In its ongoing quest to either keep or replace the revamped comic strip "For Better or For Worse," the L.A. Times is testing out a handful of potential replacement strips. Next up: "Luann."
Greg Evans is behind "Luann," about a suburban 16-year-old high school girl and her family. "Luann" is actually an aging strip, having been started in 1985. I'm actually surprised the Times included this one in their mix; the paper has been pretty good at focusing on mostly new comics for its auditions (granted, that hasn't gone so well... last time the paper tried out a bunch of strips, during a "Doonesbury" hiatus, none were selected).
Before "Luann," the L.A. Times was testing out "Between Friends," a strip that happened to be focusing on a storyline about spousal abuse during its LAT run. Uh, ha-ha?
Newspaper readers take their comics seriously -- and unfortunately the most vocal ones tend to get pissed off when mediocre strips are banished. Take this comment on a recent L.A. Times Readers' Representative blog post about the comics changes:
I have been reading the Times comics for over 30 years. I don't know how you choose a strip but it must not be by reading them first. Between Friends is just awful.
Luann use to be in this paper and it's better that what you tried so far.
And while I'm at it has anyone ever in the history of time actually laughed at Ballard Street? That strip is just not funny.
Bring back Mother Goose. That is one clever cartoon strip. Or Garfield. Why did you cut those?
You may as well get rid of Prickly City, La Cucaracha and Candorville while your at it. They suck.
Posted by: Jerry Shain | November 12, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Wait, is that you, Lee Abrams?
1 comment:
I agree........please keep LUANN - very true
to life and interesting, amusing challenges.
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