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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Reduxing the Situation

By Jimmy Johnson


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I have a confession. Remember this cartoon? You should. It ran for the first time Nov. 30, of last year. If your memory is very good, it might look familiar for another reason. This was the first and only time I have knowingly gone into the archives and resurrected an old idea verbatim. The original cartoon ran back in the 80s. I thought it would be fun and a worthwhile experiment to pluck an old cartoon of a generic variety and redraw it in my current style, and to see if anyone noticed. And, OK! I was stuck for an idea! Tomorrow, I’ll run the original cartoon here. The contrast in the drawings really is interesting. If anyone feels cheated, I apologize, but be honest: you wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t told you, would you?

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48 responses to “Reduxing the Situation”

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

    In keeping with our recent discussion of books:
    Sharyn McCrumb started a good discussion on Facebook with this link – http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts/news/peter-pan-voted-nation-s-favourite-opening-line-1-3700691 – and this comment – ” ‘It was Indian country, and when the wheel broke, none of them would stop for us; they just rolled on by and left us setting there, Pap and me.’ (“To Tame a Land,” by Louis Lamour.) I teach this one in writing classes. In one sentence he gives you time, place, characters, and initiates the action.”

    I think I may have figured out a way to share something my library got from Louis L’Amour many years ago, but it will take some experimenting. Stay tuned!

  2. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    Jay, you will recall that Gene’s friends voted his mother “Hottest Mom Babe.” Gene insisted that this was in a good way, and Janis said she understood. Gene also noted that for the record, he had voted for someone else’s mom, and Janis likewise said she understood.

  3. Galliglo in Ohio Avatar
    Galliglo in Ohio

    Sharyn McCrumb – one of my favorites!

  4. John in Richmond Texas Avatar
    John in Richmond Texas

    very nice pose in panel four, yes, I remember it, copied it into my A&J scrapbook….. … .. (gah ! help me, I can’t stop watching old Columbo episodes in Netflix )

  5. Mark in TTown Avatar
  6. emeritus mn. biologist Avatar
    emeritus mn. biologist

    Note item re climate data: http://www.factcheck.org/scicheck/

    Peace, emb

  7. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Geez, Denise, and I’ve been checking the upper half from the front for women for years. Who knew that it wasn’t necessary? 😉

    John, panel #2 ain’t exactly chopped liver, either.

  8. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Ruth Ann, just before I read your post and followed its link about books that people don’t finish, I had made a list of Kindle books I began reading but never finished. There are 15 of them. Recognizing that some of them may be better than I originally thought, I’ve resolved to revisit all of them before I purchase any new books. Perhaps I was just not in the right mood or was somehow distracted at the time I started them.

  9. chill Avatar
    chill

    TruckerRon- I have that on a t-shirt. Of course it makes sense, I’m an old ER nurse.

  10. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Debbe 😉 Thought of you for some reason when I saw this, hon.

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X6AHJV7wRdY/Uk_D-u-_foI/AAAAAAAAOHE/IHlaQa1Ui8U/s1600/funny-biker-chicks.jpg

    It looks like your forecast low tonight is around 3 degrees F. It’s been cold even way down here in the Deep South, but nothing like that. I don’t know what we did to deserve it, but it looks like Mother Nature is augering with us this winter.

    Thought for the Day: “Some people are like slinkies – not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when they’re pushed down the stairs.”

  11. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    As I said before -there is only one book I never finished. One book I finished because of the author. But almost wished I had quit (But then I was able to tell people “Don’t read this book”).

    Some books have taken awhile and others I have read in one sitting (and I am not a speed reader.)

    The “Maltese Falcon” is the only movie (I have seen) that is almost verbatim to the book-
    The added lines at the end of the movie add to the story.
    Tom says “What is this thing”
    Sam says “The things that dreams are made of”

    A picture may be worth a thousand words,
    But words that stir the imagination are worth a thousand pictures.

  12. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good morning Villagers….

    GR 😉 love the pic, have added to my screensaver. And yes, I am totally augered out this winter, sick and tired of it. Unfortunately, this system coming in Caturday night is headed northwest….poor Miss Charlotte.

    Got inspected yesterday as we were leaving. Spoke with the Corp. man, very pleasant gentleman. Going to work those boys this weekend, scraping aisles. They are going to test for salmonella on Tuesday. We have had to keep window barely open and just a few fans running to maintain an average heat in the hen house of 70 to 75 degrees…the condensation has made things amuck in there.

    It’s interesting to watch them test for salmonella, they clip strips of cloth to a long wire and drag in on the aisles, belts….it takes forever. We have always tested negative in the past.

    I think that old black bird has hit the pit, but I discovered a smaller, brown bird on one of the aisles. As I approached it, it flew….crap….hope it hits the pit before Tuesday.

    Mark, I love that article…beautiful cats…thanks for the link.

    Chill and TR….I need a T-shirt with that on it.

    And I guess Jackie has “gone thru her window’…does anyone remember the Sunday morning show with Charles Kuralt…..I love watching that show…..Jackie will be our “Charles Kuralt on the road” person. Hope she checks in every day….otherwise I will be worried.

    AND it’s payday…with seven days on it too 🙂

    ya’ll have a blessed day

  13. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    edit: ;windows, windows open

  14. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    one more thing….am I the only person who finds today’s real time strip a little depressing? The sunset is beautifully drawn though, I see sunsets like that out here in the country with bare trees silhouetted against the sunset….stunning.

  15. Jeff from Shelby Twp MI Avatar
    Jeff from Shelby Twp MI

    I love the behind the scenes thoughts from Mr. Jimmy I like that you are worried about the repetition. It speaks well of you. I think most fans agree that you are forgiven if you go back to an idea. That old idea was more than likely funny or poignant. Either way it is an idea worth seeing again and getting out there to people who missed the first run. Especially this one. Most of my favorite non-Ludwig strips have been with Janis in front of a mirror in some way.

  16. Denise in Michigan Avatar
    Denise in Michigan

    Debbe, I see the sense of mortality in today’s strip, but I also read it as an acceptance of where Arlo is right now in his life, what’s important to him now: being in this moment, accepting the quiet beauty of ordinary, everyday things. I might have been influenced by the coloring of the bird in the first panel—I saw brown and orange and thought, “Oh boy! A robin! Spring!” (I read A&J first on my phone, hence the color, then later in the paper in b&w.) That might have colored my perception a little! 🙂

  17. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    Debbe and Denise,

    No depression, just understand where JJ is coming from. I still just want to see the bullet coming, no surprises for me, please.

  18. emeritus mn. biologist Avatar
    emeritus mn. biologist

    Today’s TIP BlogSpot = Pavel Fedotov. Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich Visiting the Camp of the Finland Regiment of Imperial Guards on July 8, 1837. emb

  19. Galliglo in Ohio Avatar
    Galliglo in Ohio

    Debbe, Denise and Sand: I agree with Sand. No depression, just a sense of mortality. The Village has experienced mortality during the past few months. I felt that the strip of today recognized those experiences and, in a way, saluted them. Thanks, Jimmy…

  20. Jay Avatar
    Jay

    Evan,

    Awesome memory……I do remember that.

    Jay