Who remembers the Star Ledger comics?

Submitted by johnmflores t3_ycp3jk in newjersey

In the 1980s and through the 1990s, I remember the weekly comics spread over two pages, with a large box up top left for Family Circus, Ziggy, and others, the left column for the serious ones like Mark Trail and Prince Valiant, and then two columns in the center for Hi and Lois, Beetle Bailey, For Better or For Worse, and others. And then, a page or two later with the TV schedule was Peanuts.

I used to read them in a specific order, starting with the right column from bottom to top, then the adjacent column from bottom to top, and then finally the big box on top. Never

I've been looking for photos of the old weekly comics pages but can't find them anywhere.

What were your favorite comics growing up?

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TheRacoonist t1_itnm8ls wrote

Sunday comics were a highlight of the week! Silly putty fodder and impromptu wrapping paper

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JerseyGiantsFan t1_itqsz3t wrote

Don’t forget “coolest paper to use as a textbook cover”! NFL book covers were pretty sweet, paper bags were a step up, but having your school books covered in Sunday comics was god-tier.

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The_happyguy t1_itnupk4 wrote

Yeah family circus always got too much real estate. I remember my dad reading the “important” parts of the paper early and I would fish the comics out later and read them. And the want ads.

Calvin and Hobbes was my favorite but I forget where on the page they were.

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johnmflores OP t1_ito6d4b wrote

And at least a couple times a year the Sunday Family Circus was Billy (or whatever his name was) walking that dashed line all over the house.

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The_happyguy t1_itoaact wrote

Ha! Yeah, those were the only ones I actually liked. In fact imagine how cool it would have been if those were the only family circus comics…

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Ezl t1_itor73g wrote

Yep! Those were my favorite Family Circuses.

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jimloewen t1_itnx8v6 wrote

Calvin and Hobbes for sure and Bloom County.

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johnmflores OP t1_its89q9 wrote

Oh I loved those scenes when one of the parents interrupted and Hobbes was illustrated as a stuffed tiger. Brilliant stuff, and I respect Watterson for never merchandising his wonderful characters.

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reeny706 t1_ito5nit wrote

My Dad got the paper delivered every day, Sunday included. I read the “funnies” from 1980 until he died in 1990. Loved Beetle Bailey, Calvin &Hobbes. But those others like Prince Valient and the Martha lady were weird.

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LesiaH1368 t1_itnsh30 wrote

This is how I started reading the paper, with the comics!

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Raisinbinn t1_ito410e wrote

When I was a kid, the Sunday Star ledger costed $.35. My mom would give me $.50 every Sunday to walk to the local corner store, at the time it was called Stop 1. I would keep the change and bought candy with the remaining $.15.

Over the years the price of the Sunday paper went up and up and up. From $.35, then to $.50, then to $.75, etc. But one thing that didn't change, there was always the Sunday comics section.

I would read them religiously every Sunday. I also had the weird idea to save them thinking they would hold value someday. I was never into regular comic books because I couldn't really afford them at the time but the one thing I was consistent with was reading the Sunday comics.

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SophsterSophistry t1_ito9rlk wrote

This person's actually selling the Sunday comics from the Star Ledger:

http://www.oldsundaycomics.com/wds120.htm

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Raisinbinn t1_itoahhj wrote

Oh wow! Unfortunately I don't have any of mine anymore they were thrown out a long time ago. But it's nice to think that it wasn't such a crazy thought to save them.

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SophsterSophistry t1_itocehc wrote

It's not so crazy since it's not like we had the internet way back when. Once thrown out you'd never see them again (unless the comic got published later in a book). I used to cut out and keep my favorite comics. I also had a bunch of Peanuts paperback books. I can't believe how much I had loved Snoopy.

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GitEmSteveDave t1_ito9w5u wrote

MY boss bought a DAILY APP a few months ago for a video we were doing. The price for a Friday copy of the APP, in May, which had 8 pages of section A? And you know the APP is barely local anymore.

$3.50.

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The_Big_Daddy t1_itoetw1 wrote

Shoutout to Pearls Before Swine a comic strip ahead of its time.

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chiliparty t1_itq4u4m wrote

He still posts new/classic comics on instagram.

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CreatrixAnima t1_itoeifr wrote

You forgotten Hagar the horrible. And BC. I liked BC. And of course Calvin and Hobbes. And the far side.

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johnmflores OP t1_itorfnd wrote

Remember BC's Quest for Tires video game?

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CreatrixAnima t1_itpxgax wrote

I don’t. I didn’t have a gaming system as a child, so I didn’t play anything. No pong, no duck hunt, no Oregon Trail. I played them a little bit at friends houses once in a while, but…

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carmelainparis t1_itqicwu wrote

BC was the favorite in my house. I was a kid and I suspect Calvin and Hobbes went over my head.

