Comics lovers! Make sure to buy a paper this Sunday
Once upon a time, a newspaper was delivered to my house every day. Yes, a tangible, printed newspaper appeared on my doorstep every morning — it wasn’t something I read in my inbox, or scanned on Twitter. I have clear memories of sitting at the breakfast table with my parents, chowing down on Eggo waffles and casually asking them for the Everyday Section — the section with the comics, or the “funnies” as they called them.
My favorite comics were Garfield and Peanuts, of course, plus Family Circus, Hi and Lois and Beetle Bailey. I strongly identified with the old lady characters, like Lola and Maxine. Eventually, Fox Trot and Baby Blues and Zits came along and really rounded out my morning ritual.
If any of this rings true with you, prepare to re-live your childhoods this Sunday, when hundreds of papers around the U.S. publish a 16-page insert of classic newspaper comics. I could not be more excited! The insert celebrates the 100th anniversary of King Features Syndicate, the company that puts some of our favorite comics into syndication. They’re responsible for the continual run of classics like Blondie, Mutts, and Zits.
Brendan Buford, an editor at King Features, is one of the faces responsible for the insert. He hopes it will showcase the “amazing impact” the company and its comics have had “on a century of pop culture.” When he’s not making my childhood dreams come true, Buford works with the cartoonists behind 65 of the country’s most beloved syndicated strips, which are published in over 2,800 newspapers in 72 countries. He also works to expand the comics into other mediums, like books, films, and even musicals.
“The thing about comic strips is that they are all the same enough and different enough,” he told the New York Times. In other words, one comic might best come to life as a live action film, while another as an animated feature. “We’re totally agnostic. It all depends on the creative think.”
I think what I loved most about reading the comics as a kid was the simplicity. The jokes were quick, but effective; the pictures simple but full of story. I’m sure I didn’t understand why they were funny half of the time, but I enjoyed being in on an adult pastime: reading the morning paper. So join me this Sunday! Grab your Eggos and prepare for some good old-fashioned Sunday morning laughs! It might have felt like an adult pastime when we were kids, but this Sunday it will likely feel like being a kid again.
[Featured image via Instagram]
