Count Los Angeles cartoonist Donna Barstow (who writes the blog Griffith Park, Interrupted) unimpressed by this story about minority cartoonists banding together to draw identical panels in yesterday's newspapers. It was a symbolic gesture to highlight that most papers top out at two cartoonists of color, if that many. Barstow, however, blogs:

I immediately go to the LA Times to count strips (as if I haven’t done this before.) Hmm, the LA Times has three strips by minorities! We’re ahead of the game!

And how about cartoons by women? Let’s see…two. Two strips by women, For Better or For Worse, and Cathy. Huh. Of course, there are several strips ABOUT women, but apparently women weren’t able to draw or write them. That’s peculiar…

9 Chickweed Lane - by Brooke McEldowney, a man with a girl’s name.
Sally Forth - by two men. You know, to get a woman’s “voice” just right.
Blondie - by two men. Surely there must be a good reason for this…

A dozen minority (men) cartoonists, but I can’t think of even 10 syndicated women, and this is my business.

Barstow did have a Valentine's Day-themed caroon in this weekend's Parade.