Syndicated cartoonists laugh all the way to the bank

The dialogue in Tundra gives us a good idea of what “syndicated” means in the publishing world.

A syndicated cartoon is one that is carried by many newspapers throughout the U.S. and abroad. The syndicate King Features, for example, provides newspapers with Baby Blues, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, Family Circus, Mark Trail, Popeye and Zits, among others. It also distributes newspaper columns, games, puzzles, and editorial cartoons to thousands of newspapers worldwide.

Getting syndicated turbo charges the earning power of newspaper cartoonists; otherwise, they are not inclined to quit their day jobs.

“Syndicated” is the adjective form of “syndicate,” which comes from the ancient Greek word
syndikos.That word meant ”helping in a court of justice, hence defendant’s advocate, judge,” according to Webster’s.

From syndikos came “syndic,” which Webster’s defines as a business agent, a government official in some European countries, or a civil magistrate. The tiny European country of Andorra, for instance, still has officials call syndics.

Andorra, noted by green circle, is flanked by Spain and France.
Illustration courtesy of Wikipedia

Syndics of the Drapers' Guild, an oil painting by Rembrandt in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
Photo of painting courtesy of Wikipedia