The Hybrid
To All Client Editors of FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE: With the strips for release the weeks of Sept. 3 and Sept. 10, Lynn Johnston begins looking back to the early years of "For Better or For Worse." We hope you and your readers enjoy them as much as we do. - UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE"
2 weeks of new stories and then at least 2 weeks of reprints. September 3 and 10 are Mondays, so the Sunday colours may lag going into hybrid from the dailies.
We have started the 2nd to last week with Candace talking to Liz about her relationship with Anthony, so this is likely to continue for the rest of the week. The objective of the sequence so far appears to be to have Candace take the position of the critics of Elizabeth’s characterization as it would relate to her being a potential wife and step-mom. Then Elizabeth is going to convince Candace (or the critics), she is going to do just fine. If the week does truly continue like this, then it will bring to mind one of the worst aspects of the recent writing on For Better or For Worse – “tell and not show”. The Sunday strip with Liz and Anthony was definitely along those lines. Instead of seeing them interact as a compatible couple, we have to be told they are compatible as they stare deeper and deeper into each other’s eyes.
One of the great things about the sequential art medium, is that the most powerful stories are told not only with words, but with pictures. The late, great Will Eisner was a master of using the form to tell stories with as few words as possible, and often stated that you should be able to tell what is happening in the story, even if you don’t know the language. One of my other favourite artists, Sergio Aragones, is quite capable in this area and has done series of wordless comic books.
Lynn Johnston is saddled with some artist, who can’t even keep the height of a chesterfield straight from one panel to the next in today’s strip. Sometimes I think the difficulty is that Lynn may not trust her artist to be able to convey what she wants to convey in the art, and so she relies on the words.
If the 2nd to last week is Liz and Candace, then the last week has to be Mike introducing the 2 weeks of repeat strips. I wonder if they are going to be the first 2 weeks of For Better or For Worse from 1979. I don’t think we are going to get April at the farm, unless it is a Sunday strip. On the other hand, the Sunday colour readers don’t know April plans to be a vet, when she grows up, so it would be a good time to tell them. After all, they already think Anthony and Liz are engaged.
2 weeks of new stories and then at least 2 weeks of reprints. September 3 and 10 are Mondays, so the Sunday colours may lag going into hybrid from the dailies.
We have started the 2nd to last week with Candace talking to Liz about her relationship with Anthony, so this is likely to continue for the rest of the week. The objective of the sequence so far appears to be to have Candace take the position of the critics of Elizabeth’s characterization as it would relate to her being a potential wife and step-mom. Then Elizabeth is going to convince Candace (or the critics), she is going to do just fine. If the week does truly continue like this, then it will bring to mind one of the worst aspects of the recent writing on For Better or For Worse – “tell and not show”. The Sunday strip with Liz and Anthony was definitely along those lines. Instead of seeing them interact as a compatible couple, we have to be told they are compatible as they stare deeper and deeper into each other’s eyes.
One of the great things about the sequential art medium, is that the most powerful stories are told not only with words, but with pictures. The late, great Will Eisner was a master of using the form to tell stories with as few words as possible, and often stated that you should be able to tell what is happening in the story, even if you don’t know the language. One of my other favourite artists, Sergio Aragones, is quite capable in this area and has done series of wordless comic books.
Lynn Johnston is saddled with some artist, who can’t even keep the height of a chesterfield straight from one panel to the next in today’s strip. Sometimes I think the difficulty is that Lynn may not trust her artist to be able to convey what she wants to convey in the art, and so she relies on the words.
If the 2nd to last week is Liz and Candace, then the last week has to be Mike introducing the 2 weeks of repeat strips. I wonder if they are going to be the first 2 weeks of For Better or For Worse from 1979. I don’t think we are going to get April at the farm, unless it is a Sunday strip. On the other hand, the Sunday colour readers don’t know April plans to be a vet, when she grows up, so it would be a good time to tell them. After all, they already think Anthony and Liz are engaged.
posted by howard at 12:27 AM
2 Comments:
“Lynn Johnston is saddled with some artist, who can’t even keep the height of a chesterfield straight from one panel to the next in today’s strip.”
Seems to me that Candace is leaning forward which makes the coach appear even taller.
I agree with your criticism of “tell and not show.” I don’t think I would have noticed it on my own but it’s now also obvious to me. There is just not enough time to advance the story properly.
The fact that Will Eisner remained enormously creative through old age truly impresses me. My favorite, Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbs) retired after 10 years; Gary Larson (The Far Side) retired after 15 years.
Anon
Anon,
Seems to me that Candace is leaning forward which makes the coach appear even taller.
Could be. I had a little fun experimenting to see how far I would have lean over while sitting to get from head height down to shoulder height, and it is possible, although uncomfortable to maintain for any length of time. Perhaps Candace is more flexible than I am.
I don’t mind the idea that Bill Watterson or Gary Larson retired before their work turned into tripe. They certainly made enough and continue to make enough money off their creations where they don’t have to work. However, I would love to see new material from them on different subjects, like Eisner, who continued to push his art form with books on a huge range of subject. In 1998, Larson did There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story; but I don’t think I have seen anything from Watterson.
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