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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

It Is Decidedly So

By Jimmy Johnson

January 26, 2015


I know I’ve shown this classic here before, but it’s been a while. I’ve always liked this one. One of these days I might just do a compilation of my “favorites.” I don’t think of my past work in those terms necessarily, but when I go through the archives, as I do every day for something to share with you, I run across oldies and think to myself, “That one wasn’t half bad!”


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 ...

30 responses to “It Is Decidedly So”

  1. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    I have a bunch that I save on my computer. When I am having a rough day, I will scroll through them and it almost always makes my day better. They are better than “half-bad”. 🙂

  2. DaveP Avatar
    DaveP

    275 Farenheit

  3. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    First gf had one of those 8-balls back in the middle ’50s. Until then, I had no idea such a “game” even existed. We played with it, and I still recognize the wording of some answers.

    1. Bryan Avatar
      Bryan

      So that’s what Arlo is doing in p.2. I couldn’t figure out any reason to hold your phone at arm length and wiggle it. Magic 8-Ball didn’t occur to me, having ever only seen one in passing or in movies/TV. Thanks.

  4. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    I’m sort of surprised no one has done an app like that. Since today’s smart phones have those motion sensors it seems like it would work if someone took the trouble to write it.

    1. Alan Avatar
      Alan

      There are Magic 8 Ball apps for both Android and iPhones. I didn’t look to see if you shake for answer, but I presume so – “outlook good.”

  5. ruralbob Avatar
    ruralbob

    Didn’t you do a comic, back in the ‘90s, where Gene was watching TV and Arlo asks, “Which one’s Beavis and which one’s Butthead?” and Gene replies, “Dad, this is Crossfire!” I’m almost positive that was yours – one of my all-time favorites. And very prescient.

    1. Jimmy Johnson Avatar

      Yes, that was mine. Thanks.

    1. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
      curmudgeonly ex-professor

      I’d have termed it “red-headed”, but I’m not the ornithologist. Been watching for a while and was about to post it here but got scooped.

  6. chris dunford Avatar
    chris dunford

    This is great.

  7. Steve Hansen Avatar

    I’d love to find an old daily comic where Arlo is at his office, commenting on how slow the hours pass but how quickly the years pass. Wish I had saved that when I first read it, as that is exactly how I feel many days.

  8. emb Avatar
    emb

    c x-p: So would anyone unfamiliar w/ real Red-headed Wp, [Melanerpes erythrocephalus]. R-bellied Wp [Melanerpes carolinus] has a faint reddish wash on its tum. Both are illustr. / p. 256 of the “Big Peterson.” R-b does not migrate, and doesn’t normally range this far N in MN. R-h Wp winters through most of SE & central E US, and many nest N to southern Can., but sp. seems to nest throughout most of its winter range also. Maps 361 & 365, op. cit. Neither gets much into New England, & book [issued 2008] says R-h Wp is declining in NE.
    Peace,

  9. emb Avatar
    emb

    Eagle nest at
    https://explore.org/livecams/birds/decorah-eagles-north-nest
    has lost its R-b Wp, and has what looks like an order of fries in it. Mostly corn stalks, courtesy of the eagle pair.
    Peace,

  10. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    Not even having a bad day and I decided to look through my stash. There was the week in 2002 where A&J answered reader’s questions:

    Are you peaking in our windows?
    Boy, do we get that one a lot-and we take it as the supreme compliment.
    The truth is, we’re blessed with millions of wonderful readers. How in the world could we peek in all those windows…like, we’re Santa Claus?

    So the answer is, Probably not.

  11. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    Once again I’m not seeing my post but on second try I do get a message that it looks like I’ve already posted. 🙁

  12. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    Is it the link or does it not like when I cut and paste? Cold weather has manatees gathering in Florida springs. It’s very relaxing watching them and the fish. Follow emb’s eagle link above and then scroll through the images at the top until you get to the one for Save the Manatee.

  13. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    “Outlook Good” is still better than “Outlook Cloudy. Try Again Later”. Which is very similar to the message I keep getting last week when trying to download a Windows 10 patch.

  14. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    OK, that worked. The best view for seeing manatees today is the above water cam at Blue Spring State Park. The underwater cams are good for fish watching; the ones at Homosassa Springs are frequently larger schools of crevalle jack and move more than the gar and whatever at Blue Spring.

      1. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
        Ruth Anne in Winter Park

        Thanks again – not sure what I’ve done to offend the bloggerverse!

  15. emb Avatar
    emb

    Just read in the online “Strib” that a Red-bellied Woodpecker has been sighted near Ely, way up in NE MN. Leave it to you all to consider what this might imply. Remember, this is not regularly a migratory sp., and also that birds fly: a single sighting may or may not indicate a range extension.
    Peace,

  16. emb Avatar
    emb

    Please change and to but. Peace,

  17. Carol from Pickwick Avatar
    Carol from Pickwick

    JJ
    I would love to see the oldies about Arlo buying the”art” with he woman behind the tree. Janis wouldn’t hear of hanging it. My all-time fave!!! (On my fridge.)

    1. Mark in TTown Avatar
      Mark in TTown

      Check this site. It might be here somewhere: http://www.spectrumdata.com/arlojanis/index.php

  18. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    emb

    Cold that w-p have been blown in? Any snow that fell on our place is 2 towns over.
    Of course the snow here is from 3 towns NW. Minus 3 this morning – supposed to be plus 35 tomorrow.

  19. emb Avatar
    emb

    No R-b Woodpeckers this morning. This is, or was, a herd of Impala in E or S Africa.

    https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-animal-lookout-camera

    Peace,

  20. emb Avatar
    emb

    East. And this is a female Greater Kudu, also in Kenya. Have seen impala live in Kenya, ’87, but kudu only in the African Hall at the AMNH, NYC. Grew up there, and in the Bronx Zoo. Scroll down for sev other sites.

    https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-river-wildlife-camera