Ever the Gentleman

by


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"

Since I didn’t post on Sunday, I’m showing you this old A&J classic from Valentine’s Day, 2007. While we’re at it, I might as well wish you a Happy George Washington’s Birthday, aka Presidents Day. Where I come from, George Washington’s Birthday always meant “white sales,” when the woman of the house (Naturally!) could get good deals on sheets and towels. Why this was the case, I have no idea. But let’s talk about cartoons.

As some of you are aware, there are a lot of comics on the gocomics.com Web site, where you find today’s Arlo & Janis online. Many of these comics are Web-exclusive; they do not appear in newspapers. The consensus is, these efforts are a transitional frontier, their creators trail-blazers for aspiring cartoonists of the future. To be honest, my knowledge of this frontier hardly is exhaustive and probably not better than that of many of you reading this. However, I did want to mention three that I like. I think they’re charming. When you have a chance, check out “The Sunshine State” by Graham Nolan, “Connie to the Wonnie” by Connie Sun, and last but not least “Wallace the Brave” by Will Henry. Let me know what you think. Do you have any favorites?

123 thoughts on “Ever the Gentleman”

  3. It’s interesting that the syndicates are doing web-only comics. Of course folks have been doing web comics as a hobby for over 15 years, and some of them have even turned it into their sole source of income.

    I still think of gocomics as a place to read my newspaper strips without buying newspapers.

  4. This retro cartoon struck home then. Now it’s just the past.

    Honestly Jimmy you are all I read any more. I even gave up on Bloom County again. No one grabs me.

  7. At least Arlo didn’t have the TV on “during”.

    In addition to A&J, I use gocomics.com for…

    1. Dilbert (in solidarity with my fellow office drones)

    2. The “new” Bloom County (about once a week, which unfortunately is less often he now has a strip that is up to his old standards)

    3. That is Priceless (more hits than misses)

    I’ll have to give Jimmy’s mentions a try.

  8. That is why I gave up on Bloom County again. It is substandard the old. Started better and lost momentum.
    Dillbert never appealed, no way to relate, never an office drone. I know it is beloved.

    I loved Two Cows and A Chicken but his quirky humor was not for everyone. Strip ended. Art and drawing was incredible at times but all his was, even on greeting cards.

    For the last year AJ my sole sustenance except thar foray back to Bloom County. I miss our Southern genre but those guys are gone, mostly permanently as deceased, even the younger ones.

  10. Off to my daily run to Lowe’s. The porch has a lot of rot and it has to be repaired before Lowe’s can install new white tin roof. My widow hood seems spent in repairing the honey do list that honey never did, causing yet more incredible further damage to deal with.

    That’s what love was, letting him build and sail boats while the house fell apart. He’d say my dogs destroyed it all, his sailing partner said those dogs were hell on fascia boards and roof soffits.

  14. Steve, I do have to admit there have been times when a lady friend and I have had nothing on but the radio. (I know, that’s an ancient joke; so sue me.) Also, I believe it’s the title of a C&W song, but there’s been a C&W song named for just about everything. (My personal fav: “I Don’t Want a Mansion in the Valley, I Just Want a Shack Up in the Hills”)

    Hope you enjoyed your “Christmas present”. 😉

  15. John in Richmond, are you determined to settle down with one single woman? And why? And surely you have managed to get further than a dinner date in that time?

    You need to move along cow poke. There are hundreds of desperate women out there. I see them every day. Round up a few more calves. (I almost said heifers)

    I have already gotten in trouble today for saying Mrs. Clinton was the definition of frumpy and while she looked abominable in all she wears she’d look even worse with no clothes.

  16. Many years ago I wrote “Have You Left the One You Left Me For?” A few years later I heard that line on the radio. I guess that it’s an obvious catch phrase.

  17. Get Fuzzy is one of my gocomics bookmarks. The story rarely wavers: dumb but know-t-all cat vs. owner and dumb but good-hearted dog. Of course they all talk.

    I also like Faux Pas, which is a family friendly, very disney-esque drawn talking animals cartoon.

