New look for A-D comics lineup

Ho, ho, ho — or, more appropriately, ha, ha, ha.

Looking at the Sunday comics spread in today's edition, you'll see some significant changes have been made to the lineup. Gone are "B.C.," "Wizard of Id," "Marvin," "Frank and Ernest" and "For Better or for Worse." In their place: "Mutts," "Family Tree," "Get Fuzzy," "Luann" and "Zits."

Also, starting Monday, "Luann" replaces "For Better or For Worse," and "Beetle Bailey" shifts to the Classic Comics lineup, on the Monday-Saturday Features pages.

Why the changes? In general, the idea behind the revamp is to offer fresh, relevant and humorous strips. For example, "For Better or for Worse" ended its main story in September 2008. The strip is now a re-telling of the original story through a mix of old and new strips.

In contrast, "Luann," which debuted in 1985, features the daily drama of a suburban high school teenager and her real-life situations. Greg Evans, who writes and draw "Luann," won the 2003 Reuben Award as cartoonist of the year.

Also, there's something to be said for continuity; the five Sunday strips added also appear in the daily Appeal-Democrat. So now you can follow your favorite comics characters seven days a week.

As I've learned over the past three years, messing with the funnies is a dangerous proposition: readers feel very strongly about their comics. Give the changes a few weeks to sink in, then let me know what you think. Call 749-4718 or e-mail llabarth@appeal democrat com.

— Len La Barth, editor