Newport Daily News brings back beloved comic strips in 'page refresh'
One of my earliest memories of newspapers was sneaking a peek at the comics section before my mom and dad had a chance to read the paper. I was probably about 10 years old when this started.
I'd remove the rubber band and carefully check the index to find the correct page. My favorites were Family Circus (they had a lot of kids, like my family, and the mom had short hair, like my mom) and For Better or Worse (again, a big kooky family with neighbors and friends that felt familiar). When I was done, I'd carefully fold the paper back up to avoid the ire of Mom and Dad. As I got older, I branched out into reading Dear Abby, about high school sports, recipes (I've always loved cooking and baking) and, well, here I am today, working for newspapers.
In high school, the first boy I liked was a Calvin and Hobbes fan. He even had a bumper sticker on his car of Hobbes with the Grateful Dead bears! So I started reading that comic strip, too, just in case it ever came up in conversation with him (it never did, but I did grow to love Hobbes a lot, and the Grateful Dead a little bit).
So comic strips have a special place in my heart, and I know they do for many readers. For this reason, I'm thrilled to announce The Newport Daily News, along with newspapers across the company, will debut a refreshed comics page on Oct. 2. The decisions surrounding which new comics we offer were made after surveying and listening to our loyal readers.
The Newport Daily News will welcome back from old favorites, including Peanuts, Dennis the Menace, Hagar the Horrible, Pickles and For Better or Worse. And don't worry, some of the best will remain: Zits, Blondie, Garfield, Beetle Bailey, Baby Blues and Family Circus.
Alas, we do say goodbye to a few comic strips. But times change, tastes change, and as with everything we do, newspapers must adapt to better serve readers.
Of course, you can always check out a treasure trove of comic strips online at newportri.com/comics. And feel free to send me your thoughts at lynne.sullivan@gannett.com.
In the meantime, be sure to check out our stories about the history and evolution of comic strips.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Comics page: Newport Daily News brings back Peanuts, Dennis the Menace
