Perhaps they grew unhindered because the publishers and editors of the time were not so certain of how to approach the new medium, and thus allowed the artists free rein. Unfortunately, such broad-mindedness is unknown in today's publishing industry. They have almost completely disappeared from daily newspapers. The pressure to accommodate as many series as possible on very little space has compressed individual installments to three or at most four little pictures. In the United States, comics as a whole have come under increasing pressure in recent years.
Young audiences seem to be turning away from comics in favor of new media.
Only series combining various different media seem able to survive. Experts are predicting that the Internet will mutate comics into animated stories.