[unclerobin@att.net]

paw, you guys don't have to worry about my health, I'm not planning on going anywhere for a long time - besides, compared to my brothers (3 passed on, 1 in worse shape than me - he uses a oxygen tank). I'm golden.

[macsnafu]

The mention of the Star Trek strip in the early 80's really brought me back--alas, my local paper didn't carry it very long before dumping it.

I think it takes real storytelling skills to be able to carry a story 3 or 4 panels at a time--some people are just better at it than others.  But personally, I think I prefer to just get the collected strips in a book, or now,  be able to read them all online!  I think reading Asterix or Tintin as the strips came out would have driven me crazy, but the books make good reading.

[fumetti]

I agree it's the format.  Adventures are long-form stories and strips are short-form delivery.  They only worked in the past because the public was conditioned to that delivery.  Once comic books, radio, cheap novels, and tv came along, people didn't have to overcome the hurdles of such short installments.  The adventure-as-strip was obsolete.

As much as I love Star Wars and as much as I love Al Williamson's art, I could not keep up with or follow the Star Wars newspaper strip.  They were later reprinted in Amazing Heroes about 12 or so at a time.  That was easier to read, but still had to deal with the awkward scripting of first panels.  The run didn't really become a 'regular' story until Dark Horse put them together and removed the repetition and smoothed out the transitions.

[Drahken]

Speaking of trek strips, has anyone ever read the ones that appeared in UK mags like tv21 & valiant?
Here are some samples: http://captainvideossecretsanctum.blogspot.com/search/label/Joe%2090%20Top%20Secret

[paw broon]

Never having been a big Star Trek fan, I didn't read the strips but I did look at them now and then.  These aren't newspaper strips in the sense of dailies, rather episodes spread across the centre 2 pages of the comics, each week.
An excellent example of a British newspaper strip is available here, you just have to move forward to get the next part and the story is all there.  These have been collected together 3 tiers high but appeared 1 tier per day in the newspaper. And if you enjoy it, there are other stories on Bear alley if you care to have a rake about.  Enjoy them.
http://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/paul-temple-au-pair-affair-part-1.html