For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 01, 2008

The start….

OMG, Farley!!!!

Oh boy! Here we go again!Is this when Farley comes into their lives?

Wish I could go back in my life and make it better from the start. This is like watching a favorite movie again and pretending you don’t know what’s going to happen. Farley as a pup?? Wow…this is going to wild!! Look at baby Liz…..if she only knew what was in store for her later in life.

This is great for people like myself that started reading this strip no more than ten years ago! I’m gonna enjoy this!!!!

First strip

wait a second…wasn’t Michael in his thirties just the other day? Wha’ happund?? (yuk yuk yuk)

I’ve only read this strip at odd times thru the years. It will be great to have the chance to learn about the characters from the beginning a little every day.

I’ve been a reader for a long time – it’s not going to matter what she writes about or how since she seems to always strike a chord with something going on in my life. It was either a dog, a cat or a baby and four years later, we’ve had all three!

No, No, NO! Please, I have followed the Patterson’s for years and years. I want to watch John and Elly grow old together. I want to watch Michael and Deena mature and see their children grow up. I want to see Elizabeth and Anthony overcome all the problems a new marriage brings and see them have children to keep Francoise company. I want to see April mature and grow into a woman and find her own love. I want to be there when Grandpa Jim crosses over into his final reward with Iris holding his hand. Lynn has left us hanging out to dry. I don’t like it!

WoW! Wish I could make ME young again like that. Just..Poof!!..and I start over. (and look great!) I am so going to love this new strip stuff. Starting with Farley is such a nice gift to all of us.

Yea!!! I cant wait to see Farley as a puppy! and liz and michael growing up!

“It’s like deja vu, all over again”.

Oh, NOOOO!Please, not another “Repeat Ancient Comics..” it was fresh when we read it once, but now it’s time to move on, and let another strip have it’s time…Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbes…now this…Buy the book if you want to read comix re-treads! Smilin’ Ray

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all start our lives over & make suttle changes? Oh, to mlive in a comic strip.

Please let Lynn Johnston that I’m subscribing online because The Sacramento Bee has dropped For Better or For Worse. I’ve been a fan for years and am looking forward to the do-over. I wish her well.

Bea Favre

Personally, I think it will be fun for us younger fans to get a look at the strip in the early years. I am only in my early 20s, and only started reading the comic when April was a little girl. It will be interesting to see Miks and Elizabeth as kids!

What fun to see this from the beginning. I read it from the first then missed many years after April was born. Then started up again about a year ago so I want to see what’s in between that I missed.

I wish that she would indicate somewhere when this was first published. The only date on there now is today's.

(Edit: Or for those strips that are completely new, then what dates they fit in between.)

I have all of the books, but this will be different. I agree, no retreads! No sense doing reruns, but these are refreshed reruns.

To all you expecting the strips to grow and age again, I think you are out of luck. Lynn has said no one will age like the first time around. This will always be a young couple raising two small children.

Maybe later on down the road, a book can be released that shows the comparisons betwee the original strips and the redone strips. Maybe not all of them, but some of them, with commentary about what inspired them and why she decided to redo the redone parts? I think I’m going to like this redone version way more than the Star Wars trilogy.

Who else keeps wanting to draw an eye on Elly in panel 3?

So these are just repeats like the peanuts did? Summerdog:where is her eye??? I didn’t notice that until you said something!!! That’s funny!!!

“DO OVER!”

I wish I could see the strip again where Elly dries her hair in the wind. I will never forget that strip. I wish I had kept it. Is there a way to look for old strips by keyword or something?

So, what’s the word? Is she reprinting original strips, retouching original strips, redrawing original strips, or drawing new strips set in the past?

It’s not clear to me. Reading what tobybartels said, it made me think. I think I’d like it made clear what we’re seeing day to day, including original dates and whether it’s original work.

Why would she retouch or redraw anyway? Yes, her art and style developed and improved over the years, but it’s not like the old drawings were that hideous or the later drawings were so much better.

I second txmadre, but it looks like LJ has made her choice, and (judging by Sunday’s finale) has settled her characters’ futures.

Maybe I’d feel better if she had a new name for the new start. FBOFW was distinguished (from most strips) by incorporating growth, change, & progress along with the insight and humor. If the new approach discounts growth, change, & progress, will insight and humor be enough? Time will tell.

According the Lynn’s last post - “If I could do it all over again, would I do some things differently”. She’s been given the chance to find out. It looks as if some of the storylines or just the panels will be a little different from the original. I am looking forward to see if and how Lynn will change things.

I have bought every book and have occasionally re-read them over and over. I have been reading FBOFW since my son was born and now he is 26 years old.I know that FBOFW is just a comic strip but I feel as though the Pattersons were neighbors of mine and that we were raising our children at the same time.

Thanks, Lynn, for a great 26 years of friendship!!!!

mrsmoore asked:

Is there a way to look for old strips by keyword or something?

I don't know how old is the one that you want, but if you pay $25 a year, then you get access to Gocomics' archives, which for FBOFW go back to 1997 (with a few even earlier strips, apparently randomly).

But people still have to go through and tag them before you can search for anything.

So this is the re drawn version?

every comments is over 3 years back… amazing reading it in 2012. hmmm…the start…

Thankyou Lynn