Dec 20th 2010 09:40 am A real paint
A comment and question from Jim in Southeast Mississippi: Using 7-29-85 as the first publication date of A&J, an app on my phone tells me today’s cartoon should be about number 9,269. So, how do you do it so well for that long, without burning out?
First, Jim, my old journalism professor P.C. Burnett would tell you that “about number 9,269″ would be imprecise. It would be “about 9,270.” Unless we’re going to deal in fractions, there is no “about” to “number 9,269.” However, your point is valid: that’s a lot of cartoons! I’ll tell you my secret: a non-negligible number of the cartoons are stinkers. I do my best to disguise this by interspersing the stinkers evenly among the cartoons that do not stink. All cartoonists do this, and—despite what some of the young whippersnappers who want my job might say—it is not a reason to rend one’s garments or slit one’s wrists or step aside willingly so some talentless hack can have a go at it.
Having said that, bad cartoons aren’t much use to anyone. If all I produced were bad cartoons, I would go away eventually, willing or not, and it might happen yet, although my plan is to die first. However, evidence suggests I still crank out a winner now and then. From the beginning, I’ve thought I had a good week if I produced two or three cartoons worth the effort, and I think I do that most weeks. How I do it is anybody’s guess. Being alert for things like apps that count the days helps.
Bob asks: Do you sometimes assume that some readers will miss the joke or the point of that day’s strip? I occasionally do miss the point, and it doesn’t bother me. I appreciate the occasional ambiguity.
Absolutely, Bob. I don’t purposely draw cartoons I know a lot of people won’t understand, although deadlines sometimes dictate I draw a cartoon I might know is not ready-for-prime-time. (See Jim’s question above. And Saturday’s A&J.) However, I occasionally do an inside joke that I think a subset of readers will absolutely love, even if it leaves some readers scratching their head. I think this is OK, although the conventional wisdom of comic-strip writing always has been that a joke should appeal to the broadest section of readers possible. And I’m glad you don’t mind my ambiguity. I wish there were more like you.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
35 Responses to “A real paint”
Bill in Paducah on 20 Dec 2010 at 10:03 am #
You must have mis-remembered what cartoon is running today – I kind of liked it.
billinbossier on 20 Dec 2010 at 10:04 am #
I rather liked today’s cartoon. For those of us living in the south this autumn, it makes a lot of sense.
Neal in Bahstawn on 20 Dec 2010 at 10:05 am #
If everyone ‘gets the joke’, then the strip can never be anything more than mediocre. And, if it is always a joke (as opposed to something poignant on occasion), then it may as well be ‘Rose is Rose’ or another of those saccharine offerings that populate newspapers. Some weeks back, I called attention to an old A&J that ran on Veterans Day and obliquely referenced the draft lottery which Arlo had ‘won’. That strip would have been a head-scratcher to anyone under (at the time it ran) 45. But to me it ranks as one of the most memorable strips ever committed to pen and ink. And, from the comments that ensued, it struck a respondent chord with many readers in this community. Does that make us ‘insiders’? I hope not.
Eric Goebelbecker on 20 Dec 2010 at 10:38 am #
At only about 9271 strips, you are far from an old-timer than needs to step aside. You are barely an adolescent compared to the “giants” of humor like Blondie, Hagar, B.C. and Beetle.
John in Richmond Texas on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:09 am #
More than once, I’ve saved a strip in my A&J binder, (and, of course I only save ones that really stand out and that I at least think I “get”) only to look at it months later and realize Oh! Now I REALLY get it!
Dave in MA on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:22 am #
Neal in Bahstawn, I just turned 45 last month. I certainly understand the “won” the draft lottery issue. Anyone who has had a semi-decent education, even in the worst of public school systems, let alone in some of the spectacular public school systems that exist, should understand what a draft lottery is and why winning or losing it is all a matter of perspective. I seriously doubt it’s limited by someone’s age.
Ceolaf on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:35 am #
There are times when I do not get a day’s strip and I wish to god that I could get an explanation. I’ve been reading it for so long, I am disappointed when I don’t understand what you’re trying to do.
