You'll notice that some of the cartoons on this blog are in color. They do not run in the print newspaper that way... in fact, I've never had a regular editorial cartoon run in color on any of the newspapers I've worked for in my 29-year career (although I've had color illustration work run). The reason is simple: opinion pages aren't given the coveted color printing pages. Those are reserved for the ads that bring in revenue, and color news content, feature stories, sports and photography that can make better use of those color positions.

So, I color a percentage of my work for the web -- this blog, my own web site and elsewhere, mostly because it's fun to see. It takes time -- which I don't always have -- and not every cartoon translates easily to color or is even enhanced by it. In many cases the starkness of a black & white image retains more power and impact than an image in color. But I do colorize when I can and when it's appropriate.

A footnote about the Star: years ago, it had a freestanding Sunday Opinion section with a color front cover. My predecessor here, John Sherffius, did occasional color editorial cartoons that ran there. There is a bit of talk about reviving a freestanding Sunday Opinion section... we'll see, but I won't hold my breath.