Aww. So they really didn't plan anything for the last week! No final group picture, champagne glasses in hand, at the GabMar wedding. No
John Darling-like final twist with
Bobbie Merrill shooting Martin. Just a random assortment of the week's panels that wouldn't make sense if you only read Sundays, and Margo coaching herself (and us all) to smile and move on. I guess that's appropriate. Although, wait, what the—what's going on in that final panel??
Huh? A dog?? We haven't seen a dog in the strip since
Lily the brindle terrier ever! What does it mean? It seems unnaturally fixated on Margo. Is it absorbing her essence, with which to infiltrate another strip? Is Barksy going to have his own spin-off comic, maybe with Lampy and Taser Lady? Let the conspiracy theories commence...
But today, I suppose, isn't about theories. It's about celebrating the end of a 54-year-old comic strip. A strip that provided me,
Josh Fruhlinger, and many others with daily entertainment for years. A strip that gave me the discipline to write every week, and a reason and to collaborate with college friends. And a strip that connected with an audience that wound up being funnier than me on many, many occasions.
In fact, on this, A3G's last day, and quite possibly this blog's final post, I wanted to share this piece of fan art from longtime reader/occasional commentator Molly. It encapsulates just about everything we loved about this strip:
A fitting ending indeed. Thanks Molly, and thanks again for reading, everyone.
46 comments:
Bravo, y'all. Long time reader, first time commenter. [sniffle] And thanks, Molly, for the panel that apparently could not be officially produced. [sniffle]
Thank you all so much! It's been a blast!
As someone who came to this strip very late I am sorry to see it go...reading it has been a surreal experience. I love this blog; it's explained some of the questions I have had about what's been happening. One question though, who is this psychic mentioned the past few days, and why is it important that she be fired(?) by these people. Any information will be appreciated.
That strip was a blast, Molly! Thanks so much! And thanks to all the lovely ladies who wrote such funny commentary to such a hilariously bad strip!
Good-bye!
:'(
Molly's final "should-have-been" strip is pure genius! Thanks for sharing it with us. I will so miss checking in here every day. With a tear and one last bleat, farewell.
Anon @ 5:24 p.m. - The psychic was a lady whose advice Margo's mother believed, at first, she needed to follow in planning her wedding. A3G was beautifully drawn until a few years ago; when I was a wee tyke in the 60s and 70s, the artwork was fabulous. I lost track and didn't start reading it again until a few years ago. The art was OK until 2012-ish. Maggie, Megan, and Casey made it worth hanging on till the bitter end.
Rex Morgan, Sally Forth, Judge Parker, Luann - other strips beckon, lovely ladies! Can't you hear them calling? Some of us are not tech-savvy enough to publish a blog with images, nor as witty.
Be well. Blessed Thanksgiving to all.
I love Molly’s final panel!
I’m going to miss Shulock taking banal plot ideas and executing them in the most over the top manner possible (Cole getting every disease known to western medicine; the Happiness Falls doc going on walkabout and being told to get busy with Carol Collins by his dead wife’s ghost; Diane Devine providing the weakest spirit medium hoaxing in the history of fraud).
I’m going to miss Frank’s consistently surreal vision of NYC where every building interior is a living room and every street scene is filled with minority-free, fedora topped madness.
Most of all I’m going to miss the bloggeristas and the commenatriat here. If you had told me before I found this blog that I’d EVER be following any daily newspaper drama strip I’d have said you’re crazy. You ladies found a way to turn something mundane into something wonderful and that’s a kind of amazing you seldom run across.
I'm glad you all enjoyed the cut-and-pasted strip homage, as I enjoyed creating it. I kind of felt like we needed something to help the catharsis.
Thank you, Lovely Ladies, for all the great times! I do hope you'll continue your hilarious commentary on another terribly-written comic strip -- there are a lot of them out there! I know I'll be checking back often, since it's part of my usual time-wasting routine now. Also thank you to the commenters, who always found something unique and irreverent to say. What shall we do with all of our extra time? Mark Trail and Mary Worth, I'm looking at you, kids!
Call me crazy, but I think I understand the dog. Winston Churchill had a metaphor for depression that he called his "black dog". Margo has a "white dog" that stands as a metaphor for her joy that she finds in her recovery, and in the consolidation of her family. Only Margo and the audience can see the dog.
Nothing else to say but, "Woof!"
A comment on King Comics mentioned that the dog is a gift from Toby Cameron (budding artist) over at Mary Worth.
