I’m taking a break from the older cartoons today, because I’m not in my usual lair. I don’t have ready access to the older stuff. Instead, I’ve selected a cartoon from just three years ago that illustrates, I think, how far the strip would wander from those early days. I like doing the odd-ball stuff.
11 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
Office humor once was quite common in Arlo and Janis. I was newly escaped from such an environment myself, and it came easily. I’m hard-pressed to imagine the changes employees are enduring these days, and frankly I’d rather not.
It’s hard to believe it has been more than two years since I converted the Web site to the current blog format, but I made the conversion on Jan. 31, 2008. I’m again contemplating some changes, but don’t get a twist in your knickers just yet. What’s here now will remain. Any major changes will be in the form of additional fare; there might be minor changes in appearance. Besides, regulars here know that when I’m “contemplating” something, action isn’t necessarily imminent.
I posted an “extra” last evening, after the Super Bowl, so the non-sports fans among you who don’t appreciate flawless Monday-morning quarterbacking won’t suffer.
16 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
In much of the United States, hell has frozen over, and in Miami, the New Orleans Saints have won the Super Bowl.
I have to take back some of what I said two weeks ago in the wake of the Saints’ defeat of the Vikings. New Orleans had 60 minutes to abuse Peyton Manning in the manner they abused Brett Favre in the NFC championship, but Mr. Manning escaped relatively unscathed, if not victorious. The Vikings–and particularly Mr. Favre–need some help up front.
One thing is certain: the New Orleans Saints are the NFL champions. Who dat?!
20 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
The weather just won’t let up, will it? Last week, we were worrying about our friends in the middle of the country who were buried in ice and snow, and this weekend it’s our friends in the central Atlantic states. They say more is on the way, too. I don’t recall a winter quite like this in a long time. Perhaps that’s because there hasn’t been a winter quite like this in a long time.
This cartoon is from a beach series that appeared first in 1995. Both Arlo and Janis have their original hair styles, but their features are beginning to take a form closer to today than when the strip first appeared.
22 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
The early Janis was very insecure in most areas. This was the source of much of the humor in Arlo and Janis back then, humor that could be dark. As many of us do, she has matured, and the disappearance of her insecurity probably is one of the greater differences in the strip then and now, if one of the least noted.
I hope you’re enjoying seeing the older strips. I am. I think I’ll stick with them a while. Chances are, these are strips you’ve never seen or won’t remember, and you’re not going to see them anywhere but here.
13 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
There’ll be a big event coming up in the comic-strip industry Sunday, April 11. I don’t know if I’m free to talk about it yet, but I’ll find out over the next 24 hours and, if permitted, I’ll give you some details. I’ve probably said too much already.
Does anyone need any water? I can send you some. We’re about to float away down here! Don’t forget to check back for weekend updates.
35 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
It isn’t hard to imagine where I got the idea for this one. When I drew it in 1990, I was a much younger man living on the shores of beautiful Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River. Aluminum was right up there with hydrogen and oxygen as a common element.
I need to clear something up. When I said, a few days back, that the number of visitors to this site suddenly declined slightly, I wasn’t counting your comments. I was looking at data from my Web server that tracks such minutiae. There was a small drop in visitors last week that exactly corresponded with the winter storm in the middle of the country. However, I want to thank those of you who went to the trouble to post a comment to cheer me up. It did, actually!
24 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
Today’s old, I mean “classic,” Arlo and Janis cartoon dates all the way back to March, 1993. I might have shown visitors this cartoon at arloandjanis.com in the early days; I honestly don’t remember. However, I can say you won’t see it anywhere else but arloandjanis.com, unless you have some really old newspapers around your house.
23 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
I’m reaching back a couple more years today, breaking our ten-years-ago pattern of late, to show you this Groundhog Day cartoon from 1998, featuring what’s-her-name.
Yesterday I noticed that the number of visitors to this site had fallen off a bit each day since last Thursday, reversing a delightful trend. I pouted a bit then realized that there must have been hundreds of thousands without electricity, beginning at that time, because of the winter storm in the center of the country. I don’t know how many are still without power in places like Oklahoma and Kentucky; if you’re one of them, you probably aren’t reading this, but we’re thinking about you in particular this Groundhog Day.
43 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
Happy February! For those of you not accustomed to visiting on Sundays, and that would be most of you I’d warrant, be sure to check out yesterday’s rare Sunday update. And there was another Saturday update, too. All of you who read the site at work have some catching up to do, but I know none of you do that.
It’s hard to believe that when I started drawing Arlo and Janis, Gene was about the age of Flashback Gene in the above strip. I sure miss the little-kid humor. Not only was it easy to write, it was usually funny.
30 Comments » Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J