Adam Ames
by Elliott Caplin and Lou Fine
Part Six: Amy and Bruce
Feb 13 - Jun 3, 1961
Wendy feels that Joel is spending too much time studying. Wendy, without breaking off her engagement to Joel, starts dating Brent, a junior at Trent College. Wendy's friend Amy encourages Wendy's (mis)behavior and also works to convince Joel that he should forget about Wendy.
Feb 13-15, 1961 - Joel begs off going ice skating with Wendy because he needs to study. Wendy’s eyes stray to an older boy, Bruce Lowery. He’s a junior at Trent College and drives a convertible.
Joel gets side eye in the first two of these three strips. Wendy is the one dishing out the side eye in the first strip. Adam is the deliverer of the side eye in the second strip. Joel isn’t in the third strip but if he was I imagine either Susie or Bessie would have been giving him side eye.
Wendy is back but is it for the better? She has a friend in these strips but her friend has yet to be given a name. Who knows how long Wendy’s friend will be around. I don’t remember her from the previous story arc that involved Wendy.
I have no idea how long this story arc lasted but based on the previous ones my guess is that it ended in early to mid June 1961.
08/18/26
Feb 16-18, 1961 - Wendy throws herself at Brent, first physically and then by flirting with him. Wendy’s friend is left high and dry as Wendy and Brent continue to talk. Joel wonders where Wendy is and why she hasn’t returned any of his calls.
Why is Wendy acting like a ho? Isn’t she engaged to Joel?
08/19/26
Feb 20-22, 1961 - Wendy enjoys hanging out with Bruce. He drives her home. She finds Joel waiting there for her but not until after Joel sees her flirting with Bruce.
Wendy doesn’t take kindly to finding Joel waiting for her. She’s still high from the attention she received from Bruce. She’s very fickle at the moment which was not how she seemed at the end of the fourth story arc.
08/20/26
Feb 23-25, 1961 - Wendy and Joel talk. Bruce calls while Joel is still there and Wendy takes the call. Joel reminds Wendy (while she is still on the phone with Bruce) that they are engaged to be married.
Things remain a bit frosty between Joel and Wendy as she continues to unashamedly pursue Bruce. Some might say she is acting like a ho. Joel might be one of those people but for now he is just sulking.
08/21/26
Feb 27-Mar 1, 1961 - Joel leaves before Wendy gets off the phone with Bruce. Wendy’s friend, Amy, wants to hear all about how things went with Bruce. She doesn’t blame Wendy for favoring Bruce over Joel.
Wendy looks a little remorseful the next day in school. Does she just feel sorry for him or is she actually starting to see the bigger picture. Amy isn’t helping things.
08/22/26
Mar 2-4, 1961 - Amy continues to bad mouth Joel within earshot of Joel. She encourages Wendy to date Bruce and convinces Joel that she’s not the gal for him. Wendy has her doubts about Amy’s suggestions.
Amy is a real piece of work. How doubtful is Wendy about Amy’s suggestions? Will a visit or a call from Bruce make her forget Joel once again.
08/23/26
Mar 6-8, 1961 - Amy calls Bruce and tells him that Wendy wants him to take her out on Saturday night. She also asks him to get her a date for Saturday night. Wendy tries to make things better with Joel by asking him to carry her books home for her.
Amy is a troublemaker. How sincere is Wendy about improving things with Joel? I doubt that she has forgotten about Bruce.
08/24/26
Mar 9-11, 1961 - Wendy kisses Joel goodbye on her front doorstep and then goes inside only to find Amy waiting for her. Amy tearfully tells Wendy about how she set them up with dates. Wendy is reluctant to go through with the double date. Amy tries to make it sound like it won’t even be a date for Wendy.
Amy is a real piece of work.
08/25/26
Mar 13-15, 1961 - Joel calls Wendy. She lies to him about why she can’t see him that night. Wendy and Amy get ready for their double date with Brent and Ronnie. Wendy is having second thoughts as they get ready. Amy is not.
Adam is talking to Helena on the phone in the first panel of the first strip. Very interesting. Will she make a return appearance? With or without Harvey?
Joel is going to find out about Wendy double dating with Amy. I’m pretty sure that it will be Amy who spills the beans.
08/26/26
Mar 16-18, 1961 - Adam goes out with Helen Harnet and runs into Wendy on a double date with Bruce and Amy and Ronnie. She begs him not to tell Joel about running into her. He promises that he won’t. Joel asks his father about his night out with Helena. He does not mention running into Wendy.
Joel is wearing an overcoat, inside the house, when his father gets home. What’s that all about? Adam doesn’t get introduced to Wendy’s friends. There is no sign of Harvey. Maybe Adam should introduce him (Harvey) to Amy.
08/27/26
Mar 20-22, 1961 - Wendy worries that Adam will tell Joel about running into her while he was on a date with Helena. Amy talks to Joel on the way to school and accidentally tells Joel that she and Wendy went out on Saturday night and that Wendy was with Bruce Lowery.
Amy seems a little too pleased with herself. I suspect that she intentionally let Joel know about it. I think that she thinks she thinks she was doing Wendy a favor by telling Joel.
08/28/26
Mar 23-25, 1961 - Joel confronts Wendy and asks her if she went on another date with Bruce Lowery. She hesitates and he gets the message. Later, she tries to pass him a note in class but he refuses to read it.
Amy is in the first panel of the first strip. She doesn’t seem quite so smug anymore. Amy is left wondering if Joel’s father told him what he saw on Saturday night.
