Passing Scenes – Jan. to Feb. 1975

Gene Patrick's biweekly The Passing Scene comic strip continued in the Journal right into 1975. 

I'm curious just how long he kept it going. We know that he had already taken a break from the Journal around 1972 when he launched his own business (Gene's Hobby Hub). When that business endeavor ended, Gene took a detour out to Los Angeles for a while, eventually coming back to Lorain and reviving The Passing Scene. I guess he was a restless spirit.

But for now, however, we'll take a look at his cartoons from the first two months of 1975. The January 4th strip references Lorain's plan to purchase 232 acres in Sheffield Village for use as a landfill.

Jan. 4, 1975

Jan. 11, 1975

Jan. 18, 1975

Feb. 8, 1975

Feb. 22, 1975

It's fun watching Gene create his own comic universe over the years, similar to classic TV sit-coms of the 1950s. Wives are either cheerful or shrews; either way, they spend too much money. Long-suffering husbands are the undisputed head of their families. Teenagers are often smart-alecks looking for an angle. Very young children are completely innocent types.