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CreatrixAnima t1_itruzk7 wrote

I was older by Calvin and Hobbes came out. Honestly, it became so much more relevant a few years back when Donald and Hobbes became a thing. That was creepy, and hilarious.

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SophsterSophistry t1_ito92ss wrote

Peanuts was my favorite until Calvin and Hobbes came along. I'm almost positive it was on the left-hand page. I also loved For Better For Worse, Bloom County and FoxTrot.
I think The Far Side was printed near the games (crossword, cryptogram).

Now who around here is old enough (GenX-ish) to remember the MiniPage in The Daily Journal? My mom didn't get the paper every day but she bought the The Daily Journal when the Minipage was in it for me (I think it was Thursdays). Definitely calling my mom tomorrow morning.

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6Emptybottles t1_itpmt9c wrote

I used to deliver the SL and the Elizabeth Daily Journal in the late 60's with my siblings before school. I loved the really local coverage of the DJ. If your name was in a column for anything it got clipped and put on the fridge. One thing I remember is everyone paid cash in the little green envelopes we would leave on Saturday for payment on Sunday. Local legend had it that the gentleman who sold the early version of the Sunday Ledger on Saturday night under the Elmora St train underpass in Elizabeth was a millionaire from selling the paper!!!

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SophsterSophistry t1_itql83m wrote

There was so much local coverage! We had the SL the DJ and then there were local city/town papers too.

I remember my grandmother's big thing to do in the 70s/80s was to sit at the kitchen table (when she finally took a break from cooking and cleaning for all her children and husband) and read the obituaries. And she'd make lots of comments and read some of them out loud (the people she knew). Keeping up on who died was a big thing for her. And searching the honor roll for my name :-) RIP Grandma.

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johnmflores OP t1_itoq7of wrote

For Better For Worse - I liked the idea of the characters aging as you followed them over the years.

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Chernobog3 t1_ito5q3t wrote

Definitely. Hagar the Horrible, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, and strangely enough, Andy Capp grew on me. And back in the Sunday editions of the 80s, Marvin.

In concept, I liked the Blondie comic too, but her husband Dagwood was insufferable and comic was pretty Steve Urkele'd in his favor.

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johnmflores OP t1_ito6lo8 wrote

Andy Capp was a raging alcoholic. And Dagwood Bumstead ate those huge sandwiches and never gained weight. Must have had a tape worm.

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Chernobog3 t1_itoe6vw wrote

You're not wrong. I have no idea why I liked Andy Capp. He was an aggressive alcoholic loser, but there was something distinctive about his life. He wasn't this goody two shoes comic character like a lot of the others in the papers. He was basically a lowbrow drunk around town with no future. Very hard contrast to Hi and Lois or Family Circle. Hot Fries are amazing though.

Dagwood's giant sandwich obsession aside, he's incredibly whiny, lazy, and prone to temper tantrums for a man with such a comfortable life and a decent family. I never felt bad when Mr Dithers used to boot him in the ass.

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xiixiilxxv t1_its5stz wrote

> Dagwood Bumstead

Omg, Blondie!! I forgot all about that one. Memories unlocked.

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SophsterSophistry t1_ito99t4 wrote

I know what snooker is because of Andy Capp. Those hot fries snacks weren't too bad either.

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Chernobog3 t1_itocemh wrote

To this day I have a serious weakness for Andy Capp Hot Fries. They're so good.

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SophsterSophistry t1_itohb7f wrote

I'm always surprised when I see them for sale. They're not a common snack item. I see Funnyuns more often then I see the hot fries.

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flarplefluff t1_ito8no0 wrote

I loved getting the fat stack of the Sunday Star Ledger. The color comics is where I would go first- especially Bloom County and Calvin & Hobbes, and the I would devour the rest. I even loved going through all the coupon inserts.

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johnmflores OP t1_itof1wx wrote

Oh man, I loved going through the Toys R Us and Radio Shack holiday circulars!

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i_do_it_all t1_itnw1ag wrote

i used to read them 2001 - 2007 ?? maybe .

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infamousmmax t1_itocz02 wrote

Calvin and Hobbes was a favorite of mine, peanuts was good, and beetle bailey

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fyrespritetryst t1_itop7ks wrote

Even though it was a relatively new addition to the lineup I really loved Get Fuzzy

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mac_a_bee t1_ito3ko4 wrote

My parents forbade comics, so I enjoyed the New York Times' '"Week in Review's" political cartoons.

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johnmflores OP t1_ito4gcp wrote

Let me guess ..you either grew up to work for the State Department...or tossed it all and started a punk band.

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mac_a_bee t1_ito4n0q wrote

>grew up to work for the State Department...or tossed it all and started a punk band.

Military Intelligence, international engineer and part-time sideman.

