Wednesday, August 29, 2007

New phase of 'For Better or For Worse'


Wondering what's going to happen to the most beloved strip in The Gazette?
We announcd many months ago that creator Lynn Johnston was planning a semi-retirement, and would be weaving in old storylines with contemporary characters and filling in some gaps in the Patterson family's tale.
That is set to start next week. And, updated from earlier talk, it appears it won't last all that long.
Here's the latest description of what's to come:

“For Better or For Worse” begins a new phase Monday as character Michael Patterson looks through a family photo album with his 5-year-old daughter, Meredith. With this strip, Michael begins retelling the Patterson family story by recounting the courtship of his parents, John and Elly, the central characters in the 28-year-old comic strip.

In a mixture of new, old and retouched work, readers will begin to see scenes of the past -- Elly reading in the library at college and catching the eye of the young dental student who will one day become her husband.

“This was an opportunity to give my readers new material, as well as my being able to pick and choose through the original art and making it different, making it a new entity, as it were,” says Johnston.

Johnston will keep fans engaged with a mix of special strips from the past and newly drawn panels that will help reintroduce favorite storylines. The strip’s current storyline will be interlaced with Michael's remembrances until it gradually reaches a natural closing stage sometime early next year.

When that happens, time will stop for the extended Patterson family, but not their stories. The stories will be relived by a current generation of fans and introduced for the first time to a new generation.

Right now, Johnston is still exploring the budding romance between oldest daughter Elizabeth and an old high school flame.

"I'm interested and readers are interested to know what is going to happen with Anthony and Elizabeth," she said. "That resolution can't happen too fast. They've only just started to see each other again after a long time apart."
If you're a FBoFW fan, what do you think? What do you like best about the strip?

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please keep for Better of for worse! Even the old strips are better than the majority of the page. I'd also love to see myt favorite comic, Jan Elliot's "Stone Soup" in the comics test center. (And eventual perhaps replacing the ever mediocre Tundra?) Both strips deal with the challenges of modern family life (and motherhood) and I consider them a must!

9:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love "For Better or For Worse."
Please keep it for as long as you can.

Right now I would be happy if you kept everything except "Diesel Sweeties."

12:51 PM  
Blogger Dena Rosenberry said...

For Better fans:

Why would you keep reading the strip if it goes into repeats -- not the flashbacks, but total repeats?

It's an issue I believe we'll have to talk about soon.

1:15 PM  

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