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The Reader is officially a one-section tabloid--but that's not the only change. It's also coming out a day earlier (out on Wednesday, listings start Thursday), Deanna Isaacs’s column is now in the front, Mike Sula has a weekly column, and the layout is a lot more open and colorful, with more call-out text and larger graphic elements. Upon cursory inspection, the content seems about the same.
It's a change, but we're liking it.
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There is a severe shortage of comics.
The redesign makes sense - so much of what they were publishing each week made little economic sense. But cutting down on the long form journalism and the extensive comics section (which really gave a voice to artists that might not otherwise have that outlet) will be a huge mistake. When I was in high school and college, picking up the Reader and reading Savage Love and the weirdo comics was the highlight of the school week.
I hope they stick with both of what they have always done well. I'm looking forward to reading the next Gary Rivlen.
As long as I can always find Ben Joravsky's column, I'm happy. He's the best they've got and one of the best in Chicago.
Re comix: The lack of them was more a result of logistical difficulties (new format, new designers, new computer programs, etc) than any editorial decision, as far as I know the roster will remain the same.
As will the long-form journalism. It's obviously not as consistently long-form as way back in the day, when the Reader got beef for running 20,000+ word stories, but contra some speculation this week's editorial content was comparable to recent history in length.
I'm curious to see a copy of the new Reader... when I lived in Atlanta, Creative Loafing was the alt. weekly there, and I liked it better than I've liked the Reader.
I actually liking the new format. Obviously some bits have been trimmed, but the old version was so unwieldy and impractical. Its nice to have it all self-contained. The page size feels right too.
must...resist...change...don't...like...new...reader!
actually, I still haven't picked up the new issue...i'll keep an open mind, but if they start cutting back on their best writers, I won't bother with it anymore.
Is it just me, or is the title font on the front page the same as The Village Voice? That and the new shape make me think the Voice has just moved west...
BRING BACK GUMBALLHEAD THE CAT
I just tried it. Layout is OK, but the pages tend to unravel. It's too thick and trimmed so that the inner pages stick out farther on the leading edge than the outside pages. Kind of unwieldy.
The new design is massively better, as I've been waiting for for quite a while.
The comics were always horrible, so don't bring them back (whichever ones were apparently axed).
I can't comment on the new columns or anything, but I'm willing to take a massive design change and call it a huge victory regardless..