(Cartoonist’s note: 1986 was the first full year of Arlo & Janis. In fact, in March, when this series appeared, the strip had not been in production for quite a year. I watched “Peggy Sue Got Married” on TV not long ago. I still think it’s one of the better time-travel movies out there.)
Now you see where we’re going with this. I really had fun stretching my boundaries with this series way back in 1986. It was the first indication that Arlo and Janis would be a little… different.
11 responses to “Forward to the Past”
Never saw the movie, but I like the series of strips it inspired for you.
Here’s my favorite time travel novel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_and_Again_(novel) It’s quite different from the usual “build a machine and go” stories. And the use of period illustrations really makes it work.
Mark: That book looks like a good read. My wife and I enjoyed the Chris Reeves movie it shares the time travel method with (Somewhere In Time) .
A comment I overheard on talk radio that made me laugh:
They “couldn’t draw flies to a dog park!”
Sorry, Chris Reeve. Only one Reeve.
TruckerRon: I really enjoyed it and I think you will like it too. As I said, it’s not your regular science fiction time travel novel.
And I like your saying! Sounds like something Arlo might have said.
Somewhere in Time was very important to my wife and I. She watched it the afternoon before she met me. At the time, I bore a resemblance to Christopher and it’s possible that was the initial attraction to me. We honeymooned on Mackinac Island (where the film was made) but did not stay at the Grand Hotel until two years ago.
Shortly after we started dating, I gave my wife a Superman medallion. The year that Chris had his accident, I wore it during my fall marathon and wore it again during the marathon the year that he died. (Which was just a few days after his death) His widow died of cancer a couple of years after he did and I often wonder what happened to their son.
Mark: I agree on Time and Again; it’s a classic.
Steve from Royal Oak
https://people.com/movies/christopher-reeves-look-a-like-son-grownup-charity-gala/
Have to say loved both movies and books but Peggy Sue is better. It has won lots of acclaim and has made it high on best time travel movies and best 100 movies. Not a chick flick.
Happy Accidents is my favorite time travel movie.
Steve:
You’re extremely lucky to bear a resemblance to Reeve.
Myself – well, not so much.
Since I was 23, all I’ve ever heard is that I am a near Doppelganger for Donald Sutherland.
Laura: Thank you for the update! One of the great things about the internet is that you can look up cool stuff like that. When I watch a movie (sometimes with the closed captioning on) I’ll wonder where I have seen the actor from a movie and look it up. It beats arguing with others afterwards.
Rick: I looked more like Clark Kent than Christopher although my jaw was square when I was a bit skinnier. My wife and I went to Deadwood SD last week for a writer conference and a lot of pictures were taken. I was surprised to see how much silver is in my hair. Fortunately not a lot of wrinkles. I think part of the reason is that I wear sunglasses a lot so I don’t squint as much.