Yesterday, July 29, 2015, marked 30 years of Arlo & Janis in newspapers. It’s an understatement to say the big anniversary bash was low key. Oh, months ago there were big plans, but the best laid plans of mice and men aft get knocked into a cocked hat. I confess to a certain ambivalence about the whole thing. To survive and thrive for 30 years in the newspaper syndication business is a rare accomplishment. Conversely, bragging about how long one has been around in the syndication business is tantamount to bragging about how lame and irrelevant one has become. That’s not always fair or true, but for some it is the consensus. I do want to say that I feel very privileged. I love what I do. Who wouldn’t? And I thank all of you who have made my livelihood possible over the years by reading Arlo & Janis and encouraging me. I consider it a personal favor, which I will return by drawing the best comic strip I can.
They Suit Horses, Don’t They?
By Jimmy Johnson
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177 responses to “They Suit Horses, Don’t They?”
Congratulations, JJ, and may you continue to draw the strip as long as it’s fun! And, on another note, here’s some neat news about Charon: http://kryptonradio.com/2015/07/30/gallifrey-falls-no-more-its-on-charon/
Jim in TN, uh, fish? Sorry—lost on me.
Congratulations JJ. From another one of those who look forward to reading A&J everyday.
Nancy, that’s a reference to So Long and Thanks for All The Fish, the fourth book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy.
Yay!! Looking forward to enjoying your gift for another 30 years.
I suppose you get told things like this all the time, but after following Arlo all these years, I sometimes wonder if you are spying on me. Except for the cat thing, he and I are soul mates.
I haven’t posted here before, but it so happens your 30th was also the 32nd for my wife and me, and we have many of your works posted in various places around the house. Just wanted to say thank you for the entertainment and what seems to be a mirror.
Symply Fargone, you got most of it. Glad to see you back and hope you can come visit that museum sometime. The Mercedes plant in Vance also has a museum, but I have not been to it, either.
Jimmy, Happy Belated Anniversary. You’ve beaten Berke Breathed now. You have kept your interest in what you are doing, kept it interesting for us, and as MCV says you holding up a mirror for one or more of us everyday. Love your Arlo lizard in the pants counterpart to Janis’ speed strip when the lizard left the firewood. I need to show those to my neighbor. She is scared to death of the little things too.
…you holding up a mirror…. Where’s that edit button? you are, it should have said.
30 years ago….http://boingboing.net/2015/07/30/miniskirtsandcomputers.html
Have I mentioned that I miss those hemlines? Yes, I believe that I have.
Don’t feel bad, Nancy. Those fourth books of a trilogy can be pretty obscure. 🙂
And don’t forget, there’s also Mostly Harmless, the Fifth Book in the Increasingly Inappropriately Named Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy.
BTW, Douglas Adams will be one of the two Ghost’s of Honor at this year’s Loscon because it will be Loscon 42. The other Ghost is a long-term dealer and costumer who recently passed away from Brain Cancer.
No one ever asks me to be a Ghost of Honor. 🙁
A few years ago, a software vendor sent a very attractive young female rep to my office to install and train us on an upgrade to one of our systems. Afterwards, whenever one of my all-female staff would ask me a technical question, I’d tell her that must have been covered the day the rep wore that orange mini-dress, and I must have been distracted, and she should figure it out herself. (Then I would tell her, of course.)
Anyone installed Windows 10 yet? (Yeah, Sideburns, I know you haven’t. 🙂 ) I’ll probably wait until the weekend.
Huzzah!
Debbe 😉 Mom is doing well. Yesterday, I took her to the retina specialist who has been treating her for left-sided wet macular degeneration for the past year. All the fluid behind her retina is gone, so it appears we have salvaged her sight in that eye, preventing loss of depth perception that would undoubtedly have led to an eventual and most likely catastrophic fall.
sand: Regarding the pix of 30 years ago… I felt that I was reviewing a lot of my work history. How times change…
Wow! Thirty years of peeking in our windows. Where did the time go?
Thanks, Sideburns. You too, Ghost. I am familiar in a general way with some things about the Hitchhiker series but have not actually read them. I am also familiar with more than one “trilogy” that ended up more than that!! $$$$????
We have spoken here of the Coasties of the USCG and the remarkable job they do rescuing those in distress. Here’s a story that amazes me, even by rescue swimmer standards.
http://weaponsman.com/?p=24284
A quote from one of the commenters to this story also bears repeating…“When stuff breaks, unbreakable people take up the slack.”
I live within sight of that air station. What that story didn’t mention is the high winds over the cliff that the chopper couldn’t safely hover, the fog bank near shore, and really choppy seas.
Well done!!
Thanks for the last thirty years Mr J. Also, well done.
Hi Jimmy, please plan a Arlo and Janis convention for all of your fans. The first choice of location would be close to my house in central Illinois, but we could hold it closer to your home if that would better for you. If you need someone to help with logistics I volunteer my wife, she loves you to. I would love to get together with like minded people who know which is the best comic on the Web and in the newspaper today. Seriously if you would like to do this you have my email address, I would help plan this.
A significant number of this bunch at the same place at the same time? The mind boggles. 🙂
30 years of Arlo and Janis. wow! And to think I saw the potential when you were at the Jackson Daily News… congrats and keep going!
Yes, we would have fun.
GR6 wrote: “A significant number of this bunch at the same place at the same time? The mind boggles.” Just call it Comic Con A&J 30. Then we can dress as our favorite character, parade for the local news channels, and everyone will just say we are a wee off the beam.
Call it the 30 Day Anniversary Party. Jimmy can show his strips as the wedding/life photos.