Donna Lewis changes syndicate to Counterpoint

DD read his Counterpoint email before I did this morning...

Donna Lewis – Reply All to Counterpoint, Reply All Lite Lost? – finding Lite update

D. D. Degg

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2024/03/02/donna-lewis-reply-all-to-counterpoint-reply-all-lite-lost/

 

 

WaPo doesn't understand comics 1: Today's Reply All LITE panel [CORRECTED]

 

... has the Scary Gary comic strip from May 18, 2019* squished into local cartoonist Donna Lewis' Reply All Lite's panel space. Lite only appears in the Post as far as I know, while the main strip is widely syndicated. Whoops. Lucky they don't think the comics matter anyway.

 

*Thanks to DD Degg for correctly identifying the substituted strip. In my defense, the original is only about 3" high in the actual paper.

Donna Lewis' Reply All vs Reply All Lite (updated 2x)

by Mike Rhode

This week, the Post switched from Donna Lewis' Reply All comic strip to her Reply All Lite comic panel.

I asked Donna if the panel was a modification of the strip, or all new, and she told me, "All new.  Never the same punchline as the strip. It began syndication March 20th, 2013 – after a year on the Internet."

"After I had been doing Reply All comic strip for a while, I began having lots of material I couldn't use at the time. Also, I needed a lot of practice learning to draw so I was drawing a lot of one off bits. At some point, I began posting the single panels for practice and to use material I liked and to build my Facebook audience. We realized in pretty short order that single panels get shared much more than strips, probably because there's no click or major investment of time required for a single panel. I was able to use the single panels to build my Facebook audience and, ultimately, the Lites were a whole lot of fun." 

I wonder if you're the only person to do the "same" strip as 2 different offerings. Some cartoonists like Wiley draw them so that the strip can be cut into a panel, but I've never heard of anyone doing it like you are.

"I just have a lot of material. I usually do 14 Lites a week. And, quite frankly, some punchlines are far funnier by themselves. Four panels are really much different (for me) than one panel. No set up puts all the pressure on the punchline. They're really fun to write."

I checked in with Amy Lago of the Washington Post Writers Group syndicate about Reply All Lite.

She says, "Lite has more of an online presence at this point.  The only place it’s running in print is the Washington Post.  Panels are notoriously harder to sell (because papers tend to run fewer), so that’s no surprise.  Our thought at the Writers Group was that Donna was creating them anyway, so why not try to syndicate them?  And judging by their popularity online, it was the right move.  I’m just not sure printed papers will catch on, though I’m thrilled the Post likes them."

Amy also says "I can’t think of anyone else who’s done two different versions of the same strip at the same time either," but D Heine has suggested Joe Martin's Mr. Boffo.

updated June 4, 2015

Donna Lewis profiles herself on GoComics

Meet Your Creator: Donna Lewis (Reply All, Reply All Lite)

 by Donna Lewis
GoComics on December 20, 2014
http://blogs.gocomics.com/2014/12/meet-your-creator-donna-lewis-reply-all-reply-all-lite-.html

At the end, Donna buries the news that her first book will be out in February.

PR: The Comic Arts Festival is only days away!

Local cartoonists appearing include Carolyn Belefski, Donna Lewis and Barbara Dale...

