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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Thermostatic

By Jimmy Johnson

Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
We were speaking recently of technology and the cartoonist. Digital manipulation has made life much easier for folks like me. For example, the last two panels in the above classic A&J are identical, except for some wording. Did I draw the two panels twice? Of course not. In the old days, I’d have done that, or used some antediluvian device such as a copying machine to make a copy to cut and paste, with real scissors and real paste, mind you. Now, it’s a snap to duplicate work with virtual cut and paste. One must fight the temptation to overuse this power, out of laziness, but in the above example I can plead that the repetitive nature of the two panels is the joke. I try not to cut and paste for the sake of convenience, but I cannot say I’m totally innocent. When you do catch me, it almost always is a case of deadline pressure; I’m pulling out every trick in the book to get Arlo & Janis out the door for you.

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69 responses to “Thermostatic”

  1. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    “Honey Pot”?

  2. Mark from Maine Avatar
    Mark from Maine

    I loved the HONEYPOT; much shallower than a WELL . . .

    And the joke is *better* when both of the last two panels are exactly the same.

    But, not even Janis should be freezing when the thermostat is set for 80 degrees Fahrenheit . . .

  3. Frankly Anon Avatar
    Frankly Anon

    And now there is the NEST which resembles the HONEYPOT.

  4. Lilyblack Avatar

    Good morning, Villagers. Lovely morning, al little cooler, thank the Lord, and we are done with rounds. Back at the office and you can feel the sigh of relief among the front office “minions” as they like to call themselves when we walk in the door. When I walk in alone, it’s all, “Is she with you?” and “There’s no meeting or anything, is there?” “No, she is just out in the truck talking to the hospital on her cell”.

  5. Bill in Paducah Avatar

    Back in the ’80’s when I started my accounting career, we First Year Accountants spent so much time in the copy and report assembly room we decided that the C.P.A. we worked so hard to obtain stood for Cut, Paste and Assemble.

    In a take off on the old “blonde” joke, when the office finally got Wang word processors, the software would blink for misspelled or misunderstood words. One of the typists (who didn’t last long) proudly showed the feature to a partner. Her screen looked like a Christmas tree.

  6. Lilyblack Avatar

    Boy, FB is all Robin Williams, all the time today. Favorite quote, which I am definitely gonna use in Sunday School. “I’m Episcopal. It’s kind of like being a Catholic. Same religion, half the guilt. The Puritans tried to restore the guilt, and they had to leave. Can you imagine the Puritans? People so uptight the English kicked them out?”

  7. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    When I was in college we were able to check out record albums and listen to them in the library if we wished. We could even record them onto 8 track or reel to reel if we wanted to. I’ve been looking for years for the 21 min 40 sec live version of The Pusher by Steppenwolf. The hype at the time was that it was the first time they ever played it and they just made it up as they played. This was recorded in 1966. I finally found it on the net. No, it wasn’t as great as I remembered, but it brought back some memories.

  8. Virgin Mindy Avatar
    Virgin Mindy

    For once I agree with Ghost. Honey pot:? Oh, my…where’s Shelly when I need her?

  9. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Why, Dearest Virgin, whatever do you mean?

  10. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    –CAUTION: CONTAINS SPOILER–

    For those of you who, like me, have become exhausted trying to follow the current 9 Chickweed Lane story arc…the Germans lose.

  11. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Dear Ghost, your “spoiler” comment is awfully clever. How do you keep coming up with these zingers? After faithfully following 9 Chickweed Lane for years, I gave it up … just too, what, artificial … unreal, slow … couldn’t stand it any more. Comments here tell me all I need to know.

  12. Mindy from Indy Avatar
    Mindy from Indy

    Which is why my primary attraction to 9CL is the art and shading of each panel. Jimmy is a master of minimalism. Brooke is a master of hyperdetail. I fully believe either artist could be successful at either end of the spectrum. This is why they are artists and I am grateful to enjoy their work.

  13. Bryan Avatar
    Bryan

    Okay, I know, late to the ballpark, as usual, but I still loved the “Honeypot” gag.

    re 9CL, I’ll be glad when/if McEldowney ever get’s back to his regular cast. This WWII arc has been going on since, I believe, last December.

  14. Lilyblack Avatar

    I love Brooke McE’s art and agree with Mindy that the primary attraction of 9CWL is the drawing. I love the WWII arc. Amos and Edda get annoying after a while 😛

  15. Bryan Avatar
    Bryan

    Brooke is a great illustrator and that’s what drew me to both 9CL and to Pibgorn. I still love his art but his stories do seem to go on forever.

  16. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Great illustrator? Look up Golden Girl by Frank Frazetta

  17. Lilyblack Avatar

    I like some of Frank Frazetta’s stuff ( I have a framed print of his “The Sea Witch” in my bathroom) but some of his stuff is a little obsessive. Like this: http://s1306.photobucket.com/user/Lilyblack1/media/EowynFrazetta2_zps8b02ba83.jpg.html

  18. Llee Avatar

    wow..THAT would be uncomfortable…..

  19. Ursen Avatar
    Ursen

    Yes I do love the “Honeypot” instead of Honeywell. And the art in Arlo and Janis and 9CWL are both superior in their own right and style, will never argue against that.

  20. Symply Fargone Avatar

    @Lilyblack,

    Symply one question…..is that you in the Fargone New Year’s dress?

    Still lurking….Mindy? Ginger? Shelly? John?

  21. Mindy from Indy Avatar
    Mindy from Indy

    Lily – This article title and panel one of today’s retro. (It took me a minute too.)
    http://refrigerators.reviewed.com/news/is-honeywells-smart-thermostat-cooler-than-the-nest

  22. Lilyblack Avatar

    SF: Yep, that’s me, simple yet effective. I live that dress. Sometimes I get it out and try it on

  23. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    I enjoy 9CL’s artwork and also, from time to time, the word usage employed. Don’t like Pibgorn. Yes, both move along in infinitesimals.

    Meantime, I just wrote a somewhat lengthy comment and accidentally loaded it onto yesterday’s looong comment space. Beans! If you are curious, go back and look…not worth typing again (as typing is one of many skills I do not possess).

  24. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    cex-p. why not copy and paste rather than retyping?

  25. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Got my days mixed up, I didn’t even realize it was Tuesday Afternoon (we all know there’s a song there)…..tonight’s the night I lose one third of of my ‘flock” Said goodbye to Rooster.

    Back in the 73’s, I was employed by Honeywell out of Evansville, IN…to this day I still remember their poster “The Pride of Honeywell”

    https://www.etsy.com/listing/55371470/a-pride-of-lions-fashioned-from-computer

    Yup, CxP….copy and paste….that’s how I get my Lolcats