Jan 24th 2012 08:10 am A man’s world
Remember last week, when I mentioned that I was fortunate enough to be invited, in 2005, for a two-month mini-residency (for lack of a better term) at La Maison des Auteurs in Angoulême, France? Actually, I invited myself, but that’s another story. Anyway, the above cartoon was drawn during my visit there. Notice the window and the side piece in the first panel. The rendering of both was heavily influenced by the architecture and furnishings of my little apartment and that of the other buildings around me. This was not intentional; I just noticed it myself. In country a month, and I was going native! This is the sort of thing that happens to cartoonists and real artists.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
19 Responses to “A man’s world”
Mark from Maine on 24 Jan 2012 at 8:23 am #
Nice self-deprecating jab, Jimmy. You are a real artist! Your medium is just that, the palate that you use to get your essence across.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 24 Jan 2012 at 8:57 am #
This cartoon really captured our family dynamic. This is something that my son, who became an Engineer, and I would do and my wife would just shake her head. “Like Father, like son.” Of course she loves me and both our kids. Even though I am a little nuts, she also saw the good qualities that I helped instill too. We still do crazy things like this together, but both my wife and I are proud of how our kids turned out in spite of our failings as parents.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 24 Jan 2012 at 9:24 am #
Women are from Venus; Men are insane.
Great retro strip- it really captures “guyness”.
My daughter is spending the month of January in London. She commented to me the other day that after a quick trip to Paris, London felt like “home” when she returned. (It doesn’t hurt that she loves London.) I guess it doesn’t take too long to go native when you have the right attitude.
Dave in MA on 24 Jan 2012 at 9:29 am #
Years ago when most cars didn’t have alarms in them, my wife and I were taking car of my in-law’s car (which did have one) while they were away on a trip. It was normally housed about two house lengths up the street inside an all cinder block garage. We both played with the remote from our porch just to see if it could be picked up all the way up there inside the garage. You could hear the beep from our porch.
Apparently it’s not just a guy thing.
dAVE. on 24 Jan 2012 at 12:04 pm #
I don’t get it. What’s so strange about testing out the garage door opener and key fob? I do that every 6 months or so whenever I change the battery. . . . Nah. I get it, it is funny how Jimmy captures the very essence of guyness with father-son interactions.
When I did this, my son got to test the door opener, and I got to test the key fob. But then my son wanted know how far the key fob would work with the garage door closed, so I had to let him test that too. But we used walkie-talkies, not cell phones.
MINDY on 24 Jan 2012 at 1:44 pm #
I wish those garage doors would open faster than they do.
John in Richmond Texas on 24 Jan 2012 at 3:48 pm #
“going native” makes me think of changing the look of the strip in any number of ways to sell the strip around the world, the possiblilities are endless.
sandcastler on 24 Jan 2012 at 5:56 pm #
Mindy, sounds like there is more to be told than you said about the speed of garage doors opening.
JJ, your post today only reinforces the idea that you look in our windows somedays.
Hoag in MA on 24 Jan 2012 at 6:45 pm #
Poor Janis – It’s a guy thing and she’ll never understand (actually she understands fully, she just doesn’t get it).
I once had my young son call “mom” at work and ask her where the fire extinquisher was, then to quickly say “Never mind, I found it” and hang up.
Yeah, I paid for that one for months, but it was great fun while it lasted.
Jack in Minnesota on 24 Jan 2012 at 8:01 pm #
emb,
I don’t get much chance to hang around in here and just noticed your post about the Obispo beer that was brewed in New Ulm. It really is interesting to look at the origin of some of the brews we encounter. Schells has come a long way in its history and now produces some of the best craft brews around. It’s not far from here. We have visited there; the campus, if you want to call it that, is beautiful. It’s a great motorcycle destination.
Peter B. Steiger on 24 Jan 2012 at 8:21 pm #
Today’s vintage A&J had me laughing hysterically at Janis’ reaction; my son and I are constantly doing things that make my wife just shake her head in bewilderment.
Jerry in Fl on 24 Jan 2012 at 9:47 pm #
How many “real” artists have sold as many books as you have JJ? BTW, that is not the front of a red Cobra and it looks like a Sebring. It may beat participating in the Bumstead driving pool, but not by much.
Mark in TTown on 24 Jan 2012 at 10:40 pm #
Hey, that’s the same inquiring spirit that sent explorers everywhere throughout history. Man (mostly) always to want to know, “what’ll happen if I do this?”. Although it can go to extremes. Look up Ray Steven’s “Hey Bubba, Watch This”, to see what I mean.
Jerry in FL: It also beats Donald Duck’s old car. He’s been driving the same one since the 1930′s. Find a copy of the comic story titled “You Can’t Guess” and have fun.
Jerry in Fl on 24 Jan 2012 at 11:54 pm #
Remember Jack Benny’s first car? Before the Maxwell he had a Hardly Rolls.
sideburns on 25 Jan 2012 at 12:17 am #
And of course, Mark, there’s always Jack Benny’s Maxwell.
Meryl A on 25 Jan 2012 at 12:28 am #
We have our first car with a remote. We haven’t bought one with a remote before because I don’t trust them or power windows. Since one can’t buy a car without them now, we bought a Honda with them. The remote apparently does not work when it is cold and when my husband is frustrated as he uses the key to open the door and push the button so I can get in the other door, I just look at him and he knows what I am thinking. There is a reason I prefer to drive our huge 1996 Astro van to our Honda Pilot.
TruckerRon on 25 Jan 2012 at 12:32 am #
Mark in TTown — thanks for the Ray Stevens’ song. Not only was it a hoot to watch, it brought back a lot of memories, especially of Scout camp. I watched the version at:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/81495275/
(Warning — people are obviously being hurt by their own actions and stupidity!!!)
Mark in TTown on 25 Jan 2012 at 6:48 am #
TruckerRon, thanks for the link. I hadn’t seen the video, just heard the song. The videos do go very well with the song, don’t they?
Galliglo in Ohio on 25 Jan 2012 at 7:31 am #
Speaking as a female… I don’t care what kind of car is on the A&J masthead… it’s red, cute and a convertible – that’s all that matters! LOL