Of course, nothing ruins a joke more than….
I don’t think I fail to get a strip more than once a month. I would say that the *really* good ones are — on average — far more frequent than that, though they are not evenly distributed. I am down to four newspaper-based comic strips, after having grown up on The Washington Post’s three pages of strips. A&J’s themes are just too good to drop it, and the relationship between A&J is truly the most interesting one I have ever seen in comics.
buzz on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:43 am #
So, Saturday’s strip says Arlo gets stoned…?
I “won” the lottery back in 1972, one of the very last people to do so.
Boise Ed on 20 Dec 2010 at 1:09 pm #
Ceolaf: Take a look at http://comicsidontunderstand.com/wordpress/ . If the comic you don’t “get” isn’t there, send in the URL and your wish might be granted.
Eric: Many or all of the really old strips now have different cartoonists than they started with, but not A&J.
sideburns on 20 Dec 2010 at 1:20 pm #
Whoever selected those comics must be a really clueless dolt. JJ, you should be complemented that you’re represented so many times.
Peter B. Steiger on 20 Dec 2010 at 2:39 pm #
As a computer/math/science geek, I feel obligated to keep up my reputation by inserting faux precision into conversations. I can’t just say “I’m pretty sure such-and-such”; I’ll say “I’m 84.43% sure that such-and-such”. I give my own and my children’s ages to the second decimal place in conversation and filling out forms at the doctor’s office (handy tip: A month is about 0.08 of a year, so if you figure on roughly 0.02 times the number of weeks before/since your birthday, you won’t be far enough off for anyone to catch you). I also made a point of celebrating the kids’ pi birthdays (conveniently, my son turned 6pi just a month before he turned 19, and my daughter will turn 7pi about a month after she turns 21 in April).
Today’s strip was 94.71% funny!
minnesotadon on 20 Dec 2010 at 2:53 pm #
It is not as bad as Ceolaf indicates but I too ocassionally do not get a toon…and Saturday’s was one of them that left me scratching my head.
I don’t own or have never had a cat as a pet so I would say there are more of the cat jokes that I don’t get than anything else.
Buy no means take this as a negative…I am a die-hard A&J fan…I even named my 2001 Bullitt Mustang affectionately “Janis”.
Michael in Dublin, CA on 20 Dec 2010 at 3:12 pm #
I am almost certain — no wait, in deference to Peter B. Steiger, let’s make that “I am 96.28 percent certain” — that i have never once read an A&J that was a stinker. I’ve read gut-wrenching funny (“Here’s your cat! … poor mr. lizard”), poignant and dramatic (“I suspect i’ll be sharing a beer with that fellow before long”), watching-through-my-window (“why do you keep the keyboards way in the back?”), etc… but never a stinker. Most have at least brought a smile to my face.
And ceolaf is absolutely right… the relationship between arlo and janis is one of the most interesting, and uplifting, out there. Keep it up!!!!!
P.S. I wish I could find the one where Ludwig jumps on a table, and you can see the vase about to fall down, at just the moment in time when A&J are watching a suspense movie and the bomb is gonna explode in 3 seconds. Another gut-wrenching funny as the user has to mentally draw the unseen last panel.
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 20 Dec 2010 at 4:34 pm #
Peter B. S.: As another math person, I find it interesting that you list those ages to the second decimal place in the face of the fact that working with only one significant digit (in either “.08″ or “.02″) doesn’t allow for same – glad you termed it “faux precision”!
I might add that your son turned 6pi years old about 1.8 months before he turned 19 – almost 2 months before. Your daughter will be 7pi years old about 3.23 days before she turns 22, not a month after becoming 21. For these, I approximated pi = 3.1415926535.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Dec 2010 at 4:46 pm #
A question for Those Who Always Know a Link Where I Can Find the Answer: My BOB (big orange boy) cat jumps up on the dining room table and from there up to the top of the china cabinet. When I walk into the room he looks at me with total unconcern because mentally he has calculated how high I can reach and knows that I can’t reach him without something to stand on, by which time he will be gone. How do they do that? BTW, I have found that one of those cans of compressed air used for dusting off your keyboard will persuade a cat to change his location, but I use it sparingly.
