Jack, Jacky and the Juniors

Jack, Jacky & the Juniors (Jan Jans en de Kinderen) is a Dutch comic strip by Jan Kruis chronicling the events of an average family. It debuted in 1970 and is still in production today. In 1999 he handed over his creations to Studio Kruis.

In September 1970, Jan Kruis was approached by women's weekly magazine Libelle to draw a one-page comic strip to replace longtime fixture Bessie Bunter. Putting names and faces to a previously unused title, Kruis modelled the female part of the family after his wife Els (Jacky) and his daughters Leonie (Karlijn; English name unknown) and Andrea (Catootje; English name unknown). Jack resembled a previously designed character. There were also a dog called Lotje (a male character with a feminine name) and a red cat who was initially referred to as Edgar Allan Poes (poes being the Dutch word for a female cat). Problem though was that Kruis also worked for rival magazine Margriet; thus his early efforts were credited to Andries.

The comic strip started out as a traditional family with Jack being a nine-to-five worker and Jacky a housewife serving dinner at six, but from gag 2 onwards it was clear that a change was gonna come. Inspired by a life-changing magazine-article (apparently taken from Libelle) Jacky decides to break out of her daily routine and become a social worker; however, she backs down when she sees the others cry (pets included).

A year later Jacky gives it another try and takes a job at a major international bank; in the succeeding gag it transpires that there's more money lost than made, with only 7 cents profit. Kruis' colleague Martin Lodewijk and his James Bond-spoof Agent 327, are both given a cameo in the frame where Jacky leaves for the tube-station (Kruis was originally asked to draw the comic that would become Agent 327 but passed on the offer to Lodewijk). Jack and the Juniors can't cope with her daytime-absence and trick Jacky into resigning by staging a prank-call suggesting that the girl from across the road is around expressing an overwhelming interest in Jack.

Kruis makes regular Hitchcock-style appearances; in 1972 he features in gags 67 and 68 as a struggling artist embroiled in a war with the taxmen. Having lost all his possessions he's now forced to sell his treasured Mary Ginger (Dutch: Rooie Marietje) as well because he can no longer support her. JJJ take over the 21-year-old Austin MG, which has since become another trademark (apart from a 1978 flirt with the Talbot Horizon).

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