This final Cul de Sac appeared in The Saratogian on Sept. 23

A sample of Rhymes with Orange, which will be in
The Saratogian Sunday comics section starting Sept. 30

Every so often a standout newspaper comic strip emerges: The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, and the still running Dilbert, Doonesbury, and Lio come to mind for their originality in content and artwork.

The most recent strip to fall into that slender category of outstanding comics is Cul de Sac. The imaginative exploits of Alice Otterloop and her family have been entertaining readers of The Saratogian Sunday funny papers since Richard Thompson introduced them in 2007.

Sadly, the cartoonist who has sparked so many smiles with his perceptive yet light-hearted portrayal of ordinary people, is unable to continue his work. Struggling for three years with Parkinson’s disease, Thompson has decided he could no longer meet the demands of the strip, which he had been creating seven days a week. His last strip was published Sunday, Sept. 23. I am sorry for Thompson’s suffering, and I’m sorry Cul de Sac will no longer be around.

So what will fill the hole?

I am happy to introduce a delightful addition to the Sunday comics, Rhymes with Orange by Hilary B. Price. She’s been at it for more than 15 years, and it’s about time her witty and weird take on life’s little truths are available to Saratogian readers.

I’ll miss Cul de Sac, but I welcome Rhymes with Orange. Hope you’ll enjoy it, too.