‘Dustin’ takes spotlight in weekday comics pages

Today we begin testing another new strip on our weekday comics pages.

“Dustin,” by Steve Kelley and Jeff Parker, revolves around an unemployed college graduate who moves back in with his family – lawyer father, radio talk show host mother and overachieving teen sister – while deciding what he wants to do with his life.

It might remind you a little bit of “Zits,” the most popular comic in our recent reader survey. Imagine Jeremy going through four years of college without gaining much in the way of maturity or a work ethic.

While Dustin himself may not be much of a success, the comic certainly is. Within a year after its launch in January 2010, it was running in a record 300 newspapers, and it’s one of the National Cartoonist Society’s three nominees for 2011 Strip of the Year.

For now, “Dustin” replaces “Pickles,” which had been running on a trial basis for the past three weeks in place of “Get Fuzzy.”

Yes, “Pickles” fans, we know you’ll miss it. Given its rousing reception, particularly among our loyal longtime readers, there’s a good chance it will be back again, one way or another.

But in the meantime, we’re sticking to our plans to test a few other strips to make sure we get the best possible comics lineup for everyone.

We’ll begin reader voting on “Dustin” in two weeks, after you’ve had a chance to become familiar with it.

Meanwhile, this is the last week to cast your votes on “Off the Mark.” A new test comic will begin running in its place next Monday.

To vote, call (509) 459-3814 or email comics@spokesman.com and rate “Off the Mark” on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best. Don’t forget to tell us your age and gender.

And thanks for your help.