The End of an Era, Fox-style

FoxTrot to Cease Dailies
Kansas City, MO (12/05/2006) Bill Amend’s popular FoxTrot comic strip will go to a Sunday-only publication schedule as of Dec. 31, 2006, announced Universal Press Syndicate today. The last daily will be Saturday, Dec. 30. Reruns of dailies will be available for Web usage.
“After spending close to half of my life writing and drawing FoxTrot cartoons, I think it’s time I got out of the house and tried some new things,” said Amend. “I love cartooning and I absolutely want to continue doing the strip, just not at the current all-consuming pace. I’ve been blessed over the years with a terrific syndicate, patient newspaper clients, and more support from readers than I probably deserve, and I want to assure them all that while I’ll be now a less-frequent participant on the comics pages, I’ll continue to treat my visits as the special privilege they are.”
Amend, who started the strip in April, 1988, and who has more than 1,000 client newspapers, is taking time to pursue other creative outlets. “In addition to Sunday newspapers, we may see FoxTrot entertaining us in other kinds of media platforms,” says Lee Salem, president and editor of Universal Press Syndicate.
Amend has more than 30 published FoxTrot comic collections and has licensed his characters for calendars and wallpapers for cell phones. He was nominated in 2006 as a finalist for cartoonist of the year by the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award.
Creator(s): Bill Amend

I put that first in today's entry, mainly because I'm somewhat shocked, but mostly saddened at this news. Now, before we all get so emotional that we lose bladder control, FoxTrot is not going away, it's just moving to Sunday's only.

If you're anything like me, which thank God most people aren't, you've loved FoxTrot for years. I've got most of his books, from the very beginning. And yes, like most strips, you can see where the joke recycling began. It's obviously very difficult to maintain constant humor throughout the years, and Bill Amend has done a great job of just that.

Lately, new strips have risen and are gaining popularity. My personal favorite is Get Fuzzy, which I think everyone should read everyday. FoxTrot hasn't lost anything in terms of talent, it's merely been thrown into a much more crowded pool.

Amend claims a desire to pursue other aspects in life, and I wish him the best. You brought us a great comic strip, Mr. Amend, and I look forward to Sundays. Now, sir, have a great life.