better or for Worse,” by a female, Lynn Johnston.
Their comics section is really bad. I read a few of their strips, like “Mutts,” but most aren’t worth the time.
bonita.eley about 2 months ago
Georgia Dunn is the best!
arolarson Premium Member about 2 months ago
For those wondering about who are women cartoonists, here is a partial list here on Go Comics from my own favorites list.Georgia Dunn, BCN!; Nancy Beiman, Fur Babies; Amanda El-Dewey, Amanda the Great; Huda Fahmy, Yes, I’m Hot in This; Brook McEldowney, 9 Chickweed Lane; Gwen Tarpley, Cat’s Cafe; T. Shepherd, Snow Sez; Angie Bailey, Texts from Mittens; Jan Sorensen, Opinion Cartoons. And many more I keep meaning to explore.
BarbaraKrooss about 2 months ago
I’ve been acutely and painfully aware of the slow demise of print media, since my husband worked as a newspaper photographer and reporter when he was younger, was a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines, and eventually published and edited a scuba diving magazine that didn’t survive the shift from print to online writing. He constantly bemoans the death of the print format. He’s writing web content now — as am I.
Both of us are frightened by the way AI can direct people to news and social media that will just reinforce their existing beliefs. This can be a major force in the social and political polarization of the country. It inhibits productive dialogue. (In areas where people of different persuasions are able to mix — like the Orb — there’s often a “no political or religious discussions” rule. The current discussion of representation of women in comics is the exception that proves the rule…the topic only came up when it threatened BCN’s existence.)
Newspaper readership’s currently skewed towards an older demographic…so old as to have a substantial representation among a geriatric population that’s “set inits ways” and most comfortable with stuff that reminds them of their “glory days.” And they don’t want comics that they can’t understand, or that use humor to challenge their beliefs. Using reruns of favorite old comics works well in this environment. Newspapers don’t want to risk some geezer canceling his subscription because his favorite old comic was replaced by some wacky cartooning that deals with stuff he can’t understand.
Daltongang Premium Member about 2 months ago
Georgia, Georgia, Georgia…….. Did you learn nothing from Space Balls?
Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the comic is made!
BCN News-the T-shirt,
BCN News-the Coloring Book,
BCN News-the Lunch box,
BCN News-the Breakfast Cereal,
BCN News-the Flame Thrower, (The kids love this one)
And last but not least, BCN News-the dolls.
Puck: “‘May the catnip be with you!’”
Who knows Georgia? God willing, we’ll all meet again in BCN News 2: The Search for More Money.
Le'letha Premium Member about 2 months ago
Yes! So proud of Georgia for writing and running these strips. Wonderful to see Tabitha and Beatrix, especially speaking out for an important real-world bulletin!
up2trixx about 2 months ago
This is one of the reasons I read my comics online. Newspapers are quite literally yesterday’s news. I mean, I did enjoy reading a newspaper years ago when there was no alternative, but now they’ve gotten so thin, so chintzy, and so mean with their content that I don’t bother. Our local paper, the Halifax Herald, longest running newspaper in Canada, has recently filed for bankruptcy protection. It’s not hard to see why. They’ve lost the classified market to Craigslist, Kijiji, and Facebook Marketpkace. They’ve reduced frequency from seven days a week to four (making old news even older). They’ve lost most of their advertisers. And because they’ve cut content back so much (including comics) that they’ve lost most of their readers as well.
cdpond. about 2 months ago
sometimes the funny business isn’t so humorous…
as85 Premium Member about 2 months ago
Every newspaper has the same comics now….so boring!
Red Bird about 2 months ago
Oh wow, that’s awful! The syndicate is a disgrace to the newspaper industry.
coffeeturtle about 2 months ago
Think of all the funny reading we missed out on!
GSD Mom Premium Member about 2 months ago
SHARED!
