RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS: YOU ASKED FOR NEW COIMICS, YOU GOT IT! (AND MORE)

There have been a lot of kind acts performed this week as part of Random Acts of Kindness Week.

Well, the Southeast Missourian wants to jump on board with an announcement that has been in the planning stages for several months.

You remember the comic survey we conducted back in late January? You spoke. We listened.

On June 11, the Southeast Missourian will debut its new Sunday comics. On Monday, we'll introduce six new daily comics and a new feature page.

Here's the good news: All the daily comics we run now are staying put. The six additional comics that we'll run Monday through Saturday include some of the most popular: Baby Blues, Rose is Rose, Lola, Funky Winkerbean, Sally Forth and Dennis the Menace.

We're also increasing the size of our crossword puzzle on the page so you can actually write in the boxes. (See, we really were listening.)

As a result, we'll be moving Dear Abby, Out of the Past, the movie listings and astrograph to a new page, anchored with the movie advertisements. We're also adding three new features to this page: a bridge column, Dr. Peter Gott's health advice column and Today in History by The Associated Press. The popular People talk column, with tidbits about the entertainment world, will complete this special feature page.

The color comics will also reflect our desire to more closely match our daily comics to our Sunday lineup. This was not an easy process. We had to renegotiate contracts and that took some time. But we feel the wait was worth it.

We're adding Baby Blues, Rose is Rose, Dilbert and Zits to our Sunday package. The Cathy cartoon, that had been running in our Sunday Life section in black and white, will also move to the full-color section.

OK, we do have to drop four old standards from our color section to add the five new ones. But these were the strips that finished at the bottom in reader comments during our survey. We are dropping Hagar the Horrible, Snuffy Smith, Wizard of Id and Mutts.

We realize that making any change in comics can be upsetting to our readers. But this new package includes the comics that topped our list of reader requests. We hope the positive changes far outweigh any inconvenience.

Our readers are familiar with Funky Winkerbean, Sally Forth and Dennis the Menace. All three have appeared in our Sunday comics package for some time.

Here's a look at our totally new comics either daily or Sunday:

With a warm mix of fantasy and reality, Rose is Rose presents the Gumbo family and the magic of everyday life. Rose is a seemingly composed and staid homemaker. But sometimes we see her transform into and out of her alter ego, Vicki the Biker, who has a hunger for adventure and the open road. Little son Pasquale's imaginary escapades rival his moms, but his adventures occur in his dreamship. Rose is Rose will appear daily and Sunday.

Baby Blues follows the trials and tribulations of the MacPherson family and their two young children, Zoe and Hamish. This strip has been honored as Best Comic Strip of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society. Born cranky and loud, Zoe dominated the MacPherson household for the first three years of her life. After having every burp, bubble and babble photographed or taped, Zoe has come face-to-face with the cold reality of being the older sibling. Baby Blues will appear daily and Sunday.

Zits is a strip about being 15 and living with someone who's 15. Jeremy is the star of Zits. He's a freshman, a B student, a budding musician and typical teen-ager. He's a likable, introspective kid who's the essence of adolescence. What "Dilbert" is to the office, Zits is to the family room. It was named Best Comic Strip of the Year in 1999 by the National Cartoonists Society. Zits will appear Sunday only.

Lola is a witty sharpshooter who's too busy living life to the fullest to worry about proper diet, exercise and political correctness. This independent woman in her late 70s will surprise readers with her kindness one moment and whack them with her cane the next. At the request of her son, Ray, the recently widowed Lola gives up her condo and moves in with him and his family. The potential disasters of Lola living with her adult children provide the backdrop for a hilarious story about life. Lola will appear daily only.

And don't worry, Peanuts is staying both daily and Sunday, along with our other popular comic strips.

Thanks for your input. We hope you'll enjoy the results.