Shocking Back Page

THIS past month has been a disaster for your Back Page – readers and compilers alike. What should be a page of entertainment has become an irritation, which is a great shame.

It was a huge shock when on July 1 I turned to see what my favourite “Calvin and Hobbes” were up to, only to find they had been dumped and the whole page was totally foreign in composition.

When I attempted to contact the compiler, I was told that so many irate readers had phoned in to complain that a list of callers was being taken and replies would be made in due course.

Who is Silvia? She never contacted me despite my numerous calls so I was delighted to find letters from other disturbed readers published in your column recently – David Kohler ( Cape Times 23/7) and Dave Burger( Cape Times today 25/7).

Why are five crossword puzzles necessary when two excellent ones sufficed before? The Target is unrecognisable, changing in presentation daily and having serious glitches in composition (an incorrect letter given which made the solution impossible, and the wrong number of words quoted to be “good” was annoying).

Please revert to the old format in size and font to make us happy.

The Inspiration ( which replaced the Horoscope as it apparently offended some readers) has been dominating the page on and off all month but now seems to have settled down to an acceptable size, thank goodness.

The comics are at last looking fine in position and size but the choice leaves a lot to be desired. “Calvin and Hobbes” is Bill Watterson’s classic comic strip, which was commonly cited as “the last great newspaper comic” and has evinced broad and enduring popularity, influence and academic interest.

Depicting an adventurous, mischievous 6-year-old with his anthropomorphic tiger( which others see as a stuffed toy), broad issues like environmentalism and philosophical quandaries are explored subtly. Please bring them back. Angela de Villiers Hermanus