Baldness, Old frends, baldness, batchelor life

Hi, welcome back. Here's the second Pembroke strip published in OTT (On-The-Town) in 1984. I pretty much had Art Pembroke's look nailed down, but Angela was still elusive. I wanted her to look pretty glamorous and cool, but drawing cheekbones and boobies still intimidated me somewhat.


This strip is noteworthy as I drew it in my new bachelor pad apartment where I had just had cable installed by my landlord Melvin. I'd never had cable before. This was way back when MTV still played music videos.

The cable was hot (as in bootleg) as was Melvin (as in totally horny). It seems that Melvin was known by half the female population in Grand Rapids, and they either loved him or hated him...often both at the same time. He was a real character. I was cautioned by my sister to keep Melvin "out of the loop" regarding my social life as he was a guy to whom discretion was an unknown virtue. That turned out to be some very good advice.

Life as a newly single guy was always interesting and usually fun.I was setting the agenda in my new Genessee Street "Batch pad" and it was all about high adventure (and, apparently, not wearing tee-shirts).

Around this time, I had just been canned (a recurring theme) from my job at "Acraforms" a graphic arts house in Grand Rapids Michigan. By the way the "Acra" in Acraforms stood for "accuracy"...wait...what the... shouldn't that be "Accuforms"?. Well, whatever, I was working at Acraforms as a graphic arts grunt.

The boss and I just rubbed each other the wrong way. The immediate result of my firing became a piece of corporate folklore...still told around campfires by the elders.

These are the groovy cats and chicks that I worked with at Acraforms, as Pembroke was coming together. L to R: Kevin, the beautiful Margaret, Schmedly, Me (with the hand o' death hovering above me), the lovely Bonnie, Good pal Pete Taylor, and good old Ken.

My firing from Acraforms lasted exactly one weekend as a popular rebellion unfolded at the shop headed by Ken and the above mentioned folks. The boss (George) hired me back as a supervisor on second shift, That way he'd never have to see me and I'd never have to see him...pretty cozy huh? Anyhow this was my first inkling that I was leading a charmed life.

During this period I started working for "Downtown" (later "On-The-Town"). This was a wonderful experience. I was meeting all sorts of delightful people, including these two:
New York cartoonist Art Melendez and O-T-T editor/publisher Julie Christiansen.

Every day was a holiday and every meal a banquet in those days.

Suddenly, and without warning, the boom is lowered. Baldness!!!!






And no, I never resorted to the "comb over ploy", except in jest as you can see here.

Thanks for tuning in. I can't wait to see how it all develops (even though I was there at the time).

Stay warm,

Mannie