No laughing matter

WARNING: TODAY'S column does not ponder any weighty issues facing journalism today.

It will, however, address an important topic for many Globe readers: the Sunday comics.

The loyal and vocal constituency that claims allegiance to the Sunday funnies has been one of the few surprises for me during my first eight months as the Globe's ombudsman. The Globe's comics pages rank about third on this ombudsman's list of things most likely to prompt complaints from readers. (The top two are complaints about sourcing and accusations of political bias).

There were comments last fall when the Globe, in a cost-cutting move, eliminated two pages from the Sunday comics section -- one of strips and another from the Fun Pages. Readers immediately noticed the funnies were more crowded.

Then there were protests from a small group of Garfield loyalists who were angry that the Globe dropped the slothful cat, although he still appears on the Globe's website, Boston.com.

And then came the legions of Zippy the Pinhead fans -- and the strip's artist -- who complained that the Globe had shrunk the cartoon so much that it rendered the highly detailed style of Bill Griffith's artwork nearly impossible to appreciate.

''Comics drive a huge number of people to a newspaper," Griffith said last week. ''I put a lot of work and detail into my drawings and I need every centimeter I can get."

But the most recent revolt from readers has been over the page layout and distorted images of several cartoons over the last few weeks making the characters look even sillier than they're supposed to appear.

''It shows a total lack of respect for the artists who created these works," wrote Emily Flynn McIntosh, a medical illustrator who works for a hospital in Boston. ''I would be outraged if a publisher did that to my artwork. Make it smaller if you must, but don't manipulate another person's drawing."

Another reader, Jesse Kahn, added: ''I have difficulty reading them. Surely there is another way to structure the comics section that will allow the individual strips an appropriate amount of space."

The dozens of other readers who have offered similar complaints are right.

The Globe shouldn't distort a comic's image simply to fit a tight space. It's unfair to the artists and to the readers. The Globe's Sunday comics are selected and reviewed by deputy managing editors Michael Larkin and Ellen Clegg. The goal, Larkin said, is to offer a variety of styles and viewpoints that will attract a diverse audience.

''Whether it's the type of humor or drama or a single panel or a strip, we look for comics that are visually and creatively diverse," he added.

Some cartoonists try to negotiate clauses into their contracts that newspapers must run their strips at a certain minimum size, but the newspaper ultimately decides what size to use for its layout.

The Globe's layout dilemma began last year, with the decision to reduce the space devoted to Sunday comics but try to keep most of the strips in the section. Some strips were made smaller but their proportions were largely preserved.

The distortion problems began last month, when the newspaper contracted with a new printing company for the Sunday comics section.

The printing firm has had trouble with the current layout, which is designed by the Globe's advertising display desk.

Some help may be arriving soon.

Tim Borton, a manager on the Globe's advertising display desk who oversees the production of the Sunday funnies, said that in response to readers' complaints, the printing firm has agreed to redesign the section. The new format will appear two weeks from today.

Another change that readers should know: Boondocks, a strip that has appeared in the daily and Sunday Globe (and regularly elicits complaints from readers), will cease publication for the next six months at the artist's request. Larkin said that a new strip has been purchased to replace Boondocks in the daily section, but he's not sure whether it will also run on Sunday.

Here's a suggestion: Rather than maintain the same number of strips in a crowded design on Sundays, better to use the extra space to let some of that colorful artwork breathe. And that would also allow designers to restore the size of some of the smaller strips -- like Zippy.

That would be a better service for Globe readers and the artists whose work keeps them coming back to the newspaper looking for a laugh.

The ombudsman represents the readers. His opinions and conclusions are his own. Phone 617-929-3020 or, to leave a message, 929-3022. His e-mail address is ombud@globe.com.