As some of you are doubtless aware, the Portland Press Herald has been auditioning comic strips to replace the ubiquitous Peanuts (whose author has been dead for EIGHT YEARS!). I was recently informed that Mark Ricketts – a Maine-based cartoonist – had unsuccessfully lobbied to get a trial run for his daily strip, “Moose Mountain”. Moose Mountain is a strip about a dysfunctional Forest Ranger and his animal acquaintances. The story is set in Maine’s own Acadia National Park and the surrounding area.

Make no mistake: Moose Mountain is no “amateur” comic strip. Mark Ricketts is a successful, professional illustrator with a long resume. Residents of the Bangor area will recognize Mark as the creator of “Earl Hornswaggle” in the Bangor Metro monthly magazine.

In my view, Moose Mountain is superior to most of the test comics in both content and execution. The only qualification it seems to lack is the fact that it isn’t already syndicated. I think it's unconscionable that the Press Herald won't allow Moose Mountain to compete head-to-head with the other strips. Perhaps there's some underlying business reason that makes it difficult to include Moose Mountain in the test group: For example – a contractual agreement with a comics syndicate. If that’s the case, maybe a Press Herald editor can comment in this blog or elsewhere.

It seems to me that newspaper editors often fail to understand that syndicated cartoons wouldn’t BE syndicated unless an editor had taken a chance on them initially. Sadly, many Maine editors don’t seem to feel that the state has any homegrown talent: They’d prefer to publish the same content that’s available in USA Today. With this attitude, it’s not hard to see why the industry has been decimated by the Internet.

Click here to check out Moose Mountain by Mark Ricketts …

Click here for background info on the Press Herald comics contest …

If you agree with me, I urge you to email comics@pressherald.com and let them know that Moose Mountain should be allowed to compete.

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