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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

A sketch in time

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
I’ve told you I don’t sketch much, and that’s true. That doesn’t mean I never sketch. These are some selected doodles of late, as I kick around yet again an ancient concept from the recesses of my brain. Speaking of recess, I can say I am exploring ideas, but I think in reality these sketches depict what I’d rather be doing than what I am actually doing at the moment. Note the mermaid: I have always thought real mermaids probably more closely resemble manatees than fish. I mean, that makes sense, doesn’t it? And they probably aren’t quite as pretty and don’t sing quite as well as we give them credit. Anyway, don’t ask me what this is all really about, because I can’t say.

Recent Posts

Ghost of Christmas Past

This holiday Arlo & Janis comic strip from 2022 is similar in concept to the new strip that ran yesterday. I thought the latter ...

Spearhead

I have produced a number of comic strips related to Veteran’s Day. Especially in latter years, I have tried to emphasize the universal experience ...

Dark Passage

Remember: it’s that weekend. The return to standard time can be a bit of a shock in the late afternoon, but I rather enjoy ...

What’s old is old, again

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to build a web site, but there are similarities. Everything needs to be just right, or ...

Back to the ol’ drawing board

I don’t have a lot of time this morning. I wasn’t going to post anything, but I’m tired of looking at that old photograph ...

Thursday’s Child

On Sunday, I teased you with the suggestion there are more changes coming here. There are. They will appear soon, and I think you’ll ...

115 responses to “A sketch in time”

  1. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Charlotte in NH, probably same as dolphins!

    By the way, look up dugong in your online resource of choice. They are the Old World relative of the manatee and considered the probable source of inspiration for the mermaid. After all, no one in Europe saw a manatee till after they made it to the New World.

  2. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Was a Dugong on Jules Vern’s Mysterious Island.

    In my mind it was a Pacific island – but how did the balloon get blown all that way?
    Somewhere near Africa?

    Somewhere near Nevernever Land?

    Other’s thoughts?

  3. James Riendeau Avatar
    James Riendeau

    An old artsy friend of mine used to bemoan, “There is a style to anything I draw. I wish there wasn’t. I want the image to stand on its own. Not be attributable to me. But no matter what I do, I can put it with a thousand other works by a thousand other artists, give you two samples of mine, and you can pick out the third immediately.” Her complaint struck me as silly as those people who don’t like their own spoken accent. Anywho, your sketches look very A&J, or if you prefer Jimmy Johnson-ish, and I don’t mean that as an insult.

  4. emb Avatar
    emb

    “There is nothing like a dame,” those guys were at sea for weeks/months, and [I think], both manatees and dugongs have pectoral nipples. The sailors may even have seen nursing pups. But neither dugongs nor manatees were as pretty as Janis.

    Beats me. emb

  5. emb Avatar
    emb

    The sketches also look like maybe JJ is not only a better artist than when we first met A&J, but a better sketcher. They are great.

  6. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good morning Villagers…

    In answer to your question Jerry, I was laid off from the hotel, drawing unemployment, taking online classes to freshen up my computer skills…sent out resumes. Was offered a job in sales…turned it down. I was fed up with the corporate world. Then my sister-in-law was going to start working for this poultry house because the two older ladies were retiring. I just phones up The Boss, told his daughter who I was and got hired. No resume, no application….and I’m still there almost 4 years later. I think it was almost a week before I met The Boss. He still hasn’t been by to meet Shirley….I guess he trusts me.

    OMG, Lorraine is 50ish….I used to look that good when I was 50 🙂 That’s a joke son.

    Miss Charlotte…good to see your post….miss your posting too. Are you ok? I hope I didn’t upset you with my comment on being blessed to smell the flowers, I meant that in a kind way.

    And Denise is MIA also.

    gptta go, laundry is in dryer….drying….hahahahaha

    ya’ll have a blessed day

  7. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    GR 😉 I never tire of that version either….it makes me smile and laugh, the video also helps.

    I was curious, here’s Joan’s version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VaJ47l1y9Y

    Have a sunny day…….

  8. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Today’s real time is a keeper…..

  9. Blinky the Wonder Wombat Avatar
    Blinky the Wonder Wombat

    Debbe-
    Thanks for the link to the Joan Jett version cover. I never heard it before, but she has the voice and style to make it work.

  10. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    If COGWSOTW actually practiced medicine for 50 years, he’s seen a lot more (and more interesting) stuff than Janis’s pokies. 😉

    Debbe 😉 I saw on TDS that someone apparently has a burr under her saddle about being addressed as “young lady”, “honey” or “hon”. (She came across as a person who’s probably fortunate that anyone addresses her at all.) But I wanted to make sure that you didn’t find it offensive when I address you as “hon”, which I do a lot, but only as a term of endearment.

  11. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Happy 225th Birthday, United States Coast Guard! You don’t look a day over 200. 🙂

    Thank you, Coasties, for being “Semper Paratus”.

    http://news.usni.org/2015/08/04/document-u-s-coast-guards-225th-birthday-message

  12. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    I cringe when someone calls me “Hon” or “Honey” but then I am a Grumpy Old Bear.
    I tend to call (men) customers Guy (would not do that in England) when I forget their name,
    which is more often lately. And I might say “this young lady” when asking advice of a coworker.
    But it is better than “whosis” or Umm.

  13. Sideburns Avatar

    Back when I was in Uncle Sam’s Navy, the Coast Guard was known as the Draft Dodger’s Yacht Club. We also claimed that you had to be more than six feet tall to join so that if your ship ever sank, you could wade ashore.

  14. nodak wayne Avatar
    nodak wayne

    I have to chuckle when someone, usually a waitress calls me hon or honey. She doesn’t know me 😉

  15. TRex Avatar

    quote: “real mermaids probably more closely resemble manatees than fish”

    one aspect of this that cannot be overlooked is that the twiggy ideal of beauty is only very recent. In more reasonable times, men had a more Rubenesque ideal.

  16. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Apparently, one cannot walk into an eatery there without being called “Hon” by a waitress.

    http://www.baltimoreorless.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hon-sign.jpg

  17. Village Loon Avatar
    Village Loon

    I believe that Tees does not understand kinky. Slathering women in Russian dressing, sauerkraut, and slices of Swiss cheese; very off putting. Honey or chocolate yes.

  18. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    There has been another movie theater shooting.

  19. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    Gunman deceased. One other apparently injured. Location was Hickory Hollow theater outside of Nashville.

  20. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Jerry in FL, I lived in that area when I first moved to Nashville. Was very nice, then the gangs started moving in. All the stores in the area began moving out. Hickory Hollow Mall finally closed after multiple incidents. Not really a nice part of town anymore. Lots of assaults, thievery, murder, etc now. I’m surprised the theater was still open.

  21. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Loon: Slathering good corned beef, however, in Russian dressing, sauerkraut, and slices of Swiss cheese; very delicious.

  22. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    Mark, even the people from the store next to the theater said the same.

  23. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Twenty-nine-year-old man, possibly homeless, assaults movie theater full of people with pepper spray, a hatchet, and a toy gun; points toy gun at SWAT team; will make no additional bad decisions.

  24. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    GR6, not to worry; the ACLU will file excessive force charges against the officer.