My God Lynn, what have you become?What happened to you? Are you that bummed out over your failed marriage? Or is it simply a need for money? Either way, your decision to take your strip this way (backwards and rewritten) has me and most all of your fans dismayed and ready to leave you. More critically as a felloe human, you seem absolutely despondant. I hope not, but that’s how you are coming across. Your “let’s do it over” approach has cheapened you and your genius. Something important seems to have left you. I’ve been a loyal follower of FBOFW for 30 years and I believe this story still had so much left to tell and so many new story lines…many or most of which could and should have been sad and/or painful….but also realistic to todays life. Your serious “or for worse” story lines were always your best and the most enduring. It’s not too late to revert back before this approach brings your career and reputation down in flames. Can you imagine Paul McCartney rewriting and rerecording “Hey Jude”, Steinbeck rewriting his novels, or the Canadian Goverment rewriting history by becoming the 51 state of the USA?? Crazy, huh? You could and still should bring the current time back and let the characters grow old and experience problems. Let John have an affair….Let April become a VET at a Kentucky horse farm and then become a US citizen….Let Michaels wife become hopelessly addicted to prescription drugs….Let Ely divorce John and then be diagnosed with breast cancer…..let Lawrence express his true love for Michael but end up falling for Anthony…Have Anthony come out of the closet, become a radical gay rights activist. Let Liz fall in love with a convicted French Canadian separatist and get fired from teaching in Ontario because of her pro Quebec independence stance….Let Grandpa finally die, but die at his own request with the help of Iris….Let one of the dogs brutally bite Merideth because she was too rough playing with him, forcing John to “put the dog to sleep” with his here-to-fore unknown hand gun he kept for years in his possession….let the police arrest John for Cruelty to animals. You may think I’m nuts and/or being faceous, but I’m neither. You would maintain a solid core of your loyal audience (some will leave true, but you would gain many many new fans to replace the ones lost. And guess what, controversy is what made your strip an enduring hit, not the silly happy face one liners in many or most of your last panels. I swear to God, I’m not anything other than serious (and sucessful by the way). I’d be happy and honored to discuss this with you anytime on the phone, email, or in person. Most importantly, I want you back!! We all do.
My God Lynn, what have you become?What happened to you? Are you that bummed out over your failed marriage? Or is it simply a need for money? Either way, your decision to take your strip this way (backwards and rewritten) has me and most all of your fans dismayed and ready to leave you. More critically as a felloe human, you seem absolutely despondant. I hope not, but that’s how you are coming across. Your “let’s do it over” approach has cheapened you and your genius. Something important seems to have left you. I’ve been a loyal follower of FBOFW for 30 years and I believe this story still had so much left to tell and so many new story lines…many or most of which could and should have been sad and/or painful….but also realistic to todays life. Your serious “or for worse” story lines were always your best and the most enduring. It’s not too late to revert back before this approach brings your career and reputation down in flames. Can you imagine Paul McCartney rewriting and rerecording “Hey Jude”, Steinbeck rewriting his novels, or the Canadian Goverment rewriting history by becoming the 51 state of the USA?? Crazy, huh? You could and still should bring the current time back and let the characters grow old and experience problems. Let John have an affair….Let April become a VET at a Kentucky horse farm and then become a US citizen….Let Michaels wife become hopelessly addicted to prescription drugs….Let Ely divorce John and then be diagnosed with breast cancer…..let Lawrence express his true love for Michael but end up falling for Anthony…Have Anthony come out of the closet, become a radical gay rights activist. Let Liz fall in love with a convicted French Canadian separatist and get fired from teaching in Ontario because of her pro Quebec independence stance….Let Grandpa finally die, but die at his own request with the help of Iris….Let one of the dogs brutally bite Merideth because she was too rough playing with him, forcing John to “put the dog to sleep” with his here-to-fore unknown hand gun he kept for years in his possession….let the police arrest John for Cruelty to animals. You may think I’m nuts and/or being faceous, but I’m neither. You would maintain a solid core of your loyal audience (some will leave true, but you would gain many many new fans to replace the ones lost. And guess what, controversy is what made your strip an enduring hit, not the silly happy face one liners in many or most of your last panels. I swear to God, I’m not anything other than serious (and sucessful by the way). I’d be happy and honored to discuss this with you anytime on the phone, email, or in person. Most importantly, I want you back!! We all do.