If you noticed “Candorville” in Doonesbury’s usual space in the San Francisco Chronicle today, it’s not a premature April Fool’s joke. Doonesbury’s creator is taking a three-month vacation, and the Chronicle (and several other papers) are substituting Candorville.From today’s Chronicle: 

We want to offer you a chance to get to know the folks in Candorville, a very popular strip created by Darrin Bell. Until Doonesbury returns, we will add the strip to the daily paper Monday and to the Sunday paper on April 6. On Sunday and March 30, we will publish Doonesbury reruns. We know you have strong opinions about which strips you like and which you don’t. We want to hear from you about Candorville or, for that matter, any of our other comics.Take a minute and tell us what you think. E-mail us at candorcomment@sfchronicle.com, or send [us] a letter at The San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco 94103.   

If you read the Chronicle or live in the Bay Area and you want to see Candorville remain in the Chronicle after this three-month period, you have to write to them and let them know. And for everyone else, check your local paper and see if it’s running Candorville in place of Doonesbury. If it’s not, they probably just haven’t heard of Candorville yet, so you might want to write to them and let them know. Now’s your chance to get Candorville in your favorite paper. Don’t pass it up.