(c) 2007 LALO ALCARAZ / Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
A Lalo Alcaraz strip poked fun at filmmaker Ken Burns as activists complained that his 14-hour World War II documentary on PBS, airing this week, lacked Latinos. Eventually, Latino stories were added.

Houston Readers Campaign to Keep "La Cucaracha"

"The Chronicle recently dropped the comic strip La Cucaracha because the strip was frequently inappropriate for a family newspaper," reader representative James Campbell told his Houston Chronicle readers on his blog last week. "Some Chronicle readers, including many Latinos, did not agree with the decision and have started a campaign to get us to restore the strip to our comics' line-up."

It's not the first time fans of the strip by Lalo Alcaraz have mobilized. In March, the Los Angeles Times responded to an outcry from fans of what its creator has called "the first and only syndicated politically themed Latino-rrific daily comic strip" and quickly reversed its cancellation.

Asked for comment, Alcaraz told Journal-isms on Wednesday, "How about, 'HOUSTON CHRONICLE: ROACHES CHECK IN BUT THEY WON"T CHECK OUT'?

"I heard that one before, Latinos that are offended by every single utterance of mine tend to be Latinos with plenty of time to spend on tormenting me and my editors, because they are at the Happy Meadows Home for the Cranky and Hypersensitive. People around 50 and below tend to be cool with the strip, it's not that outrageous contentwise, just maybe shocking that someone's doing comics with -- I use this term loosely, 'edgy' topics. Nothing more edgier than The Daily Show - and certainly not funnier! But how 'bout this one: BUSH VOWS TO BOMB IRAN'S HIGHLY ADVANCED GAYDAR FACILITIES'

"That's considered too edgy for a cartoonist of color, but not for my colleague Garry Trudeau, for SOME reason . . ."