Inspired by the success of cartooning inforeign markets, where the form is regarded as a"fine art," Wallace says he hopes to elevate theimage of cartoons in America.
It's "an awful big goal for a very smallpaper," he says.
The Comic News had the good fortune to come"under the umbrella of the [Boston] Globe" earlyon, says Wallace.
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No other secondary newspapers have been able toacquire permission from The Globe for use ofcomics that it runs.
One of the Comic News' most notable"just-for-fun" features is a collection of twoweeks' worth of "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips.The insanely popular strip was a major sellingpoint when the Comic News first starteddistribution in Harvard Square, says Wallace.
"We used to physically hand out the papers, butwhat do you get handed out in the Square? Usuallysomething you don't want to read," Wallace says,laughing. "So we'd say `Calvin and Hobbes twoweeks at a time!' And people would turn aroundgoing down the escalators and fight their way backjust to grab it.