Has "Soup to Nutz" ended?

[D.D.Degg]

I'm thinking Rick Stromoski has stopped
doing new Soup to Nutz comic strips.

Nothing concrete (yet) to hang that theory on,
but some circumstantial evidence.

Darryl Heine noted on his rerun thread:
"For the March 5-10, 2018 week:
For the first time ever,
Soup to Nutz is in a rerun week this week
rerunning the January 5-10, 2009 week of strips."

I don't know about that "for the first time ever" part,
but Soup to Nutz did begin daily reruns starting March 5.

Recently (this month) Andrews McMeel Syndication added
"Soup to Nutz - old" to their list of syndicated offerings:
http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/comics/list
(Digression - not 'classic', but 'old'?
That strikes me as strange.)

As with the other material if you click on
the "old" entry you will find samples of the strip.
http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/comics/strip/soup-to-nutz-old
The showcased sample strip is the
very first from March 27, 2000.
Clicking on the "view more samples" button
brings you samples from this year (2018).

Opening up the regular Soup to Nutz entry on the list
brings you to a page that no longer offers samples:
http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/comics/strip/soup-to-nutz

Furthermore on the left of the above pages
is a box separating the comics by category.
While both "Soup to Nutz" and "Soup to Nutz - old"
are listed in the comic strips category;
only "Soup to Nutz - old" is listed among the
Family and NEA categories.

Also giving us only "Soup to Nutz - old"
is the Comics Kingdom(?) page sold to newspapers,
here's the Oregonian page:
http://www.oregonlive.com/comics/

Finally, GoComics page of Soup to Nutz
no longer offers an archive.
http://www.gocomics.com/soup-to-nutz

The March 2018 Sunday Soup to Nutz strips
have been new so far. But I'm THINKING those
may go rerun by the end of this month also.

Again let me state that I have no proof
(I can find nothing on the matter from
Rick Stromoski or Andrews McMeel Syndicate),
and the above is all conjecture
on the part of a guy who, apparently,
has way too much time on his hands.

D.D.Degg

[D Heine]

There is no announcement Rick S. is ending Soup to Nutz for good as of yet. So far in 2018 we saw The Pirahna Club and Nancy end, but Big Nate (In reruns for 11+ weeks due to Lincoln Pierce's family life problem he can't mention) and maybe Gasoline Alley (Mix of new/reprint Sundays and reprint daily story arcs with current copyright year since November 2017) and even Get Fuzzy (still in daily rerun mode/off and on first run Sunday mode since 2013) are still up in the air towards their possbiel ending fates. But let Doonebury stay in daily rerun mode/first run Sunday mode until the Trump presidency ends at least...

[D Heine]

On Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 4:55:53 PM UTC-5, D.D.Degg wrote:

And if Soup To Nutz is declared ended for good in the next few weeks, I wonder if the New York Daily News will have a replacement for the strip - maybe Garfield (which hasn't run in the New York Post since its comics page withdrawing in May 2014)? The last NY Daily News replacements were in late 2013 (when WuMo replaced Get Fuzzy) and Spring 2014 (when Pooch Cafe replaced daily Doonesbury).

[D.D.Degg]

D.D.Degg wrote:
> I'm thinking Rick Stromoski has stopped
> doing new Soup to Nutz comic strips.
>

> Recently (this month) Andrews McMeel Syndication added
> "Soup to Nutz - old" to their list of syndicated offerings:
> http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/comics/list
>

> As with the other material if you click on
> the "old" entry you will find samples of the strip.
> http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/comics/strip/soup-to-nutz-old
>

> Opening up the regular Soup to Nutz entry on the list
> brings you to a page that no longer offers samples:
> http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/comics/strip/soup-to-nutz

Now Soup to Nutz has disappeared from all the above

> Finally, GoComics page of Soup to Nutz
> no longer offers an archive.
> http://www.gocomics.com/soup-to-nutz

Soup to Nutz still appears on the GoComics site,
but, again, only as a single strip - no archive.

Ending?
New syndicate?

D.D.Degg

[D Heine]

I just e-mailed Rick S. at his Soup2Nutz e-mail about if he is rumored to end the strip in a few weeks because of the reruns and he just replied "Yes".

[D Heine]

On Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 4:55:53 PM UTC-5, D.D.Degg wrote:

Soup to Nutz is in week #3 of 2009 daily rerun mode with the New York Daily News still having its "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb.

[D Heine]

Soup to Nutz this 3/26-3/431/2018 week is in week #4 in 2009 daily rerun mode, the New York Daily News still has the "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb. No word on if Soup to Nutz ends for good the New York Daily News will replace it with Wallace the Brave or maybe a strip not seen in the major NYC area (excludes Long Island - home to Newsday) since the New York Post purged a comic strip page withdrawing in 2014 - Garfield?

[D Heine]

The Sunday Soup to Nutz strips have now entered 2009 rerun mode as of April 1, 2018.

