''Jump Start'' is a daily
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
drawn by
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
Robb Armstrong
Robb Armstrong is an African American cartoonist, best known for creating the comic strip '' Jump Start''. His comic strip '' Jump Start'' is the most widely syndicated daily strip by an African American in the world.
Early life and education
Ar ...
. It portrays the trials and tribulations of a young
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
couple as they try to balance the demands of work and raising their young children.
Syndicated by
United Feature Syndicate
United Feature Syndicate (UFS) is a large American editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1919. Originally part of E. W. Scripps Company, it was part of United Media (along wit ...
, ''Jump Start'' is set in the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
area, where Armstrong grew up.
Publication history
Armstrong attended
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
, where in 1982 he created a popular comic strip in the student newspaper ''
The Daily Orange
''The Daily Orange'', commonly referred to as ''The D.O.'', is an independent student newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. It is free and published daily during the Syracuse University academic year.
It was one of the first college papers ...
''. That strip was called ''Hector'' and its main characters were two young men and a glasses-wearing dog.
After having no success in attempting to syndicate ''Hector'', Armstrong created ''Jump Start'', which was designed to have a broader appeal than the earlier strip. ''Jump Start'' entered syndication in 1989.
Story and characters
''Jump Start''
's main characters are Joe and Marcy Cobb, and their children Sunny, Jojo and twins Tommi and Teddy.
Police officer Joe's uniform hat is drawn with a
keystone badge emblem, as many police departments in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
use that emblem due to Pennsylvania being known as the "Keystone State".
Robb Armstrong set out to portray young black couples from his own experience. In Marcy and Joe, the reader sees an average
middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...
couple, busy with work and raising a family. Armstrong says, "The image of young blacks is so skewed, so false. I don't know anybody who's
carjacking
Carjacking is a robbery in which the item taken over is a motor vehicle.Michael Cherbonneau, "Carjacking," in ''Encyclopedia of Social Problems'', Vol. 1 (SAGE, 2008: ed. Vincent N. Parrillo), pp. 110-11. In contrast to car theft, carjacking is ...
, playing
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
rapping
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
. Joe and Marcy and the characters I've developed are deep and based on real life." In all strips, adults use regular
all caps
In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...
type for their speech and thoughts, while children's speech and thought balloons are a mix of uppercase and lowercase lettering.
The Cobb family
* Joseph "Joe" Cobb Sr. is a father, loving husband and hard-working city
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
officer.
* Marcy Cobb (née Hart) is a fun-loving, young and caring mother, a loving wife and a busy and dedicated
nurse
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...
.
* Sunny Cobb is the upbeat, intelligent daughter of Joe and Marcy. She is addicted to
macaroni and cheese
Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United KingdomBBC, RecipesMacaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce, most commonly Cheddar sauce.
The ...
. She is a good big sister to Jojo, Tommi and Teddy but still knows how to use that older-sibling power.
* Joseph "Jojo" Latimer Cobb Jr. is a budding leader with an active imagination. Jojo makes it his business to cause the havoc expected of little brothers. He even considers his group of friends to be his "business partners" and acts as almost a
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
figure among his friends. His pursuits include campaigning for
class president
A class president, also known as a class representative, is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council. In a grade school, class presidents are generally elected by th ...
and being in a band with his friends called "
Benny and the Jets
"Bennie and the Jets" (also titled "Benny & the Jets") is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' album in 1973. "Bennie and ...
", which he quit to go solo.
* Teddy & Tommi Cobb are the youngest children,
fraternal twins
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
. Not yet capable of speech with other characters but they completely understand each other.
* Mortimer was the former pet of Ray Ramsey, while he was in prison. He was taken in by the Cobbs; Joe gave Mortimer back to Ray when he was released and went straight, though it was clear the children were already attached to him. And it was clear that Mortimer felt the same. The first day Ray brought him home, he got out and ran back home to the Cobb family. Ray would let him stay and be the Cobbs' family pet. Mortimer is very protective of his family and Joe believes he's a good judge of character.
