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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

The Long Road Home

By Jimmy Johnson

July 7, 1993


The above is a bonus cartoon. The 1993 series that is running in newspapers and on GoComics this week played out originally over two weeks. I winnowed those two weeks down to one. This was the last scene in the original sequence, also appearing on a Saturday. It immediately followed yesterday’s scene where the family was gathering gear at the end of their last day on the beach. Click on the GoComics link below to see what I mean. (Yes, it can get confusing.) Speaking of Saturday, here’s your Saturday post as promised. However, I am not going to continue our discussion of this week, also as promised. I will do that here next week, but the town is having a clean-up day, and I must get trash to the street. They will not let me do it later just because I’m a cartoonist. I know; I asked.


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18 responses to “The Long Road Home”

  1. Steve from Royal Oak, Mi Avatar

    FYi none of your drawings are trash. Please don’t feel them out!

    I am walking 20 miles today. Plan to do a marathon in Grand Rapids in two weeks. I feel great

    1. Jimmy Johnson Avatar

      No worries; they’re too heavy to lug to the street.

  2. Charlie Cook Avatar
    Charlie Cook

    What’s an innie or outie? (Or shouldn’t I ask?)

    1. Will Overby Avatar
      Will Overby

      Belly buttons

  3. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    But did you tell them *which* cartoonist you are, Jimmy? And how many peoples’ good states of mind depend on your daily output?

  4. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Did you tell them you often portray Janis running to catch the garbage men semi nude?

    Hi and Lois often featured their garbage men. A far less sophisticated strip, I remembered the dog and the garbage men before I could think of Hi and Lois names?

    Wasn’t this a spin off from Beetle Bailey? His sister?

    1. Rusty Avatar
      Rusty

      “I’ll bet you’re a legend down at the landfill…” 🙂

  5. Galliglo of Ohio Avatar
    Galliglo of Ohio

    I do so enjoy the glimpses of young Gene and all his young adult angst. I for one would NEVER want to go back to that age! But I remember…

    1. jJ Avatar
      jJ

      We need a “thumbs-up” thingee.

  6. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Have been reading the A and J archives, inspired by the retro strips. Just got to where Gene and Mary Lou acquired the farm. Last night I made it to where Gene proposed

    All superb work. Highly recommend we all do it. Encore! Encore!

  7. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    I only read one other strip sporadically, Monty. It has arcs usually so easy to read that way.

    Checked in last night to find a beach segment where low and behold Monty runs his kayak onto rocks occupied by a cursing mermaid! She says she is no Arial but she is definitely no Janis!

    1. Texan Avatar
      Texan

      Lo and behold.

      1. Jackie Avatar
        Jackie

        Blame those obnoxioud drunk tiny elves in Spellcheck and the fact I had been up all night and the day before. Spwlling error i was once 57 years ago a paid newspaper proof reader

    2. Mark in TTown Avatar
      Mark in TTown

      She’s no Daryl Hannah, either.

  8. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
    Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

    What IS Mary Lou’s surname?

    Before marrying Gene, of course.

  9. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    As best I recall, Gus and ML’s surname was only used twice, both times in reference to Gus. Oddly, it was used by two different characters and the spellings were slightly different. It’s been years, so don’t hold me to it, but I believe they could have been Bagino and Bagnino, or something close to that. If I run across it, I’ll verify.

    1. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
      Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

      Thanks.

  10. Neil of Norman and Rockford Avatar

    The first time I ever saw this strip, my impression was, “I guess Gene is growing up… he’s beginning to mentally undress a girl.”

    He probably doesn’t need to do that anymore.