With this rare Friday post, we’re already a quarter of the way through the “Harvey” sequence, and, if I may say so, the best is yet to come. I’ve been playing around with some tee shirt designs that I hope will be out “just in time for Christmas.” I’ve been saying I was going to do that for 25 years. Maybe finally. I’ve been wracking my brain about what you’d like. Then it occurred to me: I’ll just ask. That is the way we do things around here. Any suggestions? (Sorry, no guarantees!) There’ll be a lot more said about this in the near future.
Hardly Harvey, cont.
By Jimmy Johnson
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249 responses to “Hardly Harvey, cont.”
Janis and Arlo on the rock when she was a mermaid 🙂
Like in Arlo’s dream, Janis in her yellow bikini and Arlo at the helm of the boat. Or, the car logo with Janis a little more prominent.
car at dock, sailboat in background, both a&j leaning on car facing viewers. Logo; Arlo and Janis, The family fantasy strip since 1986.
That schooner will look like Gilligan’s Island with the whole crew on board at once!
Ludwig as the ship’s cat.
Arlo as skipper and Janis in bikini?
Love, Jackie
Did the schooner sink?
Ghost, it reminds me of that appalling George on Seinfeld, eating and watching TV while he… no, no, I can’t go on. Bad cess to him!
Jimmy:
Not much of a tee-shirt man.
I favor polos.
Is that possible?
I agree with those who think the car is nice but not enough of A&J.
About the Ragin’ Cajun, James Carville— he used to spit and sputter and go berserk even as a college student. I can’t even watch him and laugh, he just still bothers me, despite all his success and I guess intelligence.
I find it ironic that he leaves his first college totally off his resume, where he got the Ragin’ Cajun nickname from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, although he dropped out and did not graduate.
My husband insists on watching Fox and I swear Bill O’Reilly must be on the air at least 8 hours per day! And then he guests on all the other shows and they guest on his.
I need to send some photos to some newspapers belatedly. I am behind!
Love, Jackie
Jackie, I’ve heard SWL referred to as “one of the Louisiana Directional Colleges”.
Nah, I think it’s just that a little O’Reilly goes a long way. But he’s far from the worst thing on TV.
I love Bill O’Reilly! He is like th Irish uncle I never had. Love him. Okay, thye say I have to go to sleep. GNight. Zzzzzzzzzzzz
You know I like that car logo just like it is. There is a hint of Janis’ assets and a full length of Arlo.
There are so many great strips that could be mined for a single frame, this may be really hard for Jimmy to do?
And the car shows what REALLY “cool kids” they are. It is like Joe Cool in Peanuts. Of course, only us really old cool kids may remember Joe Cool, the ultimate cool kid.
I do remember a sailing strip where Arlo is at the helm in front and leaning into wind, which is a little weird because boats don’t steer from the front? Janis should be in front in her bikini and Arlo in stern at wheel.
Love, Jackie Monies
You know just about anything you put out on a t-shirt would be wonderful. I stll have my autographed A&J framed from the time we gave blankets on your behalf for Katrina victims. Maybe you can do somethin charitable like that in the future?
The car logo
Ludwig
I agree with GR6! I quote:
“The Kiss”, from the cover of “The Book”, would work for the incurable romantics among us. (You know who you are.) And didn’t the gocomic’s page (or that of its predecessor) once have a nice illustration of Arlo and Janis in evening attire, dancing rather amorously?
I think that these would capture the A&J essence better than the car image, as much as I like that one also.
The car logo. It’s all about staging: the prop, laid back attitudes, and the we have made it dress. It speaks volumes about dreams, hopes, and aspirations. This is a couple who knows they have it and are comfortable admiting it.
Well, I guess it doesn’t matter against the overwhelming tide but put me in the column AGAINST the car logo. Although I LIKE the car, the characters, in fact, are never seen in or around a car in the strip itself. I’d prefer a cheeky image of A & J together. Simple and recognizable. If it must be an “action” shot, maybe sitting at their kitchen table with their coffee mugs.
I think the car logo would make a good looking tee-shirt, but I wish I could suggest something that would embody what I feel is the reason we all love them so. They are “us” and so many times we are just comforted by their continuity, their love for and commitment to each other, their acceptance of each other’s idiosyncrasies. They have a good marriage and so many of JJ’s strips nail it on the head. Perhaps, similar to the “Life is Good” brand, there could be a choice of tees, some with them sitting in their lawn chairs, some on their couch, some cooking and tasting in the kitchen, some in the bed (bed check!), and some with Ludwig and Gene.
Well said Granny.
Obviously, the tantalizing hope of A and J tee-shirts is inspirational to us all, even before we see the shirts. How can they not hope to inspire? And maybe make Jimmy and his friend some extra spending money? Or pay a bill?
When I was ordering the 450 breakfasts at the “Smells Like Bacon” shop I mentioned how much people loved her tie dyed tee shirts with the company logo on them. I asked if she had any extra and I would offer them at our combination nautical sale, book sale, etc. She told me the man who makes them for her is over 70 years old and she had trouble getting any to sell herself!
I think I might ask if she’d donate one as a door prize or award?
By the way, her gas station is indeed named “I Smell Gas”.
My first boat designer from England has arrived from Port Townsend, Washington via Kentucky and Arkansas. I know, it is a wonder the British conquered the world with a sense of direction like that. It is his second time here, so he returned after the coldest October snowfall and freeze and sleet in Oklahoma history on his first festival. A great time was actually had by all but not much sailing.
Love, Jackie Monies
As we all know JJ ” peeks in our windows”, I think if JJ puts a subtle window frame image around the image it would be great insider conversation idea. This would work for all images bop till you drop, the kiss, the car, sitting chairs in the yard, Ludwig in the the yard or in the house. All are my favorites.
AU, love that idea!
Good morning, Villagers. Nine miles this morning, and was it great! 53 degrees, hoodie weather for sure. My doggy loved it.
Heh, I have never said JJ “peeked in our window,” and it’s a good thing, cause we are so weird that nobody would recognize any behavior.
Oh, btw, The Dark Side is especially egregious this morning.
The “Something About A Peek” strip cannot be viewed at the online A&J archive, so I put up a link in a subsequent post to where our Beloved Author had posted it for us. Alas, that post is still being frisked Moderately.
There are a huge number of A&J comic strip candidates that would make excellent shirts for the initiated. There are also many that I think would have a pretty broad appeal, even if one was not familiar with A&J.
The problematic aspect of strips is fitting them on the shirt without making them so small that they cannot be read. I suppose they could be stacked two on two, but I do not know how feasible/expensive that would be.
So here is a quick run at strips that would make great shirts that most everyone seeing them should be able to appreciate without much context. All that would be necessary is the Final Two Frames, except for a special favorite at the end:
2/27/08 Cabana Boy
1/31/01 Understand men/women
4/28/09 MY fault?!
7/14/94 Ah, Ah, Ah!
10/9/95 Boy, you’re late! (full strip)
There are certainly more, but I have to match them with a date for reference…