08/29/26
Mar 27-29, 1961 - Wendy goes over to the Ames residence. Joel doesn’t want to see her. She asks Joel’s father if he told Joel about Bruce Lowery. He says he didn’t but she doesn’t know who else could have told Joel. She talks to Amy about it. Amy seems to think that it’s all for the best because of the way that Joel is acting about her going on a date with Bruce.
Oh, Amy. I can’t wait to see where things go from here.
08/30/26
Mar 30-Apr 1, 1961 - Amy talks to Joel and tries to convince him that he’s too mature for Wendy. She insists that she’s being honest and wants to be his friend.
I’m not sure if Amy is working off of a plan or just scrambling. I think that she’s building a house of cards which will eventually come crashing down.
08/31/26
Apr 3-5, 1961 - Joel tells his father that he isn’t going to the prom. He later asks Amy what she knows about Wendy’s plans for the prom. Amy tells her that Wendy asked Bruce to take her.
Oh, Joel. How could you ever believe anything that Amy says? Oh, Amy. Just wait until Wendy finds out about your meddling.
09/01/26
Apr 6-8, 1961 - Amy continues to pull the strings convincing Wendy that Joel said something awful about her and talking Bruce into calling Wendy so that Wendy can ask him to take her to the prom.
Amy’s house of cards (or straw or whatever it is built from) is getting taller.
09/02/26
Apr 10-12, 1961 - Adam learns from Joel that Amy told him about Wendy inviting Bruce to the prom. Joel helps Amy with some homework and then asks her to go to the prom with him, after she kind of puts the idea in his head.
Higher and higher. How much higher can it get?
09/03/26
Apr 13-15 - Amy and Wendy talk about the prom and how Amy will be going with Joel. Adam helps Joel get ready for the prom. Amy’s mood slumps as she gets ready for the prom.
Things have all been going Amy’s way for a while now. I’m more than ready for that to change.
09/04/26
Apr 17-19, 1961 - Wendy and Bruce go to the prom. Joel and Amy go to the prom. The two couples do not interact but both Wendy and Joel seem distracted and unable to focus on their dates.
Something is gonna happen. I can feel it.
09/05/26
Apr 20-22, 1961 - Amy kisses Joel. Wendy sees what just happened and encourages Bruce to kiss her.
Things are going to get worse before they get better, for Joel and Wendy, but this is the kind of drama I like to read.
09/06/25
Apr 24-26, 1961 - Amy teases Joel on the drive home. Bruce takes Wendy home but she refuses his request for a kiss goodnight.
Amy is enjoying herself a little too much.
09/07/26
Apr 27-29, 1961 - Bessie finds Joel in the kitchen making himself something to eat after he gets home. She tells him some things in a round about way.
Joel is still in the dark but maybe Bessie’s words will help him in the long run.
09/08/26
May 1-3, 1961 - Bessie talks to Adam about Joel. She thinks Amy is to blame for how Joel is feeling and recommends that Adam do something about it.
How does Bessie know that Amy is the trickster who has been stirring up trouble?
09/09/26
May 4-6, 1961 - Bessie recommends that Adam talk to Wendy about what’s going or not going on between herself and Joel and who might be responsible for that. He takes her advice to heart and Wendy agrees to talk to him.
Finally, a ray of sunlight.
09/10/26
May 8-10, 1961 - Adam talks to Wendy. He asks her about her feelings for Joel. He makes it clear that he isn't the one who told Joel about her going on a date with Bruce.
The wheels are starting to turn in Wendy’s head. What will she do with the information she just obtained? Will she go to Amy first or to Joel?
09/11/26
May 11-13, 1961 - Wendy is still angry with Joel, even after learning that Amy is the troublemaker who stirred the pot. Adam goes home and talks to Bessie. Wendy goes home and talks to her mirror.
This is not exactly what I expected but there’s still some runway in this story arc.
09/12/26
May 15-17, 1961 - Wendy comes up with a plan and gets Bruce Lowery to agree to help her with it.
Bruce references Hara Kiri and Machiavelli in the third strip. He must be a college boy.
There is no mention of Amy in Wendy’s plans. I wonder where she fits in?
09/13/26
May 18-20, 1961 - Wendy and Bruce go over her plan. Bruce approaches Joel and tells him to stay away from Wendy. Susie helps her father with some gardening and reveals that she knows he’s trying to get Joel and Wendy back together again.
Will Wendy’s plan work? I’m guessing that it will.
This is the first appearance of Susie since late Dec 1960 and the first time she has spoken since mid-Nov 1960.
09/14/26
May 22-24, 1961 - Bruce continues to make his point and threaten Joel until he gets it. Joel hugs Bruce who is left scratching his head.
Amy is in this strip but she just watches what’s happening without saying a word.
09/15/26
May 25-27, 1961 - Bruce finishes delivering the message and then watches as Joel runs off. Joel runs to Wendy’s house and kisses her when she answers the door.
Okay, I’m happy for Joel and Wendy but is that the end of the story arc? What about Amy?
09/16/26
May 29-31, 1961 - Joel and Wendy continue to make out. Wendy decides to put a pause on their session to give Amy a call and invite her over.
Joel is on cloud nine but Wendy is multitasking. I’m not sure but I think this story is just about over.
09/17/26
Jun 1-3, 1961 - Amy rushes over to Wendy’s house and finds Wendy and Joel taking a break from making out. Wendy suggests that the three of them could go see a movie together but Amy runs off. Joel goes home and reports to his father that everything is back to normal for him and Wendy.
That’s the end of this story arc. This was an okay story arc. I can imagine twists that would make it more interesting but I’m not sure that sort of story could be printed in a newspaper in the 1960s or the 2020s.
Wendy embarrassed Amy in front of Joel but she let Amy’s imagination do most of the work.
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