  19. Anyone know why gocomics.com keeps listing strips which haven’t been updated in, say, 6 months or even 2 years? There are a few and I can’t help but think it’d make the alphabetical search page cleaner to get rid of the dead wood.
    JJ, is there something in the contract which prevents such?

  20. John in Richmond, TX, glad things are settling out for you then. And that you are having a good time. Dancing in the street? Wait, there’s a song there too, isn’t there?

  24. All 3 of those comics are on my feed. They are very different, but I get the biggest kick out of the Manatee bartender in Sunshine State. Don’t know why – I just love him !

  25. I liked Sunshine State. The ones that Jimmy and others mentioned were OK, but they were obviously written for an audience that does not include me…not a parent, not a single gal, not a neurotic “chic”, etc. 🙂

    I know Jimmy expressed no desire to revisit it, but you know what I’d really like to see as a current cartoon? Lost Key.

  30. Jackie
    For your JAMs – Onion Marmalade I get it from Mrs. Bridges in Woodstock,CT

    Southern Cross by C.S.&N one of my Favorites.
    Victory At Sea music was touted as the longest piece of comprehensive music
    13hrs long. At one time V@S was the longest running TV show Well into the
    80s was on TV somewhere.

    For all the hype (6 inches forecast) we only got a dusting.
    Tomorrow morning I am afraid will be ICE.

    Mark
    Our Skeezix likes the top of the fridge. A refuge . She likes riding the door with her
    front paws.

  32. Good morning Villagers…..

    As for comics….it’s Breaking Cat News…did someone mention bacon?

    http://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news

    Peanuts, then Arlo and Janis, in that order….I save the best for last 🙂

    Old Bear….I think we got your six inches of snow the night before…..had to 4 wheel it to the highway again yesterday morning.

    Well, Ian is home. And what did he learn? Fiscal responsibility, he says. He starts back to work with me at the hen house this morning. Have to train him in all bio-security and even what the Avian flue is and can do.

    AND….the furnace is not working…aaauuuggg. But the gas stove does. Woke up to it being 62 degrees in here and 29 on my front porch. We had the furnace just worked on a couple of months ago…..just another speed bump on the road to living. I refuse to wear my Carharts in the house….just have to grab a couple of more cats for the lap.

    Go, John, go……

    stay warm….

  36. Kid shay comics on gocomics is rather interesting. I like the line work and overall weirdness. Alas, as someone mentioned it hasn’t been updated in a very long time. Oh well. My wife likes Sarah’s Scribbles. I’m just starting to get into Wallace the Brave, ALSO on Gocomics. It’s one of the better new additions ( in my opinion) and I’m digging the artwork.

  37. @anonymous 3:59PM , I’m not looking to get married or engaged immediately, but yes, I would like to have a “steady”. It’s fun to have a certain person to care about more than any other, if the feeling is mutual. My stepson even told me to enjoy my bachelorhood and I want to be sure not to just plug another woman in my life to be “whole” again. , Sometimes I can’t believe my good fortune that certain females want to be with me. Yes, I have gotten further that a dinner date :). It’s still new territory for me.

  38. John, I guess I tend to be a similar loner, have lots of friends but hate to “date” and simply don’t because of that.

    I see a lot of people who do that, rush in to marriage right away to replace the lost spouse. They feel need for a completion in their lives. I have dated one man since Mike’s death and it has led to a complicated relationship.
    Marriage in the traditional sense is just not on the radar for me.

    No, I am not surprised there are lots of women wanting to be with you. You have always seemed a sweet and loving person. There is a real shortage of those. I hope you find the one you are looking for. Just don’t rush.

  40. I have been following Mythtickle since it was down in Comics Sherpa in Gocomics. Right now he is doing a lot of reprints of classic stories. A very good place to jump in. I would highly recommend it. Apple Creek Comics in Sherpa is kind of captivating after a while, but I will admit it is not for everyone. Working Daze and the Sunday only Maria by the same writer/artist team are both pretty good too. Need to watch for the little “Easter eggs” in Working Daze.

  41. Funny, I asked if anyone having trouble viewing the A and J page, my Smart phone doesn’t like today and suddenly comment disappeared and it bumped me to Angel’s Share entry? Revenge of Hal?

