LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: `BIZARRO' STARTS JAN. 3

If you have been waiting breathlessly for the results of the reader poll on a replacement for "Far Side," the wait is over.

Beginning Monday, Jan. 2, "Far Side" will be replaced on the comics pages Monday through Saturday by "Bizarro." This was the clear choice of readers who responded to my request for votes a couple of weeks ago.

Interestingly, the syndicate (a company that markets and services newspaper features such as comics and columnists) that has been handling "Bizarro" is losing the comic to the same syndicate that made "Far Side" famous.

Effective the first of the year, "Bizarro" will no longer be a part of the Chronicle Features family. Instead, the comic will move to Universal Press Syndicate. Other features in the Southeast Missourian from Universal include "Calvin & Hobbes," "Cathy," "For Better or for Worse," "Garfield," "Geech," "Ziggy," "Dear Abby," Roger Ebert's movie reviews and the weekly "Mini-Page."

As you can see, some of the best-liked features in the Missourian -- and around the country -- come from Universal. The syndicate is based in Kansas City, and it is a relatively new company that has become an industry giant in a very short time.

Picking features like comics to promote and sell is a lot like betting on race horses. You have to have an instinct for winners, because readers ultimately will determine the success or failure of any new feature.

That is the case with "Bizarro." Readers were asked to make a choice based on one example of the comic. While you liked "Bizarro" best based on that sample, you might not like it over the long haul.

That is OK. If it turns out to be less than it was cracked up to be, a change can be made.

My guess, however, is that Universal Press Syndicate has picked another winner.

Thanks for helping to make the choice.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.