A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

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Stuffing Nonsense

By Jimmy Johnson


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This week, we’re going to be revisiting the classic Turkey Day series from 1996, one of my favorites. I did some of my best work that year, and to this day I’m not sure why. I do know it was one of the rare periods in my life when I lived alone (just sayin’!), and I had relatively few outside distractions compared to other times. Perhaps that’s all very telling, but as I’ve told you before I’ve never been one who lived and breathed cartooning. I love the art form and am honored to call it my profession, but I have a lot of other interests. Still, the year 1996 makes me wonder what might have been if I had been able to train—or force—myself to, indeed, live and breath cartooning. On the other hand, a lot of readers hated what I was doing in 1996.

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74 responses to “Stuffing Nonsense”

  1. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
    Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

    Strip of 11.10.15:

    Janis really needs to learn what is her business and what is not.

    Sheesh.

  2. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
    Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

    Jimmy:

    Speaking of living alone and being productive, when you have a few minutes, look for Anton Chekov’s “The Bet.”

    I like to think of it as the Book of Ecclesiastes in a darker hue.

  3. joedon2007 Avatar
    joedon2007

    Wow; What a surprise to get this early post

  4. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    I have known a few cooks who have left the bag in the turkey. It was not the end of the world. The other common problem is not letting the bird thaw out enough. You really need to plan ahead.

  5. NealinBawstun Avatar

    The strip matures with its characters, albeit in 1/4 time. Life is good.

    So, where are the misdirected shirts?

  6. John Kelly Avatar

    Every time I see this series, I’m reminded of Mr. Bean with a turkey on his head. Both classics.

  7. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    1996 was the year of the most-commented-upon A&J cartoon ever: “There’s just something about a peek.” Sadly, all attempts to link to it fail, as it is posted on an old A&J webpage and not in the online archives and all posts with links to A&J pages never come out of Moderation Hades.

    We were also introduced to Ruth in 1996. There were also a number of excellent gags, such as this one: http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1996/02/09

    A lot of good stuff in 1996. Haters gonna hate.

  8. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    A 4:37 AM post…concurrent with the announcement of Hades as the site of the 2118 Winter Olympics. 🙂

    And yes, they do schedule them that far ahead.

  9. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Debbe 😉 OK, hon, I’ll work on my Connery look. Just for you. 😉

    If That Guyâ„¢ bought a certain hair gel company, would he rename it “Depp’s Dippityt-Do”?

  10. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    Ghost, a Russian reader replied, “‘Depp’s Dippity-Do’? Dah!” :O

  11. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    Happy Birthday to all the Marines who are out there; activity or retired.

  12. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    I was just about to say…Happy 240th Birthday, United States Marine Corps! You don’t look a day over 200.

    Keep up the good work, Water Walkers.

  13. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Evan 🙂

    A massive kerfuffle in The Village = Everyday back-and-forth on The Dark Side

  14. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Go to Google, paste this as the search: arlo and janis there’s just something about a peek

    You will get a page with a link to that strip. I can’t post the link to the strip or to the page. I tried and neither showed up.

    http://www.arloandjanis.com/A-Peek.gif

  15. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Got it, had to tell Chrome to copy image URL.

  16. TruckerRon Avatar

    Mark, I tried your link in the 9:19 a.m. post, and it worked. And I still enjoy peeking with my bride of 35 years.

  17. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    Mark in TTown, way to go. A link that does not sink the comment it is posted in.

    And TR, the bride is always the proper peeking partner. After all the years, there’s still just something about a peek…

    Haters gonna hate; Peekers gonna peek! 😀

  18. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    If a peek she offers, who am I not to honor.

  19. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Viewer Advisory: TWC rant follows

    Wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute. The Weather Channel suits seem to be at it again, displaying some of the mastermind programming decisions that have practically run their channel into the ground…showing a made-for-TV movie titled “Dead of Winter: The Donner Party”. On the day after Thanksgiving! Have they branched out from pushing other “causes” to backing the PETA party line? Because frankly, a movie involving cannibalism is about the only thing I can think of that would make a Tofurkyâ„¢ for Christmas dinner seem appealing to me.

    Somehow, I think even Alferd E. Packer would be repulsed by the poor judgment that shows.

  20. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Maybe they think it goes along with the Black Friday campers who wait in front of stores for days in cold winter weather.

  21. emb Avatar
  22. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    UC Boulder has the Alfred Packer Bar & Grill in Memorial Hall.

  23. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    I think most references have the name as “Alferd”, but I have no knowledge of which is correct.

  24. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    emb, interesting observation. Wikipedia list his born as name, Alfred Griner Packer. Then lists his name as, Alfred G. “Alferd” Packer. No mention on how he came by Alferd. There is mention of a 1960 folk song by Paul Ochs “The ballad of Alferd Packer.” Seems history remembers him better as Alferd.

  25. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    Thanks, sand – clearly I did not delve into the name deeply.