Some answers to your comics questions

Here are answers to a few of the more common questions we received from readers who responded to our comics poll:

Why didn’t you do the survey online? Wouldn’t you get a better response that way, particularly among younger people?

Yes, we would have heard from more people – but not necessarily the people we wanted to hear from, the ones who actually read the comics in our newspaper (which do not appear on our website).

Online polls are prone to ballot-box stuffing, by people far removed from our circulation area (word travels fast among fans of particular strips); that’s why most newspapers have stopped doing them.

If anyone asked whether they could take our survey online instead, we e-mailed them a form to return. And when it comes time to rate the new strips we’re testing out, there will be an electronic option for that, too.

Why don’t you bring back Calvin & Hobbes, or The Far Side, or (insert name of other defunct formerly popular comic here)?

Those strips were discontinued by their creators long ago. Unlike Peanuts, “classic” reruns have not been made available to newspapers.

Why can’t the comics always be on the back page of the Today section?

They are, unless we have a full-page advertisement; prominent placement is part of what those advertisers are paying for.

What happened to the crossword puzzle that used to run in the Sunday comics?

That puzzle moved to our main classified ad section when the Sunday comics went to a four-page format; you’ll find it each week inside Section G.