Recurring characters
*Dot Cobb is Joe's mother. Despite living with a family of police officers, she is a dangerous driver to the point where she can frighten even the most fearless individuals. Dot is a former English teacher, and is an extreme stickler when it comes to grammar, correcting anyone she meets who utters even a single grammatical error, much to their annoyance.
*Frank Cobb is Joe's father (referred to as "Pop-Pop" by his grandchildren). An ex-
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
officer, he now spends his time knowing everything about the
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
"Klondike Ike" (perhaps based on the old
Ozark Ike
''Ozark Ike'' is a newspaper comic strip about dumb but likable Ozark Ike McBatt, a youth from a rural area in the mountains. The strip was created by Rufus A. ("Ray") Gotto while he was serving in the US Navy, Navy during World War II in Washi ...
strip), but was reinstated as a police academy training officer.
*Edmund Crunchy is Joe Cobb's partner at the
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
department; despite the disparity in their ages, he and Joe get along and hang out outside of work. Grumpy and grouchy, he is nevertheless a good man and a dedicated
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
officer. He likes to appear to be hard boiled, but has a few soft spots, especially for his dog. Crunchy was Frank Cobb's old police partner. He is married to Captain Yolanda Ruiz. His full name was revealed in the October 8, 2005 strip.
*Maureen is Marcy's mother. A
widow
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...
, she marries Clarence's father. Clayton came into her life around the same time as Romaire, a person she dated many years ago who seemed to want to restart their relationship.
*Benny is one of Jojo's friends from school. He is a follower to Jojo and is also a key member of their band. At one time Benny worked for and reported directly to Jojo, and was often seem perusing
documents
A document is a writing, written, drawing, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of nonfiction, non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', w ...
and putting in long hours "at the office."
*Clarence Glover is a good friend of Joe's. He is an orthodontist and a very bulky man with eleven brothers. Since his father has married Marcy's mother it makes him and Marcy step-siblings.
*Charlene Glover is Clarence's Caucasian wife, an automotive mechanic with a penchant for restoration.
*Olivet Maxine Glover is Clarence's and Charlene's youngest child. She was named after Charlene's late mother and she was born on her grandmother's birthday. Like the twins, she can not speak, but her thoughts are often shown.
*C. J. Glover who calls himself O'Sullivan is Clarence and Charlene's teenage son.
*Jasmine Glover is Clarence and Charlene's second child and first daughter.
*Clayton Glover is Clarence's father. A
widower
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...
and a father of twelve, he amazes people that such a small, simple man was able to raise an entire pack of gigantic, successful men with little stress to show for it. He starts dating and soon marries Marcy's mother. A
retired
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
minister and a very humble, modest man, he refuses any
luxurious
"Luxurious" is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). Written by Stefani and fellow No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, the track contains a sample of the Isley B ...
gifts offered to him by his successful sons.
*Marcus Glover is Clarences' youngest brother, a professional football player – first for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
and later the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
. Marcus is a notorious
cheapskate
A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities, in order to hoard money or other possessions. Although the word is sometimes used loosely to characterise anyone who ...
who never spends any of his NFL salary.
*Otis Glover is the oldest Glover brother, a massive man at 8 feet tall.
*Romaire is a very wealthy man who used to date Maureen. He provided a little competition to Clayton for Maureen, but their relationship never picked up. He is still friends with Maureen and Clayton.
*Doctor Appleby is a boy who goes to school with Sunny and Jojo. He dresses like a doctor and can often be found treating various cuts and scrapes the kids from their school are afflicted with. His given first name is "Doctor", and he has been known to mention that his parents expect him to be a doctor.
*Dexter Wright is Sunny's best friend from school. They have known each other since being toddlers at day care. It's hinted he and Kenny have a crush on Sunny as they've fought over her attention on Valentine's day.
*Captain Yolanda Ruiz is in charge of Joe's police precinct and married to Crunchy.
*Ray Ramsey A former criminal gone straight, who is Captain Ruiz's biological brother. He has become close friends with Joe, and his mother Sara is married to Crunchy's brother George. He now goes by Delray and marries Marcy's boss, Dana; they adopt Kenny Sharcane, son of a criminal who was sent to prison for stealing cars. After giving up Mortimer, he adopted a stray female dog named Marshmallow.