    Just had a Weight Watchers frozen 290 calorie bowl for lunch with an iced tea. It wasn’t very good but I feel crummy and have sworn I will not skip meals, try to eat right

  45. BTW, the two bald eagle eggs at Berry College [Berry.edu] hatched, resp., on Sunday evening and Monday afternoon. Sometimes it takes a while for the cameras to bring me a picture or live motion, but it is usually worth the wait. The site has a more-or-less side view of the nest and also an overhead view. The latter seems to show up more quickly.

  46. ATT doesn’t do much and their store is often chaotic, many people locally have more issues paying bills than buying things. So, lots of payment issues and paying in person. I am honestly improving a little, just have to complain.

    As the tween said, “You’re fast, my granny takes 15 minutes to type a text.” Turned out granny was over 20 years younger than me so that made me feel better.

    Weight Watchers dinner disappointing and low on vegs. I am reading “Eat to Beat Diabetes” which is a publication of Better Homes and Gardens and yes, it is based on recommended program I have been trying to follow for past year. It’s ten simple habits that change your life, become habits and allow you to lose weight without dieting. Of course they must become a life long habit and I have found myself slipping over last month since surgery and later complications. So, I am reading and replacing myself to follow and adher. It is not hard, just easy to fall into bad habits again.

    And yes, not eating enough is a bad habit.

  47. Re pledging not replacing. Here are the 10 habits.

    1. Eat breakfast.
    2. Better beverages
    3. Learn portions
    4. Swap in whole grains
    5. Eat more fruits and vegs
    6. Eat less meat
    7. Cook at home.
    8. Flavor smart way.
    9. Plan your meals.
    10. Move more and stress less.

    That simple. I actually had all ten down and implemented pretty well. I was even documenting what I ate at home and on road with photos and comments on Facebook. I need to get back to that. I blame my lethargy on flaring my auto immune diseases with the infection my surgery developed post operative.

    Dickens and I are going on a short road trip to cheer us both up. That and go get our hair and nails done. That usually does it too!

  48. Yep, Jackie, most of those are built into the Weight Watchers program.

    I trust that you and Dickens have your hair and nails done by different stylists, P&P or otherwise.

  50. I just choked on my organic stone ground whole grain no sugar added fig bar! Even I wouldn’t wear those leggings, skort and boots, much less the top half. Those used to be called skorts as short skirt for runners and tennis players mainly.

    Yes, I learned all these tenets in WW LONG AGO. We even wore the water bead bracelets with the correct number of 8 ounce portions and you slid the bead over when you drank it, like prayer beads. I did it with Richard Simmons who added positive affirmations. The really commercial places wanted to sell you their Kool-aid so they weren’t so good on basics. I am trying to live the remainder of my life the way I should have lived it all.

    No gimics, no pills, no supplements, no special meals, no hypnosis, no shakes, no weird foods, just basic sense.

  52. For better or for worse, grandma comes off the ventilator tomorrow. Her doctor is worried if we wait too much longer, she will become too dependant on it. (Tomorrow will be a week.) Her odds are 50/50.

    All I ask of the universe is a fair fight.

  53. Mindy dear: you must know this Village will be sending all manner of prayers, good wishes, positive energy, crossed fingers and whatever else they believe in for your sweet grandma and you.

  54. What RA said, Lady Mindy…all of the above.

    I learned way more than I care to know about ventilators when my sister was ill, but her doc’s concern is valid.

  56. Debbe 😉 You speaking of visiting Evansville reminded me of a few years ago when I had reason to spend several days in the downtown area of a medium-sized city in which I had lived for three years (albeit three fairly important years to me…my last three years of high school). I spent quite a few hours walking the area while on breaks, reliving many moments of my time there. It was quite a mix…some blocks of architecturally significant buildings had been either preserved or carefully restored; some blocks of empty storefronts looked like the set of a dystopian movie (I kept expecting to see Snake Plisskin any moment, so I could tell him, “I heard you were dead.”); and some blocks looked like Dresden after WWII.

