`Comic News' Making Headway in Square

Those crazy cartoonists have brought a new color to the mosaic of Harvard Square--bright yellow.

The Boston Comic News last year installed a slew of yellow boxes in the Square, a beach-head of sorts in the area's often hostile business atmosphere.

The Comic News, a biweekly cartoon publication founded two-and-a-half years ago, has survived distribution problems to become increasingly well-known in the Boston area.

W. Dean Wallace Jr., publisher and editor-in-chief of the Comic News, says he hopes to do even more. He wants to make the paper "an institution" in the greater Boston area.

The Comic News--which fills almost all of its pages with comic strips and panels from across the nation and around the world--was initially distributed free in the Square. Now it sells for 50 cents in the yellow vending machines and at Nini's Corner.

But Out of Town News owner Sheldon Cohen banned the paper from his store as well as from his Square bookstores, Wordsworth and Reading International.

In addition, Cohen prohibited the Comic News from sale at the Alewife T station, where he owns vending rights, according to Wallace.

Handing Out Free Papers

Cohen says that his stores are not carrying the Comic News because of the paper's practice of "handing papers out free right in front of us." In his view, free hand-outs and vending boxes rendered Out of Town's sale of the comics newspaper pointless.

But Wallace insists that the Comic News stopped free distribution some time ago.

He acknowledges that staffers do "recycle papers" by handing out old issues near vending boxes in which current issues are sold.

"Out of Town is the first place you might think about for a paper that you hadn't really found," says Wallace.

Wallace says he hopes to be able to restore friendly relations with Out of Town News because of its international renown.

And reknown is just what the Comic News is looking for. ,

Wallace says the Comic News tries to followworld events through the eyes of editorialcartoonists all over the world.

The paper's most recent issue includes cartoonsfrom Singapore, Moscow and Israel.

Inspired by the success of cartooning inforeign markets, where the form is regarded as a"fine art," Wallace says he hopes to elevate theimage of cartoons in America.

It's "an awful big goal for a very smallpaper," he says.

The Comic News had the good fortune to come"under the umbrella of the [Boston] Globe" earlyon, says Wallace.

Exclusive Deal

No other secondary newspapers have been able toacquire permission from The Globe for use ofcomics that it runs.

One of the Comic News' most notable"just-for-fun" features is a collection of twoweeks' worth of "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips.The insanely popular strip was a major sellingpoint when the Comic News first starteddistribution in Harvard Square, says Wallace.

"We used to physically hand out the papers, butwhat do you get handed out in the Square? Usuallysomething you don't want to read," Wallace says,laughing. "So we'd say `Calvin and Hobbes twoweeks at a time!' And people would turn aroundgoing down the escalators and fight their way backjust to grab it.

Wallace says the Comic News tries to followworld events through the eyes of editorialcartoonists all over the world.

The paper's most recent issue includes cartoonsfrom Singapore, Moscow and Israel.

Inspired by the success of cartooning inforeign markets, where the form is regarded as a"fine art," Wallace says he hopes to elevate theimage of cartoons in America.

It's "an awful big goal for a very smallpaper," he says.

The Comic News had the good fortune to come"under the umbrella of the [Boston] Globe" earlyon, says Wallace.

Exclusive Deal

No other secondary newspapers have been able toacquire permission from The Globe for use ofcomics that it runs.

One of the Comic News' most notable"just-for-fun" features is a collection of twoweeks' worth of "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips.The insanely popular strip was a major sellingpoint when the Comic News first starteddistribution in Harvard Square, says Wallace.

"We used to physically hand out the papers, butwhat do you get handed out in the Square? Usuallysomething you don't want to read," Wallace says,laughing. "So we'd say `Calvin and Hobbes twoweeks at a time!' And people would turn aroundgoing down the escalators and fight their way backjust to grab it.