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For Better or For Worse - What was old is new again
Filed under: Celeb Parents, In The News
(Click the image above to see a larger version of the comic strip.)
When I was growing up, there was always a "For Better or For Worse" comic cut from the paper and stuck to our refrigerator. The Pattersons may have been an imaginary family, but Lynn Johnston, their creator, made them real by touching on issues both big and small that many families deal with. When I became a parent, I even cut out one or two and put them on my own refrigerator, relating easily to daughter-in-law Deanna's life as a busy mom of two young children.
The strip has looked a little different for the last several months. Lynn Johnston, seeing retirement on the horizon, has been running a series of flashbacks that allowed her to lighten her workload and revisit early moments in the Patterson's life. This Sunday, Lynn will give readers what every good story needs... an ending. The strip will be the endpoint of the Patterson's story, but it won't be the end of "For Better or For Worse."
Instead, Lynn's going back to the drawing board, literally. She's going to do a series of "new-runs," starting the story over again in 1979, but drawing new pictures and adding in some additional new dialogue. "My early work in the strip was freer, it was more spontaneous," she said. "But I want to combine the confidence and experience [I have now] with that freedom -- that's the best of both worlds."
Our town's paper dropped "For Better or For Worse" when Lynn started doing the flashback strips. They got a lot of complaints from loyal followers of the Patterson family, who wanted to see the story go to its end. Lynn addresses that possibility, knowing that the concept of a "new-run" is unique in the industry, but says that she'd rather write for readers than for editors.
She's created more than a comic strip over the last 29 years; she's created a family that people can really relate to, a family that feels very real (just take a look at their Wikipedia page to see what I mean), so I'm betting that "For Ever or For Worse" will continue to be popular, as long as Lynn keeps drawing it.
If you want to see the end of the Patterson's story and the beginning of Lynn's new journey, but can't follow it in the paper, you can see the daily comics at FBorFW.com.
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ReaderComments (Page 5 of 7)
8-28-2008 @ 6:07PM
vivian bagley said...I truly loved the pattersons and will miss them mightly
they had a real life even if it was in the comics.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:09PM
Amanda said...I was devastated when I heard FBoFW was going to stop running...that comic mirrors my life to a T! Not only is it funny, it depicts real-life events, calamities, and day-to-day humdrum with warmth, humor, and sensitivity. The difficulty a friend faces when coming out of the closet, the death of a family member (IMHO, pets count too!), trying to decide what you want to do with your life, wedding craziness, overbearing relatives...they're all a part of life, and Lynn depicted them well! I could identify with Michael and Elizabeth when I was growing up trying to find my place in the world, and now that I've got kids of my own, I find myself looking at things through Elly's eyes as well! Heck, some of the things my kids do Michael, Elizabeth, April, and even Meredith and Robin did as well, so it's fun wondering how else my life will imitate art! I was SO looking forward to seeing what happened next in the Pattersons' lives! The strip will be sadly missed!
I agree with a lot of the other posters on here about how comics have been going downhill since the good ones are gone. Calvin & Hobbes, Sherman's Lagoon, The Far Side, Bloom County...with the exception of Zits and Baby Blues (they only feature that one on Sundays in our local paper, so it doesn't really count), there just won't be much in the way of worthwhile reading in the funny pages anymore. Everything else in the two-page comics section of our paper is either stupid, superhero-ey (my older daughter's word for it), soap operas (I don't even watch the ones on TV!), or utterly pointless. I guess I'll be giving up the funny pages and raiding the local Borders for the books of my favorite comics.
And to all those who are badmouthing FBoFW, I have only one thing to say-to quote the Patterson kids, "BRAPPPTH!"
