RetJohn, Unintentional man of mystery.

It seems fairly clear that howtheduck is right to assume that RetJohn will not appear that often in the new-run format of the strip. His role will be limited to popping in occasionally to be selfish, entitled, chauvinistic and stupid. This is, of course, because Lynn has cast him in the image of the John from the Declining Years of the strip. As we all know, he was absent for months at a time due to his habit of popping into his workshop to play with his trains. The same odd hybridization that took place with Elly and all the others has affected him; he has no trains but he's still a no-show. Another way in which the 2008 John's behavior affects the world of the new-runs is that his supporting cast will cease to exist. Since he's not that important a character, he will be perceived as having materialized in Elly's favorite chair at the University library. Where he came from and what his family is like are irrelevant for they will never appear.