Big players in the 1996 strips about the budding romance of Gene and Ruth were Ruth’s parents, especially her mother. Her name is “Jade.” Actually, her name was never mentioned; I just made the name “Jade” up. But I’m the cartoonist, so “Jade” it will be. Ruth’s father was, of course, the other parent. His role was there from the beginning, too, but as the ex-husband of Jade his was mostly an off-screen presence. Readers liked Ruth, and I did, too. Don’t you find it strange that with the ease and extent of social interaction these days she has never turned up? I do.
93 responses to “Conditioned Response”
As a father with daughters, I agree, “they’re all sweet at first.”
Debbe, I put this on below your comments, then Jimmy posted a new retro. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-07-13/news/0707121034_1_granny-character-cartoons-tracy-hill
What if Ruth shows up to buy veggies at Gene’s new roadside stand?
Good morning. I have to pack truck and clean a cottage to leave Texas.
Yes, Ruth was likable. And yet, I have some difficulty imagining her participating in a “Farm Girls (or any other kind of Girls) Gone Wild” photo session.
Wild girls make good wives usually if you get around to commiting.
I did.
Ruth is living in France 😉
Single? Artist? Writer?
As I recall, Ruth left the day-to-day cast when her parents reconciled and she and her mother moved back in with her father, who lived out of town. Gene found this out when… she emailed him. It could be odd that she has not turned up again, but personally, I would rather remember Ruth as the saucy lass she was rather than have her turn up in “a very special episode of Arlo and Janis.” LuAnn seems to have that sort of drama well in hand if it is ever needed; I now avoid her strip.
Given Ruth’s “passionate” nature, Ghost, not only would it be possible she would have participated in a “Farm Girls Gone Wild” project, I daresay say she would want to have been drawn “like one of your French girls.” 😉 Ooo la la.
—-DaveP
What if Ruth shows up to buy veggies at Gene’s new roadside stand?—-
*brandishes crucifix at such a development*
As if Gene’s life is not already challenging enough!
I also do not wish to see the return of Faye, and I for darn sure do not ever want to see Vince again. Our Humble Author shuffled them off to Buffalo, and they should stay forever offstage, amen.
I still suspect that Ruth’s “passions” were directed more toward the intellectual and less toward the corporeal.
I can picture her living and “studying” in Paris…until about 2008, when a reversal of her father’s fortunes caused her to return to the States and assume the position for which her studies of French neoclassical art qualified her…assistant manager of a strip mall Starbucks store.
I once had an old boyfriend from past show up in my candy shop gift shop florist a long time ago. I dived under the stove with sneeze shield out of sight, signaled to my assistant manager and crawled into kitchen.
Just saying.
Agree with Ghost.
I imagine Ruth received her PhD in French literature, and is now waitressing at an Interstate Cracker Barrel until her first novel gets published.
Debbe 😉 Only read Playboy for the articles and cartoons, eh? 🙂 I lost track of how many times, some years back, my all-female staff (at a previous job, and that is totally a coincidence) detailed me to travel to a nearby mall’s bookstore to buy the latest issue of Playboy, featuring An Aging Female Star™ of film or TV that had agreed to pose au naturel in an obvious attempt to extend her career. (Keeping in mind that Hollywood’s idea of “aging” is “just past 30”.) My all-female staff always seemed as much or more interested in seeing how the AFS of the Month looked in the buff than I did. (Despite yesterday’s “undressing with his eyes” cartoon, I’ve always suspected that most females are just as curious as males about what a good-looking woman looks like without her clothes, albeit perhaps for different reasons.)
These days, that tactic seems to be being utilized in reverse, by females attempting to jump-start their careers. And they don’t have to seek out a magazine as a venue. They just climb out of an automobile in front of paparazzi wearing a short skirt and no knickers. Or do a music video, riding on a wrecking ball in the nude. Or post a Twitter or Instagram photo, showing the world the same thing their gynecologist saw during her last examination. No wonder Playboy Magazine is struggling financially.
And one can’t help but wonder what this new generation of attention seekers will do when, as will inevitably happen, it becomes time for them to do something to attempt to “extend” their “careers”.
Lack of talent of some sort is still no bar to momentary fame, but when the world has seen all of what you do have, what do you do for an encore when it no longer cares about your body? Lot of sad news stories in the offing when that day comes.
Ruth was certainly intellectual, Ghost, but as to the corporeal…
(Only one link at a time allowed, so bear with me…)
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1996/05/02
Our Humble Author never seemed to have a problem depicting snogging when it involved Ruth:
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1997/02/13
PDAs, a/k/a “Public Displays of Affection,” were forbidden at every school I attended. Hence Ruth carefully looking around first:
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1998/02/02
And 3 from the famous “Gene Studies At Ruth’s House” series:
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1998/05/06
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1998/05/08
And showcasing Our Humble Author’s ability to relate a tale of several thousand words by mere implication:
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1998/05/09
Yeah, Evan, but I think a lot of that just reflected a teenage girl’s romanticized vision of adult love. I will give her props for the tattoo offer, though. 🙂
So is this is a hint? Might we be seeing Ruth again? I liked Ruth too, but Mary Lou is a better fit for Gene.
We all Symply come back every now and then….Fargone happens!
Hey Magaritaville just came on the radio…JJ you watchin’ agin!