    All in all, not the place I remembered. “You can’t go home again.”

  57. Mindy, much love. Like Ghost, I know too much and I mean about ventilators. Yes, we hope she fights but darling, let her go if she is losing. I love you and worry about you, you are a good person.

  60. I didn’t watch the Grammys and didn’t miss it. Pop music left me when the Sex Pistols appeared. I can get roughly 20 different music channels on my tv and maybe 5 are worth listening to, briefly. Mindy, I hope things are well. Things will work out as they should, usually.

  61. From an Jan 26 1883 Bridgton News (Maine)
    Just under Marl Twain’s speech “Women God Bless Them”

    “If we could get together all the tombstones we have set up over
    broken resolutions we should have material enough to set up
    a marble palace.”

    Jackie
    Good for you for sticking to your resolution to get fit and live healthy.

  63. A 1787 penny – the first U.S. issued coin was worth a dollar in 1883.

    London England had a 14 story Apt. building 130 feet high.
    (The ski jump at Fenway in Boston was taller than that)

  65. Strip of 02.17.16:

    Perhaps especially because I used to teach literature and composition, the idea that some families still have collections of hard-copy books astounds me.

    Actually, I rarely see anyone reading hard-copy anything.

    It’s usually the incredibly small screen of a webphone.

  66. Good morning Villagers….

    While scrolling down through the comments I see a poster name Ian….what??? But this one is married….not too many Ian’s out there so it took me by surprise, as my Ian knows I post here. So welcome aboard Ian with a wife named Sarah.

    Good to have him home again…..been listening to some of his drama that he had with his roommate….the little $hit tried to squeeze another $300 out of Ian, so I went online this morning and stopped payment on that check. (hahahahaaha) Ian said he never worked…you get the jest. Just glad he got out of there Back at work at the hen house and even is going to the local pub and wash dishes some Friday nights and definitely Saturday nights.

    Indy Mindy, my thoughts and prayers are with you….Amen. And what Ruth says, is so true. We love and admire you.

    Jackie, I’m somewhat of a light eater too….think I will copy down your list, and applying it.

    Old Bear….you sure do come up with some witty saying, I enjoy reading them.

    Gary….dang, you have my sympathy and concern…stay safe, and keep us posted.

    Ya’ll have a blessed day…………….

  69. Today’s strip (02-17-2016) was very funny. Windows 98 was just the right touch. I have shevles full of manuals for computer languages that probably don’t exist any more (that was worse than the Kentucky derby) and have probelms throwing THEM out.

  70. Yes with my wife being an author we had books and books and books. With my wife, it would have been Karen Kingsbury, who is also a very successful Christian Romance author. Well, Karen is a LOT more successful!

    My wife’s attitude was if she really liked the book, then she would get it on Kindle. Of course if it was a cookbook, we kept it. It is a lot easier to cook with a real book in front of you.

  73. Thanks for the comic-strip suggestions, Mr. Johnston. WALLACE THE BRAVE and FOWL LANGUAGE are good.

    In re this week’s strips: I, too, have a copy of WINDOWS 98 [or something like it] FOR DUMMIES, and, when my wife suggested that it could be, well, Goodwill’d, I had a wrench. (What if Windows 98 comes back, and I need to re-learn it?)

    One’s books are one’s memories, and signposts of where one has been and who one has been.

  74. Thanks Debbe, that cat might work better than my current snowblower. I have a broken shear pin and I can’t extract the old one to replace it. The left side of the snowblower is dead. It is really hard to use with only half the blades working. I am staying home today to try and do some surgery on it. (I stayed home yesterday too because going out would have been nuts.)

  75. We have hundreds of hardcover books and even more paperbacks in our collection in our home.

    As a trucker I hauled many loads of recycled cardboard to the Smurfit-Stone plant in Frenchtown (next door to Missoula MT) and almost as many loads of new cardboard from that plant. I was shocked to learn it had been shut down shortly after my SCA forever ended my driving career. It, like I, has been repurposed.