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Pigsin5pace t1_itobjet wrote

Was a big zits, pearl and swine, and mutts reader in my youth

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Longjumping-March541 t1_itofzt3 wrote

And reading through this has made me realize just how good those cartoonists are.

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NotTobyFromHR t1_ito8w6m wrote

Thank you for bringing a memory I forgot. I used to love the Sunday comics. I never got into the serious ones, but enjoyed the others.

And Far Side calendars.

I feel old now, but what a fun memory.

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Metalhead1686 t1_itp6wib wrote

That’s what I looked forward to every Sunday when I was a kid. I’d get up early to be the first to read them before my other brothers and sisters. My favorites were Peanuts, Prince Valiant, Calvin and Hobbes, and Garfield. My oldest brother thought Prince Valiant was boring though. You’re bringing back childhood memories!

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omelletepuddin t1_itogqwv wrote

I used to hate the Prince Valiant comics until I got older and realized how great the style was.

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AwkwardBurritoChick t1_itoi60l wrote

Local libraries might have them on microfiche... I read them too!

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storm2k t1_itordy2 wrote

i remember my mom getting the sunday ledger for years, mostly to get the coupons that were in the sunday paper. i really do remember that fun comics section with the bright yellow "COMICS" header at the top. blondie and peanuts were always the two above the fold comics in those days. c&h got prominent space on the front too if i remember. and yeah family circus got a lot of space, as did hagar the horrible. getting your hands on that comics section on a sunday morning was something to look forward to.

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spearchuckin t1_itoterm wrote

I used to wait for them every Sunday after my dad got the paper. I was a bored kid so I read most of them - even the ones I did not understand or find funny like Doonesbury. Family Circus with all those dashed lines everywhere just made me grateful I wasn't born into a big family. It just looked annoying. The teenager in Zits just always seemed very dated even in the early 2000s when I started reading it. I really liked Ziggy and Dilbert for some reason.

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NotYourNat t1_itp046d wrote

They used to have spider man comics in them too! I saved 4 of them.

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CanineQueenB t1_itp3k23 wrote

Lil Abner and Brenda Starr (my nickname in my youth because I had long red hair)

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buckshotjack t1_itpic7h wrote

I worked at a little general store when I was a kid. Every Sunday, between the morning and afternoon rush, I’d read every comic in the Star Ledger and Courier News. Then, before the end of my shift, I’d have to cut the front page off the papers that didn’t sell and put them out for the paper delivery people to pickup so he could give the store a credit for the unsold merchandise.

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5uck3rpunch t1_itq44mr wrote

Oh man I do! I live in Dallas now but grew up in NJ. I'd steal those from my dad's paper every Sunday! Thanks for the memories!

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chiliparty t1_itq51xg wrote

A lot of comic writers these days put their stuff on instagram, new strips and classics. I follow Foxtrot and Pearls before swine, but i'm sure a lot of the other classics are on there.

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xocgx t1_itqdwzg wrote

My dad had a paper route in the 90’s and I helped him on weekends. Sunday was the worst, but we did get the comics and fliers earlier in the week.

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HeadCatMomCat t1_itqeu4e wrote

I still get the SL delivered daily, supporting local journalism. They still have comics, which my husband always read first. Some like Peanuts are just repeats and others like Calvin & Hobbes are no longer drawn, but many others that people list are still carried. It's not like they don't have comics in the SL today!

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ColdYellowGatorade t1_itqlum2 wrote

My dad delivered the star ledger as his side gig for years. My brother and I spent a number of early mornings helping him assemble the paper and deliver them. It was followed by a few orders of grand slams from Dennys. Newspapers are all but dead but the Sunday comics were a staple.

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Senior-Sharpie t1_itqptd3 wrote

Herman and The far side, oh, and Calvin and Hobbes.

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oatmealparty t1_itrgqfs wrote

Fox Trot was my jam, I had a few book collections of it as well. I think in part because I identified with the nerdy kid.

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RedditorUser99 t1_itrnnxr wrote

Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes are my all-time favorites.

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xiixiilxxv t1_itrq55v wrote

Peanuts, Hi & Lois and Family Circus were my absolute faves.

Second tier was For Better Or Worse and Beetle Bailey.

Man miss those times being sprawled out on my grandmother’s blue carpet reading the funnies.

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Eastcoastpal t1_itonuhb wrote

Wait, they stop publishing weekend comics??!

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Deardog t1_itplcoo wrote

They still publish the Sunday comics in color with most of the strips being highlighted here. There's still a comic section in the daily paper too. Mine is waiting on the kitchen table for me to enjoy with coffee.

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johnmflores OP t1_itor99z wrote

Not sure, but I'm guessing very few people get the Sunday Star Ledger anymore.

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rchrdbln t1_itxp305 wrote

The Star Ledger is now one big comic.

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