Mike Begins the Ascent to the Throne
Today on For Better or For Worse we continued Mike's turn to visit with Grandpa Jim to let us all learn about aphasia. The only really new news for us readers was being informed that Michael's book is going to be a best seller, but that is not really new news for those of us who have been predicting the outcome of the strip. We know that not only will Michael's book be a best seller, but it will break sales records all across the world and be hailed as the Great Canadian novel. You may think I am joking but in:
Mike's Letter, October 2004: It said
I'll write the Great Canadian Novel someday.
So don't be surprised or alarmed when it happens. The main point of this whole sequence this week seems to be for Michael Patterson to begin the process of reacquainting himself with things he has been ignoring ever since he left Milborough. One of the primary things is his grandfather. He visited Grandpa Jim last during his birthday, but the personal interaction with Grandpa Jim was limited to April. One of Lynn Johnston's goals with Michael, if she wants the strip come September to focus on him and his family is for Michael to take his place as the new Elly. In other words, Elly visited and interacted with everyone in the storyline, even taking trips to Mtigwaki and the like, and if Mike is going to serve as a narrator for framing sequences of the hybrid strip, then the reader needs to see him interrelate with the other characters. This is the reason, I think, why Michael is here with Grandpa Jim and Iris by himself and not dragging his kids along, who would take the focus from Michael.
My guess is that this week will conclude with Michael departing after having had a nice visit. I am not sure what the next sequence will be. We have had a lot of Michael and Elizabeth lately, and usually Lynn goes to John and Elly or April next. If I were Lynn, I would be anxious to set up Elizabeth and Anthony so I could get going on wedding preparation or romance strips, but I get the impression that Lynn thinks of Elizabeth's romantic life more like one of those romances where the romance is over as soon as you find out who the heroine is going to finally choose. Consequently, I expect Elizabeth will wait until the last possible moment to commit to Anthony.
On the other hand, Lynn may want to continue the theme of Michael telling people about his success, so it would allow him to visit with Weed and Carleen and Lovie and find out the current status of the Kelpfroths. If Lynn takes it far enough, Mike will call up Brian Enjo, chat with Brad Luggsworth, visit Gordon and Tracey Mayes, and maybe even visit Rhetta Blum (to whom he had made the promise he would write a novel years ago after Farley died) and Agnes Dingle (whose life story is pretty much a duplication of Sheilaugh Shaugnessey's).
Ultimately, Mike will quit his job at Portrait Magazine, but I don't think that will happen just yet. Although, we have read in the letters how Mike has grown to hate his job, we have never seen even a hint of it in the strip. That theme must be introduced in at least one strip, before Mike quits. If it is done properly(and by properly, I mean awfully), not only will Portrait Magazine be magically transformed into a hateful workplace, but Mike will have the privilege of saying, "Take this job and shove it!" and the Portrait managers will grovel and beg Mike to stay, because he is so wonderful and how they can't live without him. I think it will be difficult for Lynn to resist that opportunity, so it may take just a bit before Mike quits Portrait.
Tomorrow's strip: Michael's success is shared by Grandpa Jim in his own special heart-tugging (pumping) way. I am personally glad to see it. When Elizabeth had her visit with Grandpa Jim, she resorted to telepathy to have her one-on-one with Grandpa Jim, which I thought was cheating.
Mike's Letter, October 2004: It said
I'll write the Great Canadian Novel someday.
So don't be surprised or alarmed when it happens. The main point of this whole sequence this week seems to be for Michael Patterson to begin the process of reacquainting himself with things he has been ignoring ever since he left Milborough. One of the primary things is his grandfather. He visited Grandpa Jim last during his birthday, but the personal interaction with Grandpa Jim was limited to April. One of Lynn Johnston's goals with Michael, if she wants the strip come September to focus on him and his family is for Michael to take his place as the new Elly. In other words, Elly visited and interacted with everyone in the storyline, even taking trips to Mtigwaki and the like, and if Mike is going to serve as a narrator for framing sequences of the hybrid strip, then the reader needs to see him interrelate with the other characters. This is the reason, I think, why Michael is here with Grandpa Jim and Iris by himself and not dragging his kids along, who would take the focus from Michael.
My guess is that this week will conclude with Michael departing after having had a nice visit. I am not sure what the next sequence will be. We have had a lot of Michael and Elizabeth lately, and usually Lynn goes to John and Elly or April next. If I were Lynn, I would be anxious to set up Elizabeth and Anthony so I could get going on wedding preparation or romance strips, but I get the impression that Lynn thinks of Elizabeth's romantic life more like one of those romances where the romance is over as soon as you find out who the heroine is going to finally choose. Consequently, I expect Elizabeth will wait until the last possible moment to commit to Anthony.
On the other hand, Lynn may want to continue the theme of Michael telling people about his success, so it would allow him to visit with Weed and Carleen and Lovie and find out the current status of the Kelpfroths. If Lynn takes it far enough, Mike will call up Brian Enjo, chat with Brad Luggsworth, visit Gordon and Tracey Mayes, and maybe even visit Rhetta Blum (to whom he had made the promise he would write a novel years ago after Farley died) and Agnes Dingle (whose life story is pretty much a duplication of Sheilaugh Shaugnessey's).
Ultimately, Mike will quit his job at Portrait Magazine, but I don't think that will happen just yet. Although, we have read in the letters how Mike has grown to hate his job, we have never seen even a hint of it in the strip. That theme must be introduced in at least one strip, before Mike quits. If it is done properly(and by properly, I mean awfully), not only will Portrait Magazine be magically transformed into a hateful workplace, but Mike will have the privilege of saying, "Take this job and shove it!" and the Portrait managers will grovel and beg Mike to stay, because he is so wonderful and how they can't live without him. I think it will be difficult for Lynn to resist that opportunity, so it may take just a bit before Mike quits Portrait.
Tomorrow's strip: Michael's success is shared by Grandpa Jim in his own special heart-tugging (pumping) way. I am personally glad to see it. When Elizabeth had her visit with Grandpa Jim, she resorted to telepathy to have her one-on-one with Grandpa Jim, which I thought was cheating.
posted by howard at 9:07 PM
2 Comments:
Ew, you're right--the Michael "listen to my GOOD!News" tour might go on. And on and on.
All I can say is if Lynn pushes the "listen to my GOOD!News" tour any further, I have a strange feeling April's Real Blog Mike is going to take it to extreme lengths.
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