  76. My favorite web comic strip is “Dark Side of the Horse”.

    Horace H. Horse’s all too human foibles are all the more absurd because he is a horse. I don’t know how he can type on a computer wearing horse shoes or drive a car, but the fact that he can makes it all the more humorous.

    The strip is written by a Finlander, Samson, so most of the cartoons feature visual gags. Elevators are a frequent nemesis. Since it is a web-only comic, readers will often comment on errors or make suggestions on the day’s cartoon. To Samson’s credit, he is only too happy to oblige and acknowledge the commenters.

    “Dark Side of the Horse” is on GoComics.com

  77. We have lots and lots of books, and still buy them. I like the feel of a book in my hand, and the ease of flipping through the pages. The best part of our house is what should be our dining/living room — it’s full of rows of bookshelves with a small reading area at the end. Reading an old favorite again is just as much fun as discovering a new one.

  79. In the light of day with a bigger hammer, I managed to knock out the old shear pin and replace it. The driveway has been cleared and the streets have been plowed. And then I hit another rock, broke the new shear pin and the left side of the auger is completely seized.

    Oh well, it is likely time for a new machine. This auger of this one has frozen a number of times of the past year or two.

    I am only expecting another couple of inches of snow today.

  80. Gosh, Gary, it is a balmy 69 here today and I am in Tulsa and I see buds all over trees, pansies and violas in bloom. Tornadoes will be next.

    Welcome new Viagers. I too have rooms filled with books and I mean hardbacks, I donated most paperbacks. Keep me out of bookstores.

  82. Neither does Hal. Going to used bookstores was my favorite pastime for years. I still know of a couple of very good ones in Birmingham. One buys and sells hardbacks, paperbacks, DVD’s, CD’s, LP’s and videogames. It’s a division of Books-A-Million under a different name. Copy of three stores in Tennessee called McKay’s Books, who are in Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga.

  83. In Tuscaloosa, a city of over 90,000 with a college population of over 30,000 added to that, we have one Barnes & Noble and one little paperback swap shop. We are now book poor, used to have multiple indy stores, all gone.

  84. Rick, the late Forrest J Ackerman (no period after the J, TYVM.) could honestly claim that he’d read every last word in every book in his extensive collection. Please note that the phrasing is significant. Forrey, AKA 4SJ or 4E for short, was the man who, among other things, invented the term SciFi.

  86. The only things blooming here are dandelions and the wild dogwoods. And we usually get more freezing weather before the end of March, so I don’t expect them to last.

  87. Lost my post. It is 73 now and hot. Tulips and bulbs coming up but only violas and pansies in bloom
    The spring landscape crews haven’t been around yet. Tulsa does heavy landscaping with lots of parks. Old oil money.

  88. Warning: this is long, but good. Email from MPR led to an article by a MN au pair in Paris then to her blog,

    https://desmotsdumonde.wordpress.com/

    including trips outside of Paris, and outside of France, incl. Garmisch and Munich, where I spent our first wedding anniv. 4,000 miles from my CUNYH [nursing school] wife, and later to life in Paris after the ISIS terrorist attacks. Worth reading.

    [You can tell she’s Minnesotan: Writes sentences like, “I went with.” Kommen sie mit?]

    Peace, emb

  90. Good morning Villagers….

    Didn’t stay at work very long yesterday…..tired and slept most of the day. And then I couldn’t sleep last night. Going to be a long day.

    Front porch has a temp of 26 with a high tomorrow of 60ish…I can’t wait.

    ya’ll have a blessed day…

  96. Where is everybody? Jackie’s is marked 10:49 am, and it’s now 4:09 pm here. I’m just wondering. It hasn’t been seven days, so we shouldn’t be locked out of the orphanage….

  98. I am wondering too. The site seems okay now, and I didn’t get on the computer until a little while ago. Spent the morning and most of the afternoon trying to get out of my own way. Did write checks to pay a few bills, lick envelopes and have ready to send off. Tidied up some things. Opened curtains in am, closed them hours later at sunset. It’s 6:40 Eastern Standard Time right now.

    Didn’t go out today. Did I mention that I sleep very late in the mornings?