Mary in Ohio on 20 Dec 2010 at 4:55 pm #
Jerry – my Big Orange Boy had to be put down last week with an inoperable tumor. So give yours a hug for me when you get him down off the china cabinet.
Today’s cartoon was also on the mark up here in NE Ohio, where it has not gotten UP TO freezing for more than 2 weeks – a condition we are usually spared until Jan. or Feb. So even though tonight’s total lunar eclipse will be visible to all of North America and coincide with the Solstice, I hope to be safe and warm inside throughout. (There was a full moon on Halloween too – does the moon control “weather tides”?)
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 20 Dec 2010 at 5:23 pm #
Mary in Ohio:
One of my former colleagues and still friend moved from here to Alaska about twenty years ago.
Her email yesterday said that the temperature was -45 F. Her husband and she were hoping that it would rise to -25 F so that they could better enjoy their hike to the post office.
They live in a fairly isolated area, so much so that seeing wolf and moose is common.
I think that I can endure our current state of identity theft around here.
25 F above, and the occasional fox or coyote. Yeah, that’s okay with me down here.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Dec 2010 at 6:03 pm #
Mary, You have my sympathy. I never had a cat before and swore that I never would. We have the bob Elvis and two torties. They are absolutely our children. They are having a ball with the Christmas tree and I told my wife that I didn’t care becuase we put the tree up to be enjoyed. I don’t know if you saw my post about Dean Koontz’s book, A Big Little Life. Although it is about his dog I think that you would relate. I ordered my copy from Amazon, but you may find it in one of the big book stores. Weather-I think that there was a light frost outside this morning, but some of my flowers are still alive so I’m not complaining. It was short sleeve weather outside this afternoon. Not a moose, bear or wolf in sight, although I understand that we do have bears nearby. Elvis has standing orders when we leave home to keep the bears away.
Mike in Missouri on 20 Dec 2010 at 6:29 pm #
I really enjoyed reading your answers in today’s blog, JJ. You are obviously a very talented and intelligent fellow.
Bill in Paducah on 20 Dec 2010 at 7:11 pm #
Michael in Dublin, CA
Stop by if you’re ever in Paducah. Proud to say it’s hanging on my wall!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31328344&l=979db86205&id=1163203851
James Pollock on 20 Dec 2010 at 7:25 pm #
Jerry, you don’t need a link… you need a squirt gun. Nothing moves a cat faster than a wet nose.
But the usual proviso applies. It is impossible to train a cat not to do something. It is only possible to train it not to get caught.
Jim in SE Mississippi on 20 Dec 2010 at 7:26 pm #
JJ:
Point well taken about the “about.” I suppose what I meant was “…today’s cartoon is (assuming I used the correct starting date and you didn’t somehow over the years manage to miss any publication dates) number 9,269.”
Seriously, I am flattered you chose my question as one to answer, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your answer. Hey, you really do take this thing called A&J seriously, don’t you?
However, I believe by “stinker” you must actually mean “not quite up to the high standards to which I continually hold myself.” Objectively, I’d have a hard time pointing out any of your cartoons that were malodorous in any way. (Except maybe the one about Ludwig using his litter box during the dinner party.) Keep up the good work.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Dec 2010 at 8:03 pm #
James, I appreciate the advice, but the herd is pretty good about following instructions while I’m watching, but I think that a water pistol would incite an insurrection. We’ve only had one broken tree ornament so far when they accidentally droped it on the tile. If they are slow to obey I show them the compressed air can and they hurry to keep me happy. I was just told that there is also a meteor shower tonight so I guess that I’ll need a jacket and an umbrella. See you all outside at 2 am! Who wants to post your impressions of the eclipse?
DJG in Milwaukee on 20 Dec 2010 at 8:58 pm #
I would say that I also thought Saturday’s strip was a bit of a head scratcher…
James Pollock on 20 Dec 2010 at 10:32 pm #
I’m not suggesting you turn a SuperSoaker on them. But one of those little spritz bottles like the various household cleaners come in are excellent for this purpose.
