'Doonesbury' goes on hiatus, 'Family Tree' goes bye-bye

If you haven't read the Sunday funnies yet, please read this first.

And if you have read them already, please read this before you call to express dismay or delight.

Those will be the two emotions expressed by regular comics readers when you discover that "Doonesbury" is gone beginning today. Creator Garry Trudeau is a love 'im or hate 'im kind of cartoonist, it seems, beloved as an insightful commentator on the ills of the world or blasted as a knee-jerk liberal who delights in taking conservatives to task.

Whichever view you hold, here's the deal:

Trudeau and his "Doonesbury" characters are taking a 12-week sabbatical. And although we were offered "reruns" to fill the void, I opted to try out a couple of new strips instead.

The other comic that is gone from the funnies beginning today is "The Family Tree," an experiment that failed based on comments we've gotten from readers. I had high hopes for the new comic created by Pulitzer Prize winner Signe Wilkinson when it debuted in January, but neither the artwork nor the commentary has lived up to my expectations.

So today we introduce two new comics:

* "Tundra" is the creation of Chad Carpenter, who grew up in Alaska. In the late 1980s, Carpenter ventured to Sarasota, Fla., where he had the opportunity to meet cartoonists Dik Browne, creator of "Hagar the Horrible," and Mike Peters, the creator of "Mother Goose & Grimm." With some tricks of the trade from Browne and encouragement from Peters, Carpenter returned to his native Alaska and launched "Tundra."

Since its creation in 1993, "Tundra" has been published in newspapers throughout Alaska, Canada, the rest of the United States and even a few in Europe. For more samples, go to www.tundracomics.com.

* "The Other Coast" also comes from the North -- although not quite as far north. Adrian Raeside is a New Zealander who now lives in Whistler, British Columbia, and has been an editorial cartoonist for the Victoria Times Colonist for more than 28 years. His editorial cartoons appear in more than 250 newspapers and magazines worldwide, from the Los Angeles Times to Newsweek Japan, while "The Other Coast" is syndicated in about 200 newspapers around the globe.

To see more of his editorial cartoons and other work, you can check out www.raesidecartoon.com.

Last call for 'Unsung Heroes'

This will be the 10th year we present the One World, One Valley Awards -- and there is still time to nominate someone who makes a true difference in our communities.

These are the people I call the "worker bees" -- those who serve others and bring people together, not because there's a reward in it but simply because they believe it's the right thing to do.

The annual awards honor those who epitomize the spirit of One World, One Valley, who help bridge the gaps between the diverse people in our area.

And we need your help.

There's a nomination form on Page 6D in today's Yakima Herald-Republic, and the deadline to get it in to us is Wednesday, March 26.

The mailing address is listed at the bottom of this column, or you can fax it to 577-7767. You can also send the information by e-mail to msmith@yakimaherald.com.

And then you can join us at 6:30 p.m. April 21 at The Seasons performing arts center when we recognize all of this year's nominees and name the recipients of the 2008 One World, One Valley Awards.

* Sarah Jenkins is editor of the Yakima Herald-Republic. If you have a question or concern, you can reach her at 577-7703; P.O. Box 9668, Yakima WA 98909; or sjenkins@yakimaherald.com. You can also comment on this column in her blog, at sarahj.yakimablogs.com.

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