  99. Well, I have an excuse, if it matters. Yesterday, I spent most of the morning in a dentist’s chair having some work done. I then spent the rest of the day recovering from having spent most of the morning in a dentist’s chair. Today was spent catching up on not having accomplished much yesterday. And now, headed to check on Mom.

    Your day sounded better than mine, Sweet Charlotte. Wanna swap? 🙂

  100. In Alabama there is a beautiful auditorium called The Alabama Shakespeare Festival. We have been to some great concerts there but none of the Shakespeare performances. I began to wonder, how does that work in Alabama? “Romeo. ROMEO! Where you at?”

  104. Maybe everyone IS on vacation. I am at computer again having cooked and eaten supper. Dearest Ghost, I hope you are okay after all the dental work. It must have been rough, to need recovery from.

    I will look for Mindy on Facebook and report if I find her; I hope her grandmother is improving.

  105. I’m fine now, Sweet Charlotte. It was just “informal” recovery, i.e., I just didn’t feel like doing much for the rest of the day following my dental work yesterday.

  108. A Glass of Wine . . .
    >
    To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine and those who don’t and are
    always seen with a bottle of water in their hand, Ben Franklin said:
    > “In wine there is wisdom,
    > In beer there is freedom,
    > In water there is bacteria.”
    In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have
    demonstrated that if we drink
    1 liter of water each day,
    at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of
    Escherichia coli, (E. Coli) – bacteria found in feces.
    In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop annually.

  111. However,
    We do NOT run that risk when drinking wine and beer (or rum, whiskey
    or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification
    process of boiling, filtering and fermenting.
    Remember:
    > Water = Poop,
    > Wine = Health

  112. more moderation

    Therefore, it’s better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink
    water and be full of sh it.
    >
    VERIFICATION:

    BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE DRINK A LOT OF WATER WHILE IN SESSION.
    THIS EXPLAINS THE RESULTS THEREIN . . . .

  113. In college we did a lab cultivation of e coli with swabs collected from huge number of specimens collected on campus, dated and time, location.

    Water fountains were greatest source of e coli, even worse than toilets!

    Which confirms what Old Bear just said.

  116. Grandma is doing much better. Now Marie is in the hospital! Will report more later when I know more. I built in a vacation week for next week, just in case things with went south(er). Looks like I am using it to visit with a different grandma.

  117. Good morning Villagers….

    Going to be a great warm up over the weekend. High fifties today, and sixties tomorrow and Sunday…..partly cloudy and windy…I’ll take it.

    Is someone on Facebook checking on Indy Mindy? Gal? Miss Charlotte? Mark?

    Old Bear, like the explanation of the Senate and the House….makes sense to me 🙂

    Jerry, I bet they don’t have many homes in Florida with fireplaces, or do they?

    Back to comics, went through some of the ones that I have bookmarked and not clicked on lately…so I clicked on ‘Inherit the Mirth’ and what do I find….a chicken joke:

    http://www.gocomics.com/inherit-the-mirth?utm_source=gcnews&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=launch

    gonna go, ya’ll have a blessed day.

  119. I’m here. Had a very busy day yesterday, and payday, so after work had to go out and pick up some things. Got in late, did a little cleaning and off to bed. In about 10 minutes I will clock in and start the process all over again.

    Jerry in FL, never been in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Buildings. Went to a Scottish Festival there over 20 years ago. On the way out to the main road I got T-boned by a woman who deliberately ran a red light. Car not badly damaged, I was sore for a couple of weeks and insurance declared the car totaled, just a couple of months after I had it paid off!

  120. Good afternoon Villagers. We are spending the day in Vienna before boarding the ovenight train to Warsaw. Will then enjoy a leisurely brunch in Warsaw before boarding another overnight train, this time to Moscow. Will be there in time for Sunday breakfast. Then I will spend a few days in conference before we fly home.

    sandcastler™

  123. Dear emb, the video was really interesting. Have never seen such a thing. Could be dangerous ! Sandcastler, I’m envious. Your trip sounds awfully interesting (with lots of good food too.)

    I didn’t see Indy Mindy on Facebook last night, but am glad to see her post today that her grandmother is better.

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