Can you teach an old dog new tricks? 3/6/2020

This week we attempt to answer this age old question. Although one of the “new tricks” is trying to remaster an old trick. Never mind.

The first comic is Marv reuniting with his trumpet. Now that he’s in his 60’s, he’s got all sorts of free time. And why not learn or relearn how to play an instrument? Disclosure: we have a mutual friend who has taken up the harmonica with comparable results, but any comparison between him and Marv is STRICTLY coincidental. Strictly.

But the point is that with this newly open schedule, friends of ours are learning all sorts of new tricks, like how to play golf, do pilates, speak Spanish, etc. So as we dust off the contents of our attics, or sell our houses now that the kids are grown and out, and as we peruse the trumpets, harmonicas, artist’s easels, basketballs, etc., we are tempted to give these activities another whirl.

The next comic up is Sam’s coming to grips with being a new dad. Now this IS a new trick because he’s never been a dad before. And that is a skill that Marv and Al have had plenty of practice at. Just not when they were 62. So in imagining what that could possibly be like, they end up panicking their poor friend. Truth be told, Andy was panicked when he became a new dad, and he was only 33. He had promised to give up smoking (which he did) but in fearing that life as he knew it was about to end, he managed to put on 15 pounds of “sympathy weight.” Andy’s theory: It really isn’t sympathy for what your wife is going through, it’s really panic for what YOU’RE about to go through. Just sayin’. All we can say is “Watch out Sam.” John has a lot of ink in his arsenal and can make you gain as much weight as he wants.

In closing, it seems like you CAN teach an old dog, new tricks. Like starting a comic strip when you’re in your 60’s. Nah. Forget about that example. Too much work.

Have a great weekend.

Andy and John

Ahh yes, it's Valentine's Day 2/14/2020

If you’re a cynic, you could call Valentine’s Day a cheap, Hallmark Holiday, invented only to sell cards and chocolate. But face it, nobody likes it when you forget their birthday, and a lot of people don’t appreciate it when you forget Valentine’s Day. We’d say, mostly women don’t like it, but we are living in politically correct times, so we said people don’t like it. Even though, with all the pink ribbons and heart-shaped boxes it’s clearly aimed at…

We digress. The past two years we did comics about our hapless guys forgetting and either trying to make a last-minute, desperate, Hail-Mary pass, OR - as we did last year - have the guys suffer the consequences. So this year, we wanted to try something different by introducing a new character, Sam’s new wife Shellie. Last week Craig, our confirmed bachelor, noticed that Sam and Shellie were rarely included when the couples went to dinner or on vacations. And Al and Marv revealed their wives didn’t much care for Shellie. Not because she’s a quarter of a century younger than them mind you, just ‘cause.

So Al and Marv felt a bit guilty about this, as they pondered an invitation to Sam and Shellie’s for a Valentine’s Day Dinner party (see how we cleverly wove Valentine’s Day in there?). After a little convincing they all agree to go to the party.

Our second comic in this continuing saga takes place at the aforementioned party. When Shellie refuses a drink, the wives know something’s up. Al and Marv have no idea what’s going on. So this year, rather than being clueless about Valentine’s Day, they are clueless about Shellie.

At this point you may be wondering if men are so clueless, how can men think this stuff up? And we would say to you, uhh, we have no clue. So have a great weekend and oh yeah…

Happy Valentine’s Day

Andy and John

Wait, yesterday was Valentine's Day? 2/15/19

If you scroll down, to the blog below, you will find an extra special treat. It’s our Valentine to you. John pulls back the curtain and takes you through every step of the comic making process, from how we come up with what we come up with, to writing it down on old fashioned legal paper, to pencil, to ink and finally to color, with pictures of it all. We recently saw an exhibition of how this worked back in the 1960’s at a comic art exhibition at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich. It inspired John and me and if you’re in Greenwich, it might even inspire you.

As John so eloquently laid out, this is how we go from talking, to final production. This week we talked about millennials. Together, we have a bunch of millennial children. Well, not together, we’re both happily married to our wives, but between us, we have a basketball team’s worth of millennials. Not that this comic applies to OUR kids, heaven forbid, it comes from interviewing and working with people in that age group and from stories our friends told us. As John likes to say, hilarity ensues. Mind you, there’s nothing inherently wrong with asking for maternity leave, it’s just that you gotta be an expectant mom first. And the truth is that many millennials end up with part time jobs that don’t even provide health insurance. But that would make a really boring comic. Trust us.

The second comic is, drumroll please, Valentine’s Day. And since our strip features four men of a certain age, it’s their take on Valentine’s Day. I think by next February, our intrepid foursome will finally remember what Feb 14th signifies. Probably. The thing about writing this strip is that we got to talk about Valentine’s Day wayyyy in advance so we came to last night well prepared. Nothing like a gigantic Hershey’s chocolate kiss to say “I love you.”

So take a peek at our gift to you, the detailed blog below. And know that we love you, our faithful subscribers, for sticking with us. Happy Valentine’s Day. Even if it’s a day late.