Columbus Dispatch unveiling new comics lineup for 2024

Michael Shearer, Columbus Dispatch
·3 min read

A print newspaper offers more than local news, sport scores and obituaries.

For decades, we've also published an array of daily and Sunday comics featuring a wide range of offerings that might make you chuckle or view a contemporary issue in a new light.

Mike Shearer is the new editor of The Columbus Dispatch.
Mike Shearer is the new editor of The Columbus Dispatch.

We're continuing that commitment in 2024 with a complete refreshment of our comic offerings focused on retiring strips that have fallen out of popularity and adding favorites that we've failed to include for reasons long since forgotten.

Our new comic choices are based on a survey of readers across the USA TODAY Network of publications and this unified package will be available in all of our newspapers. Additional comics will be available online. These changes have been planned for months before my recent arrival.

So, here's what we're changing beginning Jan. 29, and, yes, Snoopy and others are coming back.

On weekdays and Saturdays, we're adding: Argyle Sweater, Baldo, Born Loser, Close to Home, Curtis, Dennis The Menace, Lockhorns, Luann, Mother Goose, Mutts, Non Sequitur, Peanuts, Rose is Rose, Shoe and Wizard of Id. We're keeping B.C., Baby Blues, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Crabgrass, Crankshaft, Family Circus, For Better or Worse, Frank & Ernest, Garfield, Hagar The Horrible, Hi & Lois, Jump Start, Marmaduke, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Ziggy and Zits.

And we're dropping Agnes, Big Nate, Frazz, Get Fuzzy, Judge Parker, Marvin, Moderately Confused, One Big Happy, Overboard, Sally Forth, Sherman's Lagoon, Six Chix and The Middletons.

The following color comics will be added on Sundays beginning Feb. 4: Dennis The Menace, Ziggy, Marmaduke, Non Sequitur, Luann, Baldo, Frank & Ernest, Born Loser, Close to Home, Argyle Sweater, Mother Goose, Rose is Rose, Wizard of Id, B.C., Mutts, Curtis, Shoe and Lockhorns. We will continue to publish Baby Blues, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Crabgrass, Crankshaft, Family Circus, For Better or Worse, Garfield, Hagar The Horrible, Hi and Lois, Jump Start, Peanuts, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Zits.

On Sundays, we are dropping: Agnes, Caption it, Doonesbury, Flo & Friends, FoxTrot, Frazz, Get Fuzzy, Judge Parker, Marvin, One Big Happy, Prince Valiant, Red Rover, Sally Forth, Sherman's Lagoon, Shrimp & Grits, The Middletons and The Phantom.

If you're upset by this news, we understand. Change is not easy, and we've made many adjustments to the print newspaper in recent years based on our changing world and print readership trends.

When you think about it though, newspapers have been evolving since their debut centuries ago and will continue to adapt to the times. Change has been the only constant.

What's most important is for The Columbus Dispatch and Dispatch.com to continue to provide essential local journalism to central Ohio. These changes help with that mission while preserving a robust offering of comics.

The good news is additional comics are available at https://www.beaconjournal.com/comics, which redirects you to USA TODAY.

Reader feedback

Thanks to the more than 50 readers who sent me notes after my first column last week. I've tried to send at least a short reply to everyone and will address the common themes in a future column.

For now, keep the feedback coming.

Michael Shearer is the new executive editor of The Columbus Dispatch and Dispatch.com. He can be reached at mshearer@dispatch.com or 614-245-0358.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Dispatch unveiling new comics lineup for daily, Sunday