After nearly two years of debilitating cutbacks, the community of alternative-weekly cartoonists suffered another setback when Village Voice Media (VVM) suspended publication of all comic strips.
This is a devastating blow to cartoonists such as Max Cannon, Tom Tomorrow, Jen Sorensen, Derf, Lloyd Dangle and others. They see this as the beginning of the end of their industry, or so they say on their various blogs and message boards.
Derf (creator of “The City“) wrote, “We have reached the apocalyptic final struggle for the future of cartoons.”
Tom Tomorrow (“This Modern World”) has been commenting on what he perceives as a general lack of appreciation for alt-weekly cartoonists: “The only way cartoonists could get even less respect would be if we presented our work in the form of handmade knit doilies thrust upon random strangers on the street.”
And then there’s Max Cannon (“Red Meat”), who wrote the central essay of the debate. It’s an open letter called “The Alternative Comic Apocalypse Has Begun,” which begins with Cannon complaining that he has “slaved for many years” to bring us his comic strips.