MissScarlet
Friends,
I discovered this blog about a year ago, thanks to the recommendation of Josh Fruhlinger. It's been on of the highlights of every day to turn on the computer (usually at my office) and check out the wit of Maggie, Casey, and Megan and to share a laugh with you, my fellow commentators and desk chair comedians. You've all brought cheer amidst the all-to-often bad news I also read in the morning. I will miss you all! Thanks to our three lovely ladies of this blog and to you all. And thanks to the other creative team, Frank Bolle and Margaret Shulock, for providing the fodder. While the commentary often has seemed critical of their skills, I think we're all really quite grateful for their work. I have sometimes wondered if either of them read this blog, contribute to it, or intentially create the strip for our amusement, laughing inwardly that the joke is really on us! I will look forward to seeing many of you over at Mary Worth and Me. And remember these two bits of advice as you carry on with your daily routine: "Smile and move on," and "Bleat!"
Thanks for blogging for us to read!
Thanks for everything! Life won't be the same without the snark!
Goodbye, good luck and good-bleat! I think you should pick another strip or two to blog about! I've really enjoyed reading your posts!
Thanks for the laughs, ladies. We understand if you want to go out on a high (??) note, but it'd be great to see you collaborate on a similar project. Neddy and Sophie need you!
Maybe the dog is an allusion to the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie To Dance With the White Dog starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, a lovely meditation on loss, grief, coping, etc.
When you see a white dog, think of Margo and her one time roommates. (Sadly, that was how it ended up. Tommie did get to spend all that time on the farm with Lily and did usher a few people in and out of the street hospital, but Lu Ann probably moved out two years ago.)
That little white dog was there the whole time, nipping at the ankles of all the players. He was there when they shot the reality show, Dressed in the Dark. He was there when Queen Bee staged that elaborate art happening and, for all we know, he had a little frame around his neck (but he probably hated it and clawed at it, abandoning it on the Manhattan sidewalk).
This has been fun.
Thank you Lovely Ladies for all the laughs! And thank you all my fellow snarky commentators, you all made laugh so many times! I raise my Margorita to you all! SALUD!!
Thank you all! It was fun to visit here on a daily basis and see what folks had to say. Molly's panel was a nice sendoff.
What a long, strange trip it's been.
Thanks. and thanks to apt. 3G.
What a trip.
They still haven't eased it gently out of existence from Comics Kingdom, or even admitted that it's over in the description. Wonder why.
At Comics Kingdom at the bottom of the page they have Apartment 3-G listed under vintage comics and when I clicked on the link it took me to a page that featured a comic from January 1, 1970 done by Alex Kotzky.
Ladies,
Anonymous is right! And it's a beautifully drawn strip and I think Luann is drunk!
Please come back!
MissScarlet
I lament discovering this blog only yesterday just as the comic is coming to a close. I'm reading the archives and wanting to comment on five-year-old storylines!
I so feel like Margo. I must tell myself to smile and move on, because ain't no one gonna hear my input now! *head bobbling sob*
I know I'm tardy to the party... but I'm super sad this blog won't be running anymore. I loved the commentary, it always brought a smile to my face! What will I do without Margo in my life?? Thanks for the laughs ladies!
Let me add my voice to those requesting that you continue this blog commenting on the vintage strips that are now to be found daily at Comics Kingdom. I think this arc is about a female stalker (who looks a lot like Lu Ann).
I was looking at the vintage strip today and was struck at how detailed the first panel was from the bricks on the wall, the bottles and glasses to the different people in the background. I am old enough to remember a time when most comic strips were not only bigger but also drawn with incredible detail as this strip was. You don't see that much at all anymore. The girl's name seems to be Lelah. Not sure who she is...
Yes, can any longtime fans fill us in on who she is? Was she a major character for a while?
What is the deal with the vintage strips? Is A3G being updated every day? (But you can't see past days unless you subscribe--is that it?)
Jim, the archive strips started being posted on Nov. 30, 2015, in mid-arc starting with the date January 1, 1970. I think King Features said that they couldn't get quality (and/or complete archive)versions of strips earlier than that. If you subscribe to the Comics Kingdom site you can read past strips but you won't find any strips early than the one posted this past Monday. Subscribing will allow you to be able to see the reader comments (and, I assume, to be able to add some of your own).
Please excuse the typos above - I'll let this be a lesson to preview my posts before pressing the post button...
Thanks for the info!
I hope folks are reading the vintage strips. I have little idea what's going on at this point--they began in media res--but I'm loving the art.
The girls are so beautiful!
Reminder: You can only see the present day's strip unless you subscribe.
