If only we were that smart. Actually, we did plan to replace just two or three comics, using the survey to help us make decisions. But once we saw the great response to the survey and began considering our options, we decided to add strips.

It looks like most people don't like "Sylvia" and "Watch Your Head." Why not get rid of them now?

Both have high negatives, for sure. But there are some people who like them, too. "Sylvia," in particular, has folks who love it. Because we've expanded the lineup, they're safe, for now. But, as Stephen Colbert might say, they're "on notice." If another strip comes along we really like, "Watch Your Head," "Sylvia" and "Marmaduke" could be vulnerable.

When The N&O got rid of "Cathy," "Hagar the Horrible" and "Drabble," you said they were tired. So have they gotten better or have you changed your mind in bringing them back?

Our comics real estate has changed. When we dropped them in November 2006, we had 33 comics. We didn't think those three were as fresh as some others for the limited space we had at that time. Starting Jan. 14, we'll have room for 42 strips. So we can accommodate fresher strips and these old favorites, which some readers still ask about. Everybody wins.

Why are you putting "Mallard Fillmore" and "Candorville" on the comics page, when "Doonesbury" is on the op-ed page? Shouldn't all political strips be in the same place?

Doonesbury" has been a staple of The N&O op-ed page for decades. That's a tradition that our editorial-page staff wants to preserve. And the need to leave sufficient space on the page for articles precludes adding a second or third comic strip there.

But I don't think politics belongs on the comics pages.

We will be grouping all the edgier, controversial, political strips -- "Mallard," "Candorville," "Sylvia," "Watch Your Head" -- in the same area of the page. That way, readers who don't like politics on the comics pages can avoid that spot. It's worth remembering that there have always been strips, such as "Pogo," that dabbled in politics on the comics pages.

You have more strips that lean liberal than are conservative. Doesn't that show your bias?

"Sylvia" has a definite liberal point of view, and "Mallard" makes no bones about being conservative. "Candorville" is often branded liberal, though cartoonist Darrin Bell isn't afraid to take on the Clintons and other targets on the left, either. We'll also be testing "Prickly City" as a guest comic this year. It has a somewhat conservative viewpoint.

Why are we still going to do the guest comic program? Can't The N&O pick a lineup and stick with it?

Yes, we could select one comic permanently for the guest spot. But there are new strips being introduced all the time. You never know when one might be the next "Far Side," Calvin & Hobbes" or "Bloom County." Then again, sometimes a strip can look really good at first, but it doesn't live up to its promise over time. The guest comic program gives us a chance to take a strip for a test drive for four weeks and see how readers respond. We've seen some -- "Pickles" and "Red & Rover" -- that tested very well, and others -- "The Pajama Diaries" and "Cafe Con Leche" -- that did not.

Speaking of "Calvin & Hobbes," why don't you run reruns of those as you do "Peanuts"?

They're not available for syndication to any newspapers in the United States. If they were, we'd consider it, because we get this question a lot. That said, though, we don't think you want to get too many "classic" (aka rerun) strips in your lineup. Right now, we only have one -- "Peanuts," though "For Better or For Worse" is becoming more a hybrid of new content and recycled material. Still, if you look at the survey results, these are two of our most popular strips.

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