For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 12, 2008

OK, so how is Lynn going to keep the family from aging if she uses old material along with some new? She would only be able to use a small part of that old material, because the family was constantly growing up through the years, meaning, if she wants them not to age, then she’s going to have to keep making one heck of a lot of new strips, to keep them at that particular age. On the other hand, I thought Lynn “retired”?… I can see why she turned back the clock in order to seemlessly use old repeats along with the new, but there should only be just so much old stuff that she can use before having to age them all over again. Maybe she should have just stuck with the modern-day story, and just labelled the repeats as “Classic FBOFW”.

trainguy - First of all, if you’d been following more closely, you’d know she’s not running repeats. What you are seeing is all NEW MATERIAL. Since the end-point where Elizabeth and Anthony got married, she closed off the adult version of the strip in order to go back to what she really enjoyed about comic strip writing. Simpler concepts with simple gag writing. If you go to her website, you’ll see that she semi-retired, retiring from writing and drawing the complex graphics, extra characters, and serious content. She said she was getting exhausted trying to continue the complex modern-day version and all the research she had to put in to it.

“For the past 7 years or so I was aware that the stories were becoming more complicated, the drawings more controlled and the characters more realistic. Gone was the loose, funny, free-hand line I had started with. As the adventures of the characters became more defined, so did the drawing, until I researched everything, from forklifts to faces, from aircraft to arcades. I was out for accuracy. Every house, every apartment had a floorplan. The furniture and the color schemes had to be consistent- as did the information I gave about the “players”, and if I made an error, you would let me know!”

“For Better or For Worse begins again on September the 1st with new material, new art and new enthusiasm! Without the need to visit all of the auxiliary characters, I can concentrate once again on the insular little Patterson household. I have the children all to myself again. I can do spot gags and silly stuff. I can fix what I don’t like about my early work as I add and subtract…redraw and just improve everything.” -excerpts from Lynn Johnson’s letter posted on the official website on Aug 29, 2008.

To best understand what she’s doing and why, I would recommend you go read her letter in its entirety. I wish her the best of luck and happiness in being able to continue the strip in some form, even if it isn’t the modern day version I was used to seeing.

http://www.fborfw.com/news/003373.php

Personally, I wish her the best. She hasn’t stopped completely - she’s returning to a style that she can continue. Not many people get the chance to “start over again”. I’m glad that she does, and its making her happy.

Why is everyone so critical of this strip? This is a COMIC strip. It’s supposed to give you a smile or a chuckle. Not solve the problems of the world or family. Get real everyone!

Not that I’m complaining, as I enjoy the strip either way, but am just a bit confused I guess on the “retirement” part. It doesn’t sound like much of a retirement at all. It sounds as if there is going to be a lot of new material, but with some repeats.

You think the comments here are critical? Try going to http://joshreads.com/

I am personally thrilled that I am having the opportunity the follow the Pattersons’ life from the beginning of their FBFW story. I only started reading FBFW a couple of years ago and I’m now reading every new strip about their “old” life. I’m planning to buy the albums too. I’m an English teacher in Brazil and the strips are full of interesting and useful language for my students.

I’m like inara. I “discovered” this strip some years ago, but my newspaper did not carry it. WHen I traveled I would come across it in other newspapers. Since I discovered Gocomics, I have been able to read it every day and I enjoy it. I am enjoying reading the “beginning”, per se! I wonder why so many readers (critics) feel they should tell Lynn how to write and tell her how to raise her “family”?

This strip is boring now!

Elly should listen to her own advice. She told Michael to think before he speak lest he hurt someone’s feelings, then she calls him stupid. This borders on verbal abuse.

Good grief! If you don’t like it, don’t read it! I like it! Doing a gag in just four panels is hard. I think it’s been spot on so far. The younger crowd with little kids are going to love it all, this time around. Just don’t forget to put in the eye ; )

I don’t know which scares me more. The fact the my family just fell apart with in the past few weeks, finger pointing and hurt feelings and harsh words and things said and deeds done. Or some comments about this strip like this comic strip is about real people in real life.

Thanks for the explanation, Paigely. I really thought these were repeats!

Thanks for the link to the letter. It makes it all clear.