[D Heine]

And there's no Soup to Nutz rerun for April 2, 2018 on gocomics.com - And Soup to Nutz for the 5th. week in a row in the New York Daily News (according to Press Reader) has the "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb.

[D.D.Degg]

> > The Sunday Soup to Nutz strips have now
> > entered 2009 rerun mode as of April 1, 2018.
>
> And there's no Soup to Nutz rerun
> for April 2, 2018 on gocomics.com

Don't know where they're getting them from
but The Oregonian website is still running
"Soup to Nutz - Old":
http://www.oregonlive.com/go-comics/?amu=/soup-to-nutz-old/

But it does seem that Soup to Nutz ended
March 25 with the (apparently) last new strip.

SOUP TO NUTZ
by Rick Stromoski
dailies March 27, 2000 - March 3, 2018
Sundays April 2, 2000 - March 25, 2018
NEA (United Media)/UPS (Andrews McMeel)

daily reprints March 5, 2018 -
Sunday reprints April 1, 2018 -

[D.D.Degg]

> But it does seem that Soup to Nutz ended
> March 25 with the (apparently) last new strip.

By the way, here's a Rick Stromoski interview
from last month with no mention of the strip ending:
http://smashpages.net/2018/03/16/smash-pages-qa-rick-stromoski-on-soup-to-nutz-and-more/#more-10430

[D Heine]

But it's doubtful Big Nate by Lincoln Pierce might be all reruns towards being ended as well if Mr. Pierce doesn't resume new Big Nate strips soon.

[D Heine]

It is now 6 weeks in a row the New York Daily News has the "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb. Still no replacement for it yet?

[D Heine]

4/16/2018 - It is now 7 weeks in a row the New York Daily News has the "Soup to Nutz" is on vacation" blurb. Is it too cheap to find a replacement for it if the fate of the strip is still up in the air by Rick S.?

[D Heine]

And I just noticed Soup to Nutz isn't on the gocomics.com site anymore as of recently.

[D Heine]

4/23/2018 - This is now the 8th. week in a row that the New York Daily News has the "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb when the strip has ceased and it is no longer on the gocomics.com site. Could someone call or e-mail the New York Daily News about this?

[D Heine]

I just e-mailed gocomics.com/Andrews McMeel about the gocomics.com no longer carrying Soup to Nutz, and I got this response: "At the request of the creator, that feature has moved to another syndicate."

So this means Soup to Nutz is being with another comics syndicate soon?

[Jimmy Delach]

> I just e-mailed gocomics.com/Andrews McMeel about the gocomics.com no longer carrying Soup to Nutz, and I got this response: "At the request of the creator, that feature has moved to another syndicate."
>
> So this means Soup to Nutz is being with another comics syndicate soon?

King Features?

[D Heine]

Neither!

I even got a response from Rick S. himself about this: "There are no plas for Soup to Nutz to be syndicated by another syndicate" And Rick will archie the strip and upload them sometime down the road. He even gave a website: www.souptonutzcomic.com

[D.D.Degg]

D Heine wrote:
> I even got a response from Rick S. himself about this:
> "There are no plas for Soup to Nutz
> to be syndicated by another syndicate"

Yeah, it wouldn't make sense to completely end
the strip with one syndicate, and then months
later try to gear up a new start.

However, "Soup to Nutz - Old" is still making
daily appearances over at OregonLive.com:
http://www.oregonlive.com/go-comics/?amu=/soup-to-nutz-old/
Don't know where this is coming from.

[D Heine]

Archie the strip? I meant ARCHIVE the strip!

Also: I sent an e-mail to the New York Daily News about this unexpected for 2 months "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb and suggested drop that blurb and/or pot a new comic strip in its place (Garfield, maybe?), will I get a response on this?

[D Heine]

On Monday, April 23, 2018 at 10:46:16 PM UTC-5, D Heine wrote:

The website doesn't work.

[D.D.Degg]

The Waco Tribune-Herald earlier this month
announced the dropping of a number of comic
strips (without replacing them?).

Among those dropped was Soup to Nutz.
http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-comics-changes-in-trib-are-no-laughing-matter/article_bb1ab32e-4ce4-54d6-9fe7-81870b510d64.html

Recently The (Joliet, Ill) Herald News
announced that this coming Saturday (April 28)
will see the end of Soup to Nutz in that paper.
http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/04/24/changes-are-coming-to-our-comics-section/a2gn1b6/

So there have been some newspapers running the reruns.

I'm thinking the decision to end Soup to Nutz was
rather sudden, forcing the syndicate to furnish
old strips to newspapers until they could decide
and sign replacement strips for Soup to Nutz.

[D Heine]

Hasn't there been at least 1 newspaper dropping the currently in reruns Big Nate since it went into all rerun mode due to Lincoln P.'s family life sutuation at the start of 2018?

I wish the New York Daily News decided on a Soup to Nutz replacement as soon as they think of one - Why not Garfield which in May will be 4 years since the New York Post dropped the strip as part of the May 2014 comics page withdrawal?

