Or Maybe _Real Life Adventures_ Has Really Ended for Real, Life

After that late-September strip where Real Life Adventures seemed to announce its ending, only to continue without interruption, it appears Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich are ending the comic after all. The Daily Cartoonist reports, through the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that the strip’s finale will come the 17th of November. That is a Friday, which seems an eccentric choice. Wikipedia tells me the Plain Dealer still runs a Saturday print edition, though, so it’s not that.

Two guys sitting at the bar, talking to one another. The one on the right: 'So you're quitting your job after 32 years?' Left: 'Yep.' Right: 'What did you do?' Left: 'Cartoonist.' Right: 'Think anyone will notice when you stop?' Left: (Has an empty word balloon.) — Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich’s **Real Life Adventures** for the 23rd of September, 2023. A commenter claims the characters are representations of Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich, which is what I imagined even without checking.

The strip has been in weekday repeats since the 16th of October, including this week, although Sunday strips were new. And I guess we’ll see whether there’s a new panel for this Friday, or Saturday, or whatnot. No word on why the cartoonists are retiring, although the strip has been going for 32 years, and writer Lance Aldrich has turned 78, and there are only four newspapers left in the United States that even run comics, so it’s easy to make up a plausible story.

As to whether GoComics.com will run repeats? I guess we’ll find out this coming Sunday. Sorry. I never actually know much, but I’m happy to pass what I do know on.