Dan Piraro from Bizarro Quick-Draw Jam Session just released! Get your tickets! Space is limited! Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. The Comic Arts Festival is this Sunday!  May 26th, 2013 Cartoonist Appearances from 10am-5pm. Street Festival begins at Noon!  Hundreds of cartoonists are descending on downtown Pittsburgh as the city plays host to the National Cartoonists Society Conference. It is the first time the prestigious organization has been to Pittsburgh in its almost 70 year history. In conjunction with the conference, The ToonSeum will be hosting the very first Pittsburgh Comic Arts Festival on May 26th from 10am to 5pm. *Street Festival begins at noon.  The festival will feature autograph and sketch sessions with over 60 of the nations top comic artist and cartoonists including such luminaries as: Partrick McDonnell of Mutts, Lynn Johnston of For Better or Worse, Tom Richmond of MAD Magazine, Brian Walker of Beetle Bailey, Dan Piraro of Bizarro and many more. The 900 Block of Liberty Avenue downtown will become a veritable living funny pages block party with visits from Betty Boop, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Dennis the Menace, and the Care Bears. Fun vendors, art activities, chalk artists and caricaturists and will round out the festivities and help to literally draw a crowd! 10:00am-11:00am at Toonseum Jan Eliot- Stone Soup Patrick McDonnell- Mutts Brian Walker- Hi & Lois 11:00am-12:00pm at August Wilson Center Brian Crane- Pickles Greg Evans- Luann Rob Rogers- Pittsburgh Post Gazette John Rose- Barney Google and Snuffy Smith  John Stevens- Caricatoonist Carolyn Belefski- Curls 12:00pm-1:00pm at August Wilson Center Paul Fell- Paul Fell Cartoons Jeff Keane- Family Circus Bunny Hoest- The Lockhorns, Laugh Parade, Howard Huge Bill Morrison- Simpsons Comics Laurie Triefeldt- World of Wonder Sandra Bell-Lundy- Between Friends 1:00pm-2:00pm at August Wilson Center Donna Lewis- Reply All Comic Tom Richmond- Mad Magazine Mark Tatulli- Lio  Jerry Van Amerongen- Ballad Street Greg Walker- Beetle Bailey 1:15pm-2:15pm at Bricolage Women in Cartooning Panel Cathy Guisewite- Cathy  Lynn Johnston- For Better or Worse Terri Libenson- The Pajama Diaries Hilary Price- Rhymes with Orange Jen Sorensen- Slowpoke 2:00pm-3:00pm at August Wilson Center  Jason Chatfield- Ginger Meggs Barbara Dale- Dale Cards Jeff Knurek- Jumble "That Scrambled Word Game" Mo Willems- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus  NEW EVENT! Just Added! 3:15pm-4:15pm at Bricolage Dan Piraro- Bizarro Quick-Draw Jam Session!  3:00pm-4:00m at August Wilson Center Daryll Collins- Scholastic, Highlights and Boys Life Paul Combs- Drawn by Fire John Hambrock- The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee- King Features Bill Holbrook- On the Fast Track  Jim Horwitz- Watson Rick Kirkman- Baby Blues 5:00pm-6:00pm- at August Wilson Center  Andrew Farago- Curator, Cartoon Art Museum Michael Jantze- The Norm Mahendra Shah- "I Said it Too" Rick Stromoski- Soup to Nutz Go to http://pghcomicartsfest.com for more info!  Women in Cartooning Panel As part of the celebration "Rhymes with Orange" cartoonist Hilary Price has brought together a panel of some of the nation's best known women cartoonists including: Cathy Guisewite, Cathy Lynn Johnston, For Better or Worse Terri Libenson, Pajama Diaries and Jen Sorenson, Slowpoke 1:15-2:15pm at Bricolage http://womenincartooning .eventbrite.com VIP Comic Arts Festival Pass With your special VIP pass you are able to attend two private parties with nationally syndicated cartoonists, reserved seating for panels and much, autographed merchandise and much more!  http://comicvip .eventbrite.com Dan Piraro Quick-Draw Jam Session The Toonseum has one more trick up their sleeve with this last minute Quick-Draw Jam Session with none other then Dan Piraro! Piraro is the mastermind behind syndicated comic strip Bizarro. Watch Piraro fight against time as he creates original art right before your very eyes. 3:15pm-4:15pm at Bricolage http://piraroquickdraw .eventbrite.com              With Special Thanks to Jean Shulz 65 Years of Legends Exhibit at the Toonseum The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh's Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art will be exhibiting seven decades' worth of original art  from cartooning's highest honor, The Reuben Award.  This is the first time in the organization's history that original art from these legendary artists has been assembled in one exhibition. Rare works seldom seen by the public from artists such as Gary Larson of Far Side, Charles M. Schulz of Peanuts and many more will be displayed. The exhibit will open at 10am at the Toonseum on May 26th. Admission will is $5.00 for adults. $1.00 for children. Free under 6.  pghcomicartsfest.com  follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend

Local cartoonists and the 9-11 comic strip

Comic Riffs recently ran an article about comic strips doing a 9-11 commmemorative. We've got four strip local creators, so I asked them - are you doing a 9-11 strip?

Donna Lewis of "Reply All":

Yes. :-)

USA Today has a preview panel here and they included a panel of mine. :-) (very honored).

Richard Thompson of "Cul de Sac":

No, I didn't do one. I couldn't find a graceful way of putting a 9-11 comment into the small world of Cul de Sac that didn't diminish the commentary and the strip. The one cartoon on 9-11 that's stayed with me over the last decade is a Tom the Dancing Bug from a few weeks after the actual event. It's here. I couldn't offer anything as eloquent as that. For what it's worth I'm going to post three old cartoons I did on 9-11 on my blog.

Gene Weingarten, writer of "Barney & Clyde":

Yep, we have one.

Kevin Rechin, artist of "Crock" could not be reached for comment.

Cul de Sac and Reply All pick up papers

Congratulations, friends!

Meet Lizzie, the latest addition to the Pioneer Press comics page lineup (this is an interview with Donna)
By Molly Guthrey, Pioneer Press 08/27/2011
http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_18763817?nclick_check=1

'Cul de Sac' returns to E-N; Sunday strip that ran on a trial basis in 2008 chronicles the life of a chatty preschooler.
By René A. Guzman
 San Antonio Express-News August 28, 2011
 http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Cul-de-Sac-returns-to-E-N-2141635.php

Donna Lewis' Reply All starts in Post on Monday

Donna Lewis' Reply All starts in the Washington Post on Monday; it's replacing Watch Your Head.

Here's the interview I did with Donna last year. I'll be asking her another set of interview questions this coming week, but she'll be on the Washington Post's chat on Monday so you can ask your own questions.

Donna Lewis profiled in Baltimore paper

Spankin'-new syndicated Washington cartoonist Donna Lewis is profiled... in a Baltimore paper! Oh, the shame. I did interview her on the City Paper blog before she was syndicated. Anyway, check this out -

Donna Lewis' A Comic Life
Rochelle Eisenberg
Baltimore Jewish Times January 21, 2011
http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/cover_story/donna_lewis_a_comic_life/22699

Donna Lewis' Reply All comic strip launches

Washington continues to be an incubator for comics strips, and they're not coming from the University of Maryland's Diamondback (Liberty Meadows, Boondocks, Watch Your Head) all the time now.

Local cartoonist Donna Lewis' Reply All comic strip will launch soon from the Washington Post Writer's Group. The strip is described as "Reply All is about those moments in today's information-overloaded environment when you forget your adult-self and toss the megaphone to your fifth-grade inner child. The strip explores the value of honesty, the power of knowledge and the impact of a bad-hair day on one's self-perception." It launches on February 28. Donna recently told me that she's reworking her earlier webcomics because she thinks her art has improved.

Congratulations, Donna! My interview with her quoted in the PR is here.