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.

Why didn't you let readers vote on all the comic strips? I really hate "Lio" and wanted to vote against it.

We selected 10 current strips that, for different reasons, we wanted feedback about. "Peanuts" was all reruns. "For Better or For Worse" was changing to a mix of new and old. "B.C." had lost its original cartoonist in the past year. "Shoe" also is no longer drawn by its creator. "Sylvia," "Watch Your Head" and "Family Circus" generate a good bit of negative feedback. We wondered whether "Hi & Lois," "Curtis" and "Marmaduke" were showing their age. Beyond these, we knew we didn't want to drop any of the others now. They were safe, so why put fans through worry that they might be gone? And yes, "Lio" does have plenty of fans.

I don't want my children seeing certain content in the comics. Shouldn't these be for kids?

Absolutely, some should be for children, and we have a number of them, including "Mutts," "Garfield," "Family Circus" and "Red & Rover." But there have always been strips for grown-ups, too, from the serials such as "Mary Worth" to satirical humor like "Lil Abner." But we do plan to help parents with our new lineup by grouping all the family strips on one page and the more grown-up fare on another.

Instead of doing a poll, why don't the N&O editors use their judgment to pick the strips they think are best?

This obviously wasn't a scientific poll; readers themselves selected whether to participate. We use reader feedback as just one factor in making decisions. We make the final calls, but it's nice to solicit opinion from customers.

Why did The N&O drop "Fox Trot" on weekdays and "Boondocks" every day?

We didn't. Those strips were stopped by their cartoonists, who decided to quit producing them. "Fox Trot" does still offer new Sunday strips, which we run.

The creator of "B.C." died, yet The N&O still runs it. But the creator of "Kudzu" died, and The N&O dropped it. Why the difference?

"Kudzu" was discontinued by its syndicate when Doug Marlette died. It was not passed on to a new artist, as "B.C." was when Johnny Hart died. Often, older strips continue on with the original creator's children or a new artist. Such comics are known as "legacy" strips, and we have several of them, including "Shoe," "Blondie," "Dennis the Menace" and "Hi & Lois."

Why aren't the same comics in the Sunday N&O that are in the daily N&O?

Space and money. Sunday comics take up more room and cost more because of the larger color drawings. In addition, some strips ("Fox Trot") are Sunday only, while others ("Sylvia") are Monday-Saturday only. Sunday comics also are produced further in advance. In the coming months, we'll look at possibly making changes to our Sunday lineup. But not now.

Why doesn't The N&O have any comics on its Web site?

We're looking into that and hope to add some in the coming months. Stay tuned.

I just don't like any of the new comics. Anyone who likes them must be a screwball. Get rid of these awful things!

That's why we have a mix. You probably like some of the older strips. That's fine. We're even grouping all of them together for you, starting Jan. 14. Read those you like and skip the rest.

Why do you run those dumb, old, dated strips? Get some new blood!

You'll want to head to the section of our pages where we'll offer the newer strips. Feel free to skip right past those old-fashioned ones. We never said every reader had to read every comic. Pick and choose.