Windsor Knott and His 18-Wheel Assistant

What is art without struggle? 

It's impossible to know exactly what Gus Arriola's opinion would've been towards generative AI in the world of art, but this strip from July 3, 1960, suggests that it wouldn't have been favorable.

As an artist, Arriola was a tireless innovator and ardent creator. In forty years of producing one of the most detailed and decorative strips to have ever graced the funny pages, he only briefly employed a single assistant, and only once required fill-in help -- from close friends Hank Ketcham and Eldon Dedini -- during recovery from a back injury. When shrinking strip sizes necesitated it, he simplified his style without sacrificing its intricacy. 

In short, you might expect that Gus Arriola would have limited patience with egregious shortcuts. The criticisms of Jim Davis' Garfield nestled in this week's worth of strips from 1983 certainly seems to be saying as much.

While Arriola never had to contend with AI, increasingly capable computers and relentless automation remained a concern among cartoonists of his era. He clearly held a lot of opinions as to the value of push-button creativity, all informed by the very real threat of being replaced digitally. 

Arriola enjoyed a longer meditation on the topic when he brought back to the sleepy pueblo of Del Monte a beleaguered, neurotic cartoonist named Windsor Knott for a story arc in 1967....

Who is Windsor Knott? 

Windsor Knott, professional cartoonist and creator of the popular in-universe gag strip "Home Ties," first stumbles through Del Monte when his expensive Italian sportcar breaks down directly in front of Gordo's humble abode in June 1957 -- on his way to beat a deadline!

Windsor Knott's first appearance from June 10, 1957.

The neurotic and beleaguered Knott was a stand-in for the common miseries of the regular working cartoonist. He was a wailing, weeping victim of a dawn-to-dusk working schedule, creative block, troublesome newspapers and demanding syndicates, looming deadlines, oblivious audiences, and the dangers and vagaries of the postal system.

All of these concerns seem to have remained forefront in Windsor's mind when he returns for a visit, years later in 1967. This time, rather than a fancy sports car, he's behind the wheel of a semi-truck hauling a valuable piece of equipment -- a computer trained to replicate Knott's labors with a few efficient keystrokes. 

Windsor Knott's 18-Wheel Assistant
June 10 - October 28 1967

Having dazzled Gordo and Pepito with the wonderful new machine in his life, Knott proceeds to enjoy a month's worth of relaxation. Catching up with old friends, he takes advantage of bom vivant Juan Pablo's lifelong experience with leisure to learn a few tricks about relaxation, and hires Gordo to guide him on regular excursions to the local night life. 

At first, the machine seems to be the answer to Knott's every problem -- including coming to work with a plus-sized hangover. While showing Gordo how a headache and a shaky hand are no longer impediments to his cartooning career, however, Knott is suddenly shaken when his portly pal makes an adroit observation ...

Left depressed and unmotivated by his sudden brush with irrelevance, Knott is taken under the wing of Del Monte's resident curandera, Trini, and taken back to her "country house" for rehabilitation. Reconnecting Windsor with his creativity involves re-teaching him to use his hands and mind, and leads to the moral of the story and a very happy accident...

* * * The End * * *