Arlo & Janis

If you look along the side of my blog, you will see a set of links for Comic Strip sites. At the top of the list is the link to Jimmy Johnson's "Arlo & Janis" website.

I read a lot of comic strips. I'll give most anything a try. A&J is my favorite, among a decent-sized list of excellent current strips.

Why? Well, there are many reasons, but the one which prompted me to write today is this: the wonderful depiction of A&J's romantic life.

I know it's not unique among strips to show married couples who like each other. Hi & Lois, Blondie & Dagwood, Moose & Molly, Sally & Ted (Forth) -- clearly those couples get along well. But of those other strips, how many even hint at a "love life?" The Forths do, every once in a great while. Now and again, a few other strips will touch on it.

In A&J it's a recurring theme, though not an overpowering one. Arlo clearly finds Janis attractive, and shows it. Janis reciprocates. Since the primary interactions that drive the strip are those between this married couple, it's just so "honest" to see the "love life" aspect come up occasionally. And it's always in character with the fun, funny, intelligent, flawed, good-hearted people they are.

If you follow the link to the A&J page today, you can click on the strip to see part of a series in this vein. Every strip is funny, but every strip is real. (If you follow the link some other time, well, who knows what you'll get. Jimmy posts old strips on a regular basis.) Here's a link to the beginning of the short series, if you want it later (I hope it stays active, even after the imminent redesign of the site.)

(Originally posted on November 1, 2007.)