Wednesday, June 24, 2009

DISTRESSING NEWS


I just found out that the Kansas City Star is running a comics poll, asking readers which features they should get rid of. That's cool, people do that all the time and I usually fare well. But in this case, they start by saying, here is a list of ten comics we think suck, pick your five least favorite so we can know which ones to kill.

Ouch. How the hell did Bizarro get on a list with B.C., Beetle Bailey, For Better or for Worse, Cathy, Mark Trail, Marmaduke, Real Life Adventures, Shoe, Wizard of Id? I'm really offended by this. Most of these features aren't even written or drawn by the original creators anymore.

Anyway, if you want to put in your 2 cents, one way or the other, here is the link:
http://www.kansascity.com/851/story/1266665.html

I'll let you know how it turns out.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cheeeeezis! No WAY does Bizarro deserve to be on that list. Don't worry man, we're all going to help fight this injustice.

Adam Quiney said...

Eh!

Not only do I think that your comic doesn't suck - I would say it's one of the best at mixing high-brow with low-brow humour. Plus we get a scavenger hunt every day!

I also really like your blog - I don't necessarily agree with everything you say, but I appreciate that it is always well thought-out, internally consistent, and self-deprecating.

You don't suck, you rock yo!

Unknown said...

Those jerks! All those others just hit the copier with the old strips, replace the words "Phonograph" with "iPod" and send it in.
You work hard at this and your dedication shows in a funny, smart, and edgy strip that I enjoy and appreciate.
Kansas-bah!

Anonymous said...

I don't know how you could have ended up on the same list as 'Beetle Bailey', 'Mark Trail' and 'Shoe'. You should certainly be in better company.

Anonymous said...

Dan, while this is offensive I don't think you're at risk. Check out the comments in the story and you'll see what the readers think. (BTW, my fave comment was: "If you want to cut comics, the best ones to drop are those featured on your editorial board.")

PMMDJ said...

Dear lord. Yours doesn't even belong in the same zip code as Marmaduke.

Jessica Samantha said...

Oh my gosh, tell that stupid Kansas WHATEVA loser group that they're the ones who suck, and that Bizarro is the funniest comic in the whole fricken newspaper... followed by Baby Blues. I'm just joking, Bizarro is my fave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAY NO TO BIZARRO VOTED OFF!!!!!!

dwpbike said...

i refuse to read any comic with a dead creator.

Shoshanah Marohn said...

Wow. That's a real blow. What a bunch of idiots.

It's like one of those puzzles where you're supposed to figure out which thing doesn't fit in the grouping- Bizarro does NOT belong on that list!

Soren B said...

As a former 17-year Kansas Citian, I have to say that only three comics make that two-page section of the Star worthwhile: Bizarro, Non Sequitur, and Real Life Adventures. Everything else is just packing material.

KarylMiller said...

Dan I just put in my vote and also gave them a piece of my mind. These newspaper eds. really have their heads up their asses and their including Bizarro on their list just proves it.

Toby Rush said...

"Below is a list of 10 comics that are no longer authored by their creators or are revisiting old story lines, are similar to others on The Star’s comic pages, or that we think are tired."

Since no one in their right mind would call Bizarro "tired" or similar to anything, and assuming you are still the original Dan Piraro, I can't help envisioning some stodgy old editor looking at it and saying, "Hey, he's revisiting that 'pie' story line again!"

It doesn't look like the survey website cares whether or not you're a subscriber to the Star, by the way...

croque-mort said...

Bad taste generaly takes the place of inspiration when talent is missing. I have never heard of any name figuring on that list (I'm french living in France with an horrible accent even in writing), except yours, and the only corpse I see in that "trick" is humour's one. I'm going to prepare the coffin.

matts2 said...

Voted, then noticed they had this link (http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2009/06/23/15/Star_Comics.source.prod_affiliate.81.pdf) to their first color comics pages. They had some of the worst comics of the day.

doug nicodemus said...

well that is in bad taste

Anonymous said...

been reading your blog for two days now, you rock! i just put in my vote for ya! (or against the opposition anyway)

patrick said...

If that list was one of those tests in which you have to choose what doesn't fit, Bizarro would certainly be my choice. Those other comics are old and tired, while Bizarro is still fresh and vital.

b0b said...

And they're keeping Garfield? Idiots!

dmbaer said...

Dan, you'll just have to accept the fact that in comics, like everything else, there's a process of natural selection that allows some things to survive and others to die off. This is just the way ... hey, wait a minute, did you say this is in Kansas?

Anonymous said...

Dan, Bizarro is still the best comic on my list. People like that just dont understand.

rock on, looking forward to seeing more :D

Joe Mastroianni said...

i agree.
they have no idea what they are talking about.

i wouldn't think twice about this dan.

Reddist said...

As a Kansas Citian myself, I'd be disgusted if they kept Mark Trail and booted Bizarro. Bleck. Who still reads that? You got my vote.

Anonymous said...

I just left my comment- Bizarro is #2 of my personal top three comics of all time - #1 being The Far Side and # 2 Calvin & Hobbes.

Dan, you are a genius!

Michael Tallon said...

What do you expect when you express liberal views in KANSAS CITY?!

Anyway, I still went onto the site and voted for the 5 most nauseating (excluding Bizarro, of course), and in the comment box wrote, "Save Bizarro!" Good luck!

Incorporeal Bob said...

Survey technique includes having one or more choices that don't make sense or are way off the scale. Kind of like a control group in a lab experiment. Nothing to worry about.

Thomas B said...

"Tired" comics? Well, why isn't Garfield on that list? All it takes to "write" that clunker is four or five rubber stamps, the same background, and a weak punchline regarding "tiredness", "laziness", "hunger", and "Jon Arbuckle being a deranged lunatic".

May this get worked out in your favour, Dan!

David said...

I am stunned that you would be on that list. Really I don't know what to say.

Ivana said...

they took your comic off my paper in singapore and i stopped reading it. these dudes haven't a clue what they're doing.