Pip'sMom Premium Member about 2 months ago
I wonder if comics by “dead guys” run because they are cheap. Anyone know if this is right?
tad1 about 2 months ago
Women cartoonists need to be represented more in the funny pages. Of course, what would really be great is if there were more syndicated comics done by autistic people or other people with special needs. (Are there any?) Now that would really be progressive.
azkfwecho Premium Member about 2 months ago
I’m wondering how many of the newspapers that Georgia is currently in are going to print this arc. It will be interesting to find out, but I don’t know how. I suppose Georgia will be notified of the ones who refuse to publish this commentary. I can even see some of them putting it on the “editorial” page as an editorial cartoon!
Hello Sweetie about 2 months ago
So 2% is not acceptable. What would be the acceptable percentage?
sisterea about 2 months ago
I have missed you immensely Tabitha, just a sad reason to have you back.
Robert Miller Premium Member about 2 months ago
I haven’t gotten a newspaper in 20 years…once comics started on the web, I’ve been reading all my comics on the internet. GoComics have made it easier. I also used to subscribe to Comics Kingdom, but they started charging too much, so I dropped them. I also go to Patreon and follow 3 comic creators. As for the sex of who writes them…I don’t care, as long as they’re good comics. If I don’t like the comic, I don’t follow them. I have dropped a few comics from GoComics because I just didn’t like them. I will on occasion go looking to see what’s new on here.
crazeekatlady about 2 months ago
OT: Comic Editorial
willie_mctell about 2 months ago
I’m a fat, old White, straight guy. I don’t understand why women get dropped from the comic page first. All of my favorites here are by women.
mepowell about 2 months ago
Georgia posted: "Facebook Menu“One of my local newspapers, ‘The Seattle Times’ ran Tabitha’s broadcast today! I’ve also heard that ‘The Houston Chronicle’ did as well! There was a worry before this week’s strips were submitted that some newspapers might not run them. I’m delighted to see and hear of newspapers who ran the broadcast! I suspect the “independent and locally operated for more than 127 years” helps in The Seattle Times’ case! Did your newspaper run it? I’m trying to find out how many did and if any opted out. If your newspaper ran it, PLEASE reach out and thank them!! I’m so grateful to every newspaper that kept these strips in their funny pages this week, and I’d love for them to get a lot of positive emails and messages about it! Pushing back on Gannett and other newspaper companies taking their newspaper editors’ choice of comics away and limiting them to 34 pre-selected strips is in all of our best interests—cartoonists, newspapers, readers, and newspaper editors alike! If your newspaper did run it, I’d love to get a picture of it if you don’t mind snapping a quick photo and posting it in the comments!A heartfelt thank you to ‘The Seattle Times,’ ‘The Houston Chronicle,’ and every other newspaper who ran these strips! I hope to get a list together for thank yous!”
Susanna Premium Member about 2 months ago
OT: As a late celebration of BCN’s birthday last week I gifted my vet’s office with a copy of “Take it Away Tommy” and “Elvis Puffs Out” when I took Mac in for his follow up appointment today. They said everything was healing up good and he can eat crunchy food again if he wants, which will make everyone happy since I can now have that out again for them. He did still have a bit of inflammation so he has to go back in another month for another follow up to make sure that goes away.
Aspen_Bell about 2 months ago
I could hear the feedback as Tabitha’s transmission cut in. This isn’t just a Bulletin, it’s a Special Report. This is where the BCN universe connects with and influences the external, objective world (outside the Mega-Orb and its influences). There can and should be other comics universes where this occurs, including ones like Doonesbury where addressing the readers (not just cats watching cat television) is more common.
Fennec! at the Disco about 2 months ago
Yes! Preach, Tabitha!
Eric S about 2 months ago
…and?
MRBLUESKY529 about 2 months ago
And that’s not funny.
Aladar30 Premium Member about 2 months ago
It’s unfair. This has to change.
Fluffy_and_Mervin about 2 months ago
Sad but true. As much as I like Peanuts, it’s all available online and in books. Why does it need to be in newspapers over the work of living cartoonists? Newspapers are a dying medium, in part because they do nothing to attract new readers.
jewlie about 2 months ago
There isn’t anything cute or funny to say about this. It just makes me mad!