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8-28-2008 @ 6:22PM
dodge74grl said...No way!!!!! This is my most favorite comic!!!! It is more like real life than any other comic. I have "seen" myself and family in it occasionlly. Ya know, way back when Farley died, I actually had tears. And when Grandpa had his heart attack, I was worried he would be written out. I so love this one, it is the first one I read every day, followed be Arlo and Janis
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8-28-2008 @ 6:25PM
Rich said...I remember when April was born. I remember when Farley died. I remember when Michael graduated from school, before he started writing. It's been a favorite for a long time, and I look forward to seeing a new take on older times.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:25PM
bldrblue said...Put me on the side of "I absolutely loved it." It wasn't too cutesy for words, or some sort of talking animal. It had real substance and it's truly the only one I've read since it began. I missed The Far Side and I will miss this one. I do find it interesting that the snarks among us feel the need to denigrate this. They probably never did and never would, get it.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:30PM
freddart1 said...I won't miss this strip all that much. I still, however miss :Bloom County" & "Calvin & Hobbes". Bloom County was great for political fodder like our current POTUS deserves. I can just imagine Bill the Cat coughing up a fur ball on ol' W.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:30PM
Barbara-Ann said...Like Life, it's always sad when something we're so used to changes. Watching the Pattersons growing up together with their family was almost sad... we hate to make those difficult decisions to leave home, go off to college, get married and have children of our own. Yes, it's the way it should be in Life, but nevertheless, parents must give their children both roots AND wings... watching them leave the nest is always a bittersweet experience. I'm glad the Pattersons will do a series of 'new-runs"; it gives us all a chance to watch the Pattersons grow up together all over again... www.CelluliteQueen.com
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8-28-2008 @ 6:30PM
Gwen said...I've followed the Patterson family since the beginning in 1979, We have clipped our favorites for years and included them in scrapbooks as our children grew. Our daugther gained her nickname Lizardbreathe after Michael called Elizabeth by the same so many years ago. And how wonderful that our daughter married recently as did Elizabeth. We've enjoyed how the characters have grown over the years and will miss the next generation's stories. Thank you Lynn for 29 wonderful years. God Bless.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:30PM
GLORIA said...WELL, THERE GOES ANOTHER PIECE OF GOOD STUFF THAT KEPT ME FEELING LIKE I WAS PART OF THEIR FAMILY EVERYDAY.
I WISH IT WOULD GO ON UNTIL APRIL WENT TO COLLEGE AND LIZ & ANTHONY HAD A BABY AND SAD TO SAY.........WHEN GRANPA PASSES AWAY.
I'LL MISS ALL OF THEM. BUT, I GUESS THAT IS LIFE!
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8-28-2008 @ 6:34PM
Stan said...Just like real life all good things must come to a end.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:33PM
Jim said...My God, I can't believe the "sadness" over losing a comic strip. I've lost several (we used to have 3 papers here and are down to 1 now) and I haven't cut my throat, hit my wife or kicked the cat.
But, BY GOD, if they take away the 7 that I DO read in my daily paper I'll cancel the paper. Actually all the "funny" ones are mostly gone and being replaced by political ones (Mallard & Doonesberry for 2) but I do like Pickles. Reminds me of me and my wife.
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8-30-2008 @ 1:24AM
Arlene said...I have cried with the Patterson family and I have LOL. I will certainly miss this high spot of the comics. They are like friends I have kept in touch with all these years.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:42PM
Tari said...I WILL ALWAYS MISS BLOOM COUNTY
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8-28-2008 @ 6:52PM
Dave said...That is too bad. That has been my favorite strip for several years now. It is the first one I read, and I will miss it.
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8-28-2008 @ 6:59PM
ajyacht said...I cried when Farley died and am now worried about Grandpa! I hope she will finish the wedding story in a good happy way before shemakes the change she is making!
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8-28-2008 @ 7:00PM
Diane said...It is so sad - my favorite comic strip. My sister Pat and I talk about it all the time. It's like a family saga. It will be surely missed.
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8-28-2008 @ 7:15PM
G.E. said...This comic strip will surely be missed. We don't need another strip to tell us how horrible life is or how to behave "politically Correct" or how stupid people can be. How about something just for entertainment's sake! Just like that idiot howard stern...if you don't like it, don't listen....if you don't like the strip, don't read it. But let the rest of us enjoy it.
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8-28-2008 @ 7:18PM
SandiB said...For Better or Worse has been my absolute favorite, for so many years, and, so many reasons. It is truly a strip full of life experience's. From happiness to love, to sadness, to the death of a beloved pet, and, now the beginning of a new journey for Elizabeth, as well as the likely passing of her beloved grandfather, For Better or Worse has embodied all that life encompasses.
To Lynn, thank you so much for this wonderful adventure. May your retirement be full of joy, and, new experiences.
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8-28-2008 @ 7:20PM
Duffey3 said...I GO POGO!
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8-28-2008 @ 7:24PM
tracy said...im so sad we all know hes going to dye but i wanted to see whats going to happen after the wedding and whats going to happen to april and there kids hopefully shell make a few new ones down the road to tell us what happens and put them in at holidays or something the day wont be the same without them ive been reading them for 7 years and i know them better than my family so i hope we can keep them around and i love how they aged unlike garfield calvin and hobes and ziggy they always stay the same thanks for the memories
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