[D.D.Degg]

D Heine wrote:
> I wish the New York Daily News decided on a Soup to Nutz

> replacement as soon as they think of one - Why not Garfield...

I think the proper replacement for the
Soup to Nutz kid strip would be the new
kid strip on the block Wallace the Brave.

But here's another paper replacing Soup to Nutz
with the older, teenage kids of Zits on Sundays:
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2018/04/27/what-do-you-think-of-our-comics-lineup/ae28j6c/


D.D.Degg
who is going to miss Andy.

[D Heine]

4/30/2018 - Now it's 9 weeks in a row the New York Daily News has the "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb when they don't know the strip is ceasing for good.

[dannyr...@gmail.com]

Say it ain't so! I love Soup To Nutz!

[D Heine]

In the Crystal Lake (IL.) Northwest Herald newspaper, Soup to Nutz is replaced by Zits.

[shirl...@gmail.com]

You can find Soup to Nutz here >> http://www.uclick.com/client/kty/snu/

[D Heine]

5/7/2018 - Now it's 10 weeks in a row the New York Daily News has the "Soup to Nutz is on vacation" blurb since the strip ceased. What's wrong with them? I am going to start a new thread dealing with the "Soup to Nutz" New York Daily News confusion blurb until it learns its lesson and finds a replacement and no longer carries the blurb.

[D Heine]

The last Soup to Nutz rerun before the strip ceased for newspapers came on May 26, 2018. (The last Sunday rerun came on May 20, 2018).

Now with Soup to Nutz done for as the second newspaper comic strip to end in 2018 following Bud Grace's The Piranha Club, which one of these up in the air comic strips could be next to end for good in 2018?:
a) Big Nate (If Lincoln P. doesn't resume new fresh strips soon since it has been in reruns since the start of 2018)
b) Gasoline Alley (Thanks to the rerun story arcs since November 2017)
...and, of course...
c) Get Fuzzy (Which has been in daily rerun mode/off and on first run Sunday mode since November 2013 - I still wish this strip ended for good if Mr. Darby Conley wants to!)

[rscottm...@gmail.com]

I didn’t know Get Fuzzy was not live! It’s one of my favorite strips, but have only followed it for a few years.

[eagle...@gmail.com]

As of 5/28/18 NY Daily News does not mention Soup To Nutz at all on the comic page. It's only carrying 6 elongated strips on the page. It has not replaced nor mentioned a replacement. They have truly downsized from 4 pages to 2 pages (14 elongated) and now to 13. They sold the paper earlier this year. Even with newspapers in a downward spiral, Tronc must have the resources to replace a single strip. My current favorite isn't even in their paper, Luann.

[D Heine]

On Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at 1:44:55 AM UTC-5, eagle...@gmail.com wrote:
> As of 5/28/18 NY Daily News does not mention Soup To Nutz at all on the comic page. It's only carrying 6 elongated strips on the page. It has not replaced nor mentioned a replacement. They have truly downsized from 4 pages to 2 pages (14 elongated) and now to 13. They sold the paper earlier this year. Even with newspapers in a downward spiral, Tronc must have the resources to replace a single strip. My current favorite isn't even in their paper, Luann.

Why not a TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY owned strip to fill Soup to Nutz's loss in the New York Daily News, like maybe Brewster Rockit or Prickly City? Or maybe bring back Dick Tracy for the first time to the New York Daily News since 1999?

And according to a Meadville (PA) Times article about the end of Soup to Nutz, that paper is trying out a different comic strip each week for Soup to Nutz replacements. However, the first candidate is a strip that has been in reruns since the start of 2018 with the fate of the strip up in the air if the creator doesn't resume new episodes soon: Big Nate.

[D Heine]

On Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at 1:44:55 AM UTC-5, eagle...@gmail.com wrote:

> As of 5/28/18 NY Daily News does not mention Soup To Nutz at all on the comic page. It's only carrying 6 elongated strips on the page. It has not replaced nor mentioned a replacement. They have truly downsized from 4 pages to 2 pages (14 elongated) and now to 13. They sold the paper earlier this year. Even with newspapers in a downward spiral, Tronc must have the resources to replace a single strip. My current favorite isn't even in their paper, Luann.

By the way, Luann used to run in the New York Post daily comics page in the mid-late 1980's. Too bad the New York Post dropped the daily comics page in May 2014.

[eagle...@gmail.com]

Luann has really improved since she was hung up on Aaron Hill as a kid. She and the kids have grown and matured. It's funny and has some drama now. It has a continuity and long storylines that I had to follow online to catch up. It was quite impressive. I'd be pleased if the The Daily News took it on. I haven't read the NY Post in a long time. I can't remember that it had no comics page anymore. I remember Luann in it though.

[deep...@gmail.com]

I don’t know much about Soup to Nuts, but I acquired the Soup to Nuts sign off of the building that Soup to Nuts was created in. It was in Watertown, MA... I love the sign, but never really knew much about the comic strip.