My cats recognize a tone of voice that means either “get down from whatever you’ve climbed on” or “stop doing what you’re doing”, depending on the infraction. It used to also work on my offspring, but not so much now.
Bob, near Mark on 20 Dec 2010 at 10:54 pm #
Mary in Ohio,
We can’t watch the eclipse here tonight. It’s snowing.
James Pollock,
My daughter used to use a spritz bottle to keep one of her cats out of the Christmas tree. It got to the point where the cat would walk up to the tree and turn and look at my daughter as if he were saying, “OK, I’m going to start playing with the tree. Get the spritz bottle ready.”
Jerry in Fl on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:07 pm #
They understand English. I’m the one that has to interpret their tone of voice and paw signals. Whether it’s a question or a statement is easy. If I can’t figure it out I just tell them to show me and it’s usually treats, go out, brush me or you forgot our dinner dummy. I just turned to the snowball fight in Minnesota. The Vikings built a snowman during their last huddle. I understand that he may be their next quarterback.
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:22 pm #
Jerry: “…treats, go out, brush me or you forgot dinner, dummy”? Sounds like a couple of women I’ve dated. More than a couple, actually.
debbie: A cruise, eh? I think I’m jealous. No one has asked me on a cruise.
As far as giving money for Christmas, my all-female staff and I draw names for our exchange of $25 gifts. I also ask them to post a wish list to help each other decide what to buy. This year, continuing a trend that started a couple of years ago, everyone (except me) wished for a $25 debit gift card. I told them (only half-jokingly) that next year everyone could get a gift card to drop in a basket, and we would just draw cards instead of names. No one liked that idea, but they couldn’t exactly explain why.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:47 pm #
6, That’s because two of them are female. What my wife and I have always done is simply go out and buy our own gifts. We are guaranted to get exactly what we wanted. Of course we throw in a few surprise stocking stuffers. I’m curious about your hiring process but it’s your business. Poor Minnesota. The quarterback was hit so hard that he fell back and began making a snow angel.
Jerry in Fl on 21 Dec 2010 at 3:39 am #
2:35 am -eclipse appears complete. Sky is clear except for slight patches of fog. Moon is red, but easily visible. Took some pictures. Ready for a cup of hot chocolate.
Jerry in Fl on 21 Dec 2010 at 3:58 am #
2:55am-fog is moving in fast. The stars were bright half an hour ago and I saw a couple of shooting stars. There are few stars to be seen now.
Jerry in Fl on 21 Dec 2010 at 4:11 am #
3:10 am-the moon is quickly emerging from the Eath’s shadow. There is no red color now.
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 21 Dec 2010 at 6:11 am #
Mike and Jim in SE Miss.:
I agree with your statements about Jimmy’s prowess and track record (no; I’m not trying to suck up).
I have tried my hand a bit at writing and have always found humor to be the most difficult. Anyone who can be funny two days in a row – let alone approximately 9,271 – has a brain that I never had.
Dave in MA on 21 Dec 2010 at 8:50 am #
Jerry in Fl, I can see it now. Cat on top of china cabinet. Compressed air in your hand. FFFFT, jump, wobble, CRASH! No need for a china cabinet now….
Also, “Who wants to post your impressions of the eclipse?” I WILL! It looked exactly like clouds!
Unfortunately, so did the meteor shower.
As for 9269, 9270, 9271, let us not forget the dates that JJ has run repeats (like during his hospitalization a couple years ago) so I agree that “about” or “almost” is accurate enough.
Mary in Ohio on 22 Dec 2010 at 9:44 am #
Well, I wasn’t eclipse watching OR cozy in bed, having (apparently) survived a vicious case of “systemic flu” The kitties kept me warm, and I can now ingest coffee, thank heaven!
Jerry – have you seen the video of the Big Orange Boy who chases and trees a bear? It was on the internet 2 or 3 years ago and can probably still be found on You Tube. I believe it was in a PA back yard.
The deer come right down near where the dogs are to eat crabapples off the trees in the side yard. The dogs bark off and on until about midnight and then give up and go to sleep.