It always surprises me how quickly material can become dated. Did I say quickly? Actually, this classic A&J cartoon appeared in newspapers in 1995. Few remember it, but Arlo & Janis was one of the first newspaper comic strips to include an email address, back in the early 90s. The first reader ever to contact me via email lived in Jackson, Tennessee, not far at all from where I was living at the time. So much for global communication. It was very exciting, though. I woke up the morning the strip was to appear and perched in front of my computer. It wasn’t long before that first message popped up, and it seemed miraculous. That reader will be hurt to know I can’t recall his name at the moment, for he has contacted me several more times in the years since, often reminding me he was the first emailer. Maybe he’ll see this and refresh my memory. (Was his name George?)
