Missed It: Washington City Paper Brings Back Alt-Strips

Michael Cavna at Comic Riffs has the press release up from Washington City Paper whereby that publication is celebrating the return of a comics page. Starting with the issue coming out late last week, WCP is running a page with The City (Derf), Clown Time (Shawn Belschwender), Wondermark (David Malki) and Up All Night (Michael Kupperman). They will continue to run Ben Klaasen's Dirt Farm in its own location within the paper.

As the press release explains, the publication's comics were the victim of cost-cutting moves when the publication was purchased by alt-paper giant Creative Loafing. What's funny about that explanation is that the PR seems to be saying that the cuts were more easy than wise. The addition of the comics page is part of an overall redesign at the publication. Once a thriving home for off-kilter comic strips from a variety of skilled practitioners such as Matt Groening, Lynda Barry and Tony Millionaire, the alt-weekly has declined sharply simply in number of slots given over for the cartoonists working that specific field, driving several cartoonists from the field or to readjust what they do for different audiences and more modern expectations. The pillow to the head that was this extended development was one of the more important and least talked-about developments in art comics publishing over the last decade, and it's good to see a paper move in the other direction.
 
posted 9:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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