May, 9, 1987

OK, you’ve seen enough of Janis sunbathing on the beach. One thing that was fundamental to Arlo & Janis for many years after its inception was kid humor, provided by young son Gene. When writing material about a young married couple, one handicaps oneself tremendously without at least one little kid in the cast, and Gene filled the role well for A&J. He was always available for a generic little-kid joke (see above), but over time—for some reason—he also evolved into the favored focus of many story lines, strips woven into a narrative that would play out over a week or more. This led many places. I’ve been telling you I would talk about this, and I will, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Next week, our final retrospective week in newspapers and on GoComics, I’m featuring early strips about Gene and his love interest Mary Lou. So, here on the Website, beginning Monday, I’m going to devote next week to Gene and Mary Lou and all that. Have a good weekend!