Maybe the answer to Arlo’s question is, it’s more interesting visually to depict a larger person in the foreground and a smaller one in the distance, the classic “Mutt ‘n’ Jeff” configuration. I often draw Arlo and Janis sitting side by side on the sofa, and it’s not as compositionally engaging. That’s just a guess.

When this ran, it was the 70th anniversary of the advent of the comic strip “Blondie.” Helpful readers pointed out that it was not, strictly speaking, the 70th anniversary of Blondie and Dagwood’s marriage. Ah, helpful readers.