It's here: http://comicskingdom.com/apartment-3-g_1
I keep visiting this site each day, in hopes something new will show up. I don't really care about the strip; it's the fun running commentary here that I miss. :-)
Same bwebster... I guess it's gone for good :( I can't bring myself to delete this bookmark though!
This is looking like Luann ends up with that weird bald guy! No way! Not in that way!
Here's how I think the strip should end...
The professor continues to do what he does and be awesome.
Tommie confesses her love and affection for her best friend Luann, stating that she has always had feelings for Luann especially since her husband died. Luann is clearly moved by Tommie's confession. The two hide their attraction to one another from Margo, not knowing what she would think. The three go to an art gallery show, with Tommie going as Luann's date. Margo picks up a date at the show and stays at his place, while Tommie and Luann are bored with the show and go back to the apartment, where they make love and sleep together.
Eventually, Margo reconnects with Tim Mills' widow, Nora. Although Margo encouraged Nora not to give up on her husband, when it was confirmed Tim had died, Nora found an attraction to Margo. On a visit to Nora's place, Nora asks Margo to dance with her. The two share a slow dance, followed by a few kisses, and the two share a romantic evening together.
When Margo admits her new relationship to Tommie and Luann, both Tommie and Luann come clean about their own relationship to Margo, admitting to being afraid to let her know of it. The trio then shares a group hug.
Margo then moves out of the apartment and into Nora's place. After Margo leaves, Luann admits to Tommie that she misses Margo, despite their frequent disagreements. Tommie then consoles Luann in her arms and says she misses Margo too. Luann looks up at Tommie and tells her "At least I have a life to look forward to with you." The two then share a hug with a few kisses.
Margo and Nora are then seen sharing a slow dance on the roof of their apartment, with Margo lamenting that she misses her roommates. Nora then comforts her as well. Margo then says "So I guess I will smile and move on." Margo and Nora continue their dancing, and share a long kiss in front of a bright moon.
Hello Apartment 3G fans. Sorry to see your strip has ended. I sort of liked it too and would occasionally read it. I would also read the "Lovely Ladies of Apartment 3G" to laugh at the jokes. I haven't looked at the strip or the blog for a long time, though. So here's my question: why did the artwork get so sloppy in recent strips? My guess is everyone agrees that Alex was a better artist than Frank Bolle, but still, even Frank Bolle used to be pretty decent. I hate to be so critical, but judging by the obvious deterioration in the drawings, the strip should have ended sooner. Incidentally, the best soap strip art to me was always Juliet Jones in the 1950s-1970s. But it went downhill too. In later years, it looked more like Dick Tracy. I'm not exaggerating. Take care.
Anonymous: Frank Bolle is over 90 years old. I think he simply couldn't physically produce good-looking art anymore (and the syndicate didn't care).
Moving on never depicts an ending but instead it is often a start to an entirely new chapter. The transition period in itself is a story which can be told through various perspectives. Hence, the audience can roughly gauge what is about to come up next.
OMG! I am LOVING the vintage A3G strips! The art is AMAZING!!!
Of course, what I loved most about A3G in 2015 was its wackiness. It was so much fun to make fun of it! (Lovingly, of course.)
Thanks, Lovely Ladies of A3G! I will miss this blog more than any of the other ironic comics blogs!
XXOO
Love,
DWET
I keep hoping the Lovely Ladies of A3G will continue by following the vintage strip, which, along with great artwork, has a storyline ripe for commentary. Margo, Lu Ann, and a drunken stalker all fighting over the affections of the sleaziest guy ever to try to take over Byron Frost's corporate empire!
Yeah, I figuratively stumbled back here when I was typing in the letters 'l' 'a' which brought this site back up as a suggestion.
I would enjoy reading the commentary here again. Alas, sic transit and all of that I suppose.
I miss this strip and this blog so much. I was a lurker, and kind of still am. I come back sometimes, like howyou stop and linger in front of old apartments
Sounds like Margo has indeed, moved on.
Just FYI, there's a link: https://t.co/cSa2sO4TqP?amp=1 to a survey about bringing back Apartment 3G. It's up against some pretty stiff competition (Popeye! Flash Gordon!) so I don't have much hope - and honestly I'd only want to see it come back in the desperate hope that this site would revive - but you never know, so VOTE.
RIP, Margaret Shulock.
I just spent the last two months reading each blog entry starting from the beginning and laughed hysterically every day. Thank you for chronically the lovely ladies of Apt 3G which is now the only place you can go to read about their banal "adventures." I put on a comedy show in 2018 where a cast and I recreated the bucket of suds/umbrella/taser lady attack scene and many told me it was the highlight of the show. So bravo, thank you, and carry on!
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