jimmy johnson is an american comic strip cartoonist who writes and draws arlo and janisjohnson was born and grew up in lanett alabama graduating from lanett high school in 1970 he is an alumnus of auburn university class of 1974my earliest cartoon work was copying fred and barney and yogi bear i became quite proficient and was able to amaze my friends wrote johnson johnson credits his mother with being especially supportive of his early artworkas a young man just out of college johnson briefly worked as a reporter and in the public relations department of auburn university in the years before arlo and janis from about 1980 to 1985 johnson drew cartoons professionally for newspapers he did so on a parttime basis when he was a reporter and editor and then fulltime as an editorial cartoonist in jackson mississippi while employed in this role johnson won the prestigious robert f kennedy awardfrom 1985 to the present johnson has drawn arlo and janis for national syndication by nea johnson said at the time i sold arlo janis to the newspaper syndicate united media in 1985 there were a lot of talking animal strips newspaper editors reacted to this by demanding more comic strips about human beings particularly young families so it really was a marketdriven thingjohnson draws the strip in traditional comic strip fashion with an oldfashioned pen nib and india ink on 2ply bristol paper but johnson nodding to modernity scans the finished drawings for transmission to the syndicate editors and syndicate colorists color the daily strips he uses photoshop to color the sunday strips himselfin his comic strip about a small family johnson the former reporter and editorial cartoonist presents political and social commentary through his characters of course humor is also integral and johnson writes jokes about many different subjects not unlike standup comedians do much of the strips content is grounded in arlo and janis love and continued desire for each other johnsons signature style is notable for undeniable sexual suggestiveness so much so that the arlo award is awarded to cartoonists who slip one by the syndicates censorsjohnson was at one time married to author rheta grimsley johnson and the two remain good friendsas of 2006 despite the damage caused by hurricane katrina he still owns a home in pass christian mississippion april 3 2006 he suffered a mild heart attack