Anyone surprised by this must have been born after about 2005. Before August 28, 2005, just about the only place you could find actual criticism of the White House was on late night cable and (ahem) the comics page.

Boston readers have written to let me know they’ve been missing Candorville the past few days. Apparently when the Herald replaced “Brenda Starr” with Keith Knight’s “The Knight Life,” people were outraged. So they decided to bring it back. In order to make room for it, something had to go, and that something was Candorville. It probably had more to do with Candorville being one of the most recent additions than with the usual “too many black strips” problem. In comics, the last strip to be added is usually the first to go next time there’s a comics page shuffle, simply because it hasn’t had fifty years to become a security blanket to the people who grew old with it.

It seems like for every four steps forward, there’s one step backward. Over the past few months, Candorville’s been filling in for the vacationing Doonesbury in several papers. Almost all of those papers decided to keep Candorville after Doonesbury returned because readers liked what they saw. The San Francisco Chronicle, thanks to hundreds, or maybe even billions, of letters from readers (some of you sent me copies, and they made my year), has decided to make room for Candorville. They’re going to run a poll next month so readers can weigh in on which other comics they want the Chronicle to add IN ADDITION to Candorville. Reader feedback is essential.

Candorville’s been dropped several times around the nation, and in nearly every instance from Detroit to Seattle to Los Angeles and more, those of you who live in those cities made your voices heard, told them what you wanted to see, and the editors listened. If you live in or around Boston or you somehow read the Herald and you want to see Candorville back in your paper, now’s your best chance to make that happen. Write to the Features Editor, Linda Kincaid, at letterstotheeditor@bostonherald.com, or call her at 617-426-3000.

Be polite, don’t bash other comics, but do tell them what you want to see. In newspapers, as in life, you can usually get what you want if you’re persistent.

For anyone who was in a coma eight years ago, here’s the original:

The Seattle Times CANCELED CANDORVILLE TODAY three weeks ahead of schedule, as part of a redesign. If you’re a Seattle Times reader and you want Candorville BACK in your paper, you’ve got to contact them NOW by writing to Timescomics@seattletimes.com. Tell them why you want it to stay, what Candorville means to you, and get all your Seattle-area friends, enemies, and exes (now I’m just being redundant) to do the same. Don’t procrastinate, write to them now because now is when they’re paying attention.

Papers cancel a strip to save money because they think readers won’t miss it. If nobody complains, it stays canceled. If enough people protest, they change their mind and return it. The Times canceled Candorville once before, but overwhelming reader response caused them to restore Candorville to the comics page.

If you want that to happen again, WRITE TO THEM NOW!

GOOD NEWS, SEATTLE READERS: We’ve just learned that because so many of you wrote in to ask for it, Candorville will return to the Seattle Times this month! It’ll be back starting either the week of the 19th or the 26th. If you want to thank the Times for reconsidering (or ask them to add the full-color Sunday “Candorville” as well), you can write to them at Timescomics@seattletimes.com. Hundreds of you cc’d me on the notes you sent to the Times, so I can’t thank you all individually. Thank you all for getting Candorville’s year off to a great start.

Last Sunday’s Candorville was a tribute to everyone who ever fought, struggled, marched or died to make Obama’s inauguration possible. A lot of you (especially teachers who want to hang it in their classrooms) asked me to make it available as a poster, and I’ve done that. You can get your own 11″ by 17″ full color, semi-gloss poster of Sunday’s strip commemorating the inauguration of Barack Obama. I’ll sign it, unless you ask otherwise. Order TODAY and please allow about three weeks for delivery.

U.S. Domestic Orders: $15 Shipping included	International Orders: $25 Shipping included

•In other news, Candorville’s been back in the Seattle Times since Monday the 19th, thanks to everyone who wrote in and asked for it. I can’t thank you enough for showing your support for Candorville. With newspapers dying off, or slashing their features to save whatever money they can, reader feedback means everything.

Chris Matthews has been increasingly willing to call Republican politicians out on their childish attempt to rename the opposition party. I take credit for this. I didn’t hear a single Media personality even mention this pathetic trend until my 2007 cartoon on the topic ran in the Washington Post (& everywhere else). Oh, and some other obscure comic called “Doonesbury” (you’ve probably never heard of it) may have also run a similar cartoon on the very same day as mine.