[1] In its earlier days, the comic generally focused on slice of life stories involving Ananth, Yuko, and their friends and family following graduation from college.

The webcomic has been generally well-received, with reviewers calling it as a humorous and sweet comic that invites new readers to continue reading.

[1] Originally intended to encompass more subjects than autobiography, Ota picked the name "Johnny Wander" because it sounded both catchy and broad in scope.

[3] The first few test strips were done sporadically, as Ota was attending school and Hirsh was working full-time as a graphic designer.

[4] Arun Kale of Helter Skelter magazine called the webcomic "a light-hearted, honest look at life".

[3] Gary Tyrrell of Fleen compared Johnny Wander to Archie Comics in its accessibility and ability to make new readers feel welcome.

[8] In 2019, Barbarous won a National Cartoonists Society Division Award in the "On-Line Comics – Long Form" category.