Tuesday, August 28, 2007

No Grandparents

I thought April’s last visit to Winnipeg would net her some visit time with Grandpa Will and Carrie, who haven’t been seen in the strip since April’s visit 2 years ago, and even then it was a single strip with Grandpa Will telling a horse fart joke. My guess is Lynn Johnston thinks it was not necessary, since Grandpa Will and Carrie are likely to appear for Elizabeth’s big wedding to Anthony Caine. On the other hand, they might not.

Michael Patterson’s book party last spring did not pull Lawrence Poirier and Nicholas Browne back into the strip, when I was certain they would show up for that one. For Better or For Worse these days is really only for the dedicated fan. I should caveat and say, “somewhat dedicated fan.” Because today’s strip with April yelling “Daddy” is almost an exact duplicate of an Elizabeth strip from 2003, except the 2003 strip was better because the punch line of “Daddy” made more sense with Elizabeth thinking she was an adult compared to April thinking about a 1970s feminist doctrine about the future. A dedicated fan would be irritated by the repeat of the same joke. A somewhat dedicated fan wouldn’t remember well enough to be irritated. The average reader would be going, “Sheesh! Are newspaper comics all written for the elderly? That song is from 1972!”

My guess is the rest of the week is for the lead-in to the hybrid, which I am anxious to see. If the very first For Better or For Worse strip is repeated, it will give me the feeling Lynn Johnston plans to repeat strips in chronological order. However, there is also the possibility she could show repeat strips based on a theme. It will also give me an idea of what the lead-in material will be like, i.e. clip show or actual plotline. I can’t wait.

5 Comments:

Blogger April Patterson said...

Yeah, those Patterson girls. They feel all grown up when they travel, but then they see their father and they go all, "DADDY!" Now all we need is a strip where Michael travels, and Elly meets him at the airport (Dee is working), and he sees her and screams, "MOMMY!" ;)

3:46 AM  
Blogger howard said...

That is a strip you will never see. The only time I see enthusiastic greetings for Elly is by the two dogs. However, there have been several strips where people leap into John's arms. I found quite a few when I was looking for Liz's "DADDY" strip.

6:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now all we need is a strip where Michael travels, and Elly meets him at the airport (Dee is [strike]working[/strike] at home with the kids), and he sees her and screams, "MOMMY!" ;)

April. Fixed your post. ; )

Adrianne

1:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Howard,

You point out that in today’s strip with April yelling “Daddy” is almost an exact duplicate of an Elizabeth strip from 2003
I think that both the April strip and the Liz strip are wonderful. It is not surprising to see that the process of metamorphosis from child to adult so similar. I also remember feeling the same way when I was an adolescent in camp. I thought of myself as a mature and independent young woman, yet I was thrilled beyond words when I saw my parents on visiting day. I remember telling them that I was having a great time and that they didn’t need to visit. I also remember how emotional I became when I saw them.

That song is from 1972!
Adolescents today listen to music of all stripes, so it is plausible that April is familiar with this Helen Reddy classic I Am Woman.

I begin teaching next Tuesday; if I remember, I’ll ask my 10th graders if they know this song. (This week is devoted to five excruciating long days of staff development. I’m already soooo tired…)

Anon NYC

7:33 PM  
Blogