Expanded Comics and Puzzles
Newspapers Expand Print And Digital Offerings With New Comics And Puzzles
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Key Points
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The returning Pickles and Breaking Cat News strips will also appear in The Bright Side, a Friday email newsletter for subscribers that highlights positive news.
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The Democrat-Herald says readers can find extra daily comics in the newspaper’s e-edition and access more puzzles through its Puzzmo page or the website’s puzzles link.
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The World-Herald’s newly announced columns include Dan Berger on Wine, featuring an internationally known wine expert on weekends, as well as daily Today in History, horoscope and trivia features.
Newspapers across the Lee Enterprises network are betting big on comics and puzzles to keep readers coming back. The Omaha World-Herald and Democrat-Herald are adding more than 20 comic strips, new columns, and extra puzzles to their print and digital editions as of October 1, 2026. Popular strips like Pickles and Breaking Cat News are returning alongside classics such as Wizard of Id, B.C., and Archie.
The World-Herald is adding four full pages of Sunday comics. Both papers are expanding their puzzle sections with new crossword and Sudoku options. New lifestyle columns include Dan Berger on Wine, a weekend feature from an internationally known wine expert, plus daily Today in History, horoscope, and trivia offerings.
Comics Return After Newsroom Cutbacks
Regional newspapers trimmed comic sections during earlier cost-cutting rounds. Now they're reversing course. The Omaha World-Herald network decided to reintroduce family-friendly strips that readers had asked for repeatedly. Brian Crane's Pickles and Georgia Dunn's Breaking Cat News lead the comeback, joined by decades-old classics that remain reader favorites.
Local editors, including Rob Schlotterbeck of the Beatrice Daily Sun and Maunette Loeks of the Star-Herald, oversaw the rollout across Lee Enterprises properties. The changes took effect immediately in e-editions and on October 1 in print. Editorial leadership called comics and puzzles "an important part of the newspaper experience" that builds reader loyalty and introduces children to print reading.
Four New Sunday Pages and Daily Puzzle Expansion
The World-Herald dedicated four entire pages to expanded Sunday comics coverage. The Democrat-Herald is boosting its Saturday sections with extra comics and puzzles. Both papers added new crossword and Sudoku options. Readers can access bonus daily comics through the e-edition and find additional puzzles via the Puzzmo page or the newspapers' websites.
The expansion brings over 20 new comic strips and columns to subscribers. Pickles and Breaking Cat News will also appear in The Bright Side, a Friday email newsletter for subscribers that highlights positive news stories. The digital integration gives readers interactive gaming options alongside traditional puzzles.
Wine Expert and Lifestyle Columns Join the Lineup
The World-Herald brought on Dan Berger, an internationally recognized wine expert, to write weekend Dan Berger on Wine columns. The papers also added daily Today in History features, horoscope columns, and trivia offerings. These lifestyle and advice columns appeal to readers seeking entertainment beyond news coverage.
The move reflects a broader strategy: newspapers are using low-cost syndicated content to boost subscriber value. Comics and puzzles drive reader engagement every morning and keep people opening the paper on weekends. Editors view the strategy as a way to maintain print circulation habits while expanding digital-only offerings.
A Retention Strategy in a Shrinking Print Market
Newspapers nationwide have lost readers and advertising as digital media grew. Adding puzzles and comics is a relatively low-cost way to increase subscriber retention. Industry analysts say entertainment features like crosswords and comic strips are highly "sticky"—they give people a reason to open the paper daily and keep subscriptions active.
The Omaha World-Herald network's expansion reaches multiple regional outlets including the Lincoln Journal Star, Star-Herald, and Beatrice Daily Sun. By rolling out the same content across all properties, Lee Enterprises leverages one syndication deal to drive subscriber value across dozens of local newspapers. Print traditions remain central to the business model.
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