*Willarbee, Percival, and Cross Dennis Willarbee, Percival Pollard, and Seymour Cross are three bullies who steal boys' lunch money from time to time.
''Jump Start'' books
* ''On a Roll!: A JumpStart Treasury'' (2020) .
* ''Twins – Twice the Fun'' (2008) . Twins Tommi and Teddy provide their outlook on life from inside the womb and through their first 90 days on planet Earth.
* ''Jump Start'' (1997) .
* ''Jump Start: A Love Story'' (1996) . This collection includes original strips detailing how Joe and Marcy met.
Memorable storylines
* The birth of Jojo
* The birth of Teddy and Tommi – This followed the thoughts of the twins while in the womb and the parents' struggle to name the twins. Tommi was very reluctant to leave the womb for the trials of the real world, and almost refused to be born.
*African History Month – Every February, the comic's theme is based on the characters talking about African History and often focuses on research about a famous African individual.
*Joe's shooting – Maureen has a strange feeling, and begs Joe to wear his bulletproof vest, despite the sweltering heat, for fear that something bad is going to happen. He reluctantly agrees, and sure enough during a routine traffic stop, while Crunchy is looking away, one of the suspects pulls a gun and shoots Joe in the chest. Joe survives thanks to his vest.
*Frank's heart attack – Frank has a heart attack while on the roof of his house. He ends up in a coma and, having an
out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more commonly use ...
, sees his life flash before his eyes. It is revealed here that Frank's father served and was killed in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
*Maureen and Clayton's relationship – Marcy and Clarence decide to set their parents up on a date, and they fall in love. Their children try to help them along in their relationship, but they reject their children's advice, especially Clayton, who prefers simple methods such as fishing and picnics. Soon, Maureen's ex Romaire comes into the picture, and they start seeing each other socially. Clarence is baffled why Clayton is doing nothing about the fact an extremely rich ex-boyfriend is threatening to come between him and Maureen, but it is such examples of Clayton's modesty and lack of jealousy that eventually win Maureen's heart.
*Joe's second shooting – A homeless family, the Nelsons, approaches Joe and presents him with a medallion in gratitude for the Cobb family's efforts to feed the needy. On a subsequent stakeout, Joe is shot, but the bullet strikes the medallion and Joe's life is spared. Joe attempts to find the Nelsons to thank them, but no trace of the family can be found, prompting Joe to suspect that they may have been angels sent to protect him. In 2017 it was revealed that "the Nelsons" were actually Ray Ramsey and his mother Sara.
*The Birth of Olivet Maxine Glover
*Joe and Marcy go to Africa – Joe and Marcy take a vacation to Africa.
Television series
In November 2014,
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
and Aaron Kaplan's
Kapital Entertainment
Kapital Entertainment is an American entertainment company founded by Aaron Kaplan in 2009. Prior to founding Kapital, Kaplan was the worldwide head of scripted television at William Morris Agency to which he joined in 1991. He exited the compan ...
announced a project to develop a live-action television series based on ''Jump Start''. Robb Armstrong, Andrew Orenstein and Kaplan were to co-write and serve as the executive producers of the series along with Armstrong's producer Bridget McMeel of Amuse Entertainment.
In June 2022,
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
had put in development a television adaptation of ''Jump Start'' and Wayne Conley will write. In February 2023, CBS ordered the pilot. In March 2023, it was announced that
Terry Crews
Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords in ...
would portray Joe Cobb and that
Phill Lewis
Phillip David Lewis (born February 14, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and director who is best known for his role as hotel manager Mr. Moseby on the Disney Channel series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and its spin-off, ''The Suite Li ...
would direct and executive produce the pilot.
References
*Strickler, Dave. ''Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index.'' Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. .
External links
Official site''JumpStart'' at GoComics.com{{United Media Comics
African-Americans in comic strips
1989 comics debuts
Gag-a-day comics
Culture of Philadelphia