To our readers: We’re replacing ‘Non Sequitur’ with ‘Nancy’ – here’s why
The News Tribune and The Olympian will no longer publish the “Non Sequitur” comic strip by Wiley Miller.
On Feb. 10, Miller included in his strip a profane phrase aimed at President Donald Trump. The phrase, written in small letters in the bottom corner of one panel, was missed by editors at the syndicate that distributes “Non Sequitur.”
Because comic strips are handled by outside vendors, News Tribune and Olympian editors do not review the content before publication and must trust the content creators to maintain appropriate standards. In this case, we no longer have that trust. We apologize to our readers who viewed the inappropriate content.
Beginning Monday (Feb. 18), readers will see in place of “Non Sequitur” the comic strip “Nancy” by an artist who uses the pseudonym Olivia Jaimes.
“Nancy” is a rebooted version of a comic that owes its origin to a strip called “Fritzi Ritz,” which was created in 1922 by Larry Whittington. Ernie Bushmiller took over “Fritzi Ritz” in 1925, and on Jan. 2, 1933, he added a character named Nancy as the niece of the Fritzi Ritz character, who was a 1920s-era flapper. Bushmiller then evolved the strip into “Nancy” in 1938.
Bushmiller died in 1982 and has been followed by six other cartoonists. Jaimes, who took over the comic in April last year, is the first woman to draw the strip.
The primary characters are Nancy and her best friend Sluggo, both 8 years old. Nancy lives with her Aunt Fritzi.
Jaimes’ version of the strip has drawn praise for bringing the characters into the 21st Century by introducing cellphones, computers, earbuds, social media, robots and other aspects of modern life.
“I’m here to tell you that there is a new ‘Nancy’ in town, and she’s amazing,” said Shena Wolf, acquisitions editor for Andrews McMeel Syndication, in a press release. “She’s stubborn. She’s funny. She’s still got her iconic red hair bow, but she’s also got a cellphone. This is a modern take on a classic character, and the results are breathtakingly funny.”
Jaimes also tried to establish a different tone. Her first strip featured Nancy eating some cornbread.
“I went back and I looked at the end of (previous “Nancy” cartoonist) Guy Gilchrist’s run. Nancy as a character had drifted from where I envision her, in that the Nancy I know and love is a total jerk and also gluttonous and also has big feelings and voraciously consumes her world,” Jaimes said in a November interview with vulture.com. “And I was like, I need to do a character-reset week. Just kinda being like, here’s who Nancy’s gonna be right now. And also, I love cornbread. So, that’s it. That’s the reason. I wanted to reset expectations and pay homage to my favorite food.”
“Nancy” will appear daily and Sunday on the comics pages of The News Tribune and The Olympian.
This story was originally published February 15, 2019 at 1:27 PM with the headline "To our readers: We’re replacing ‘Non Sequitur’ with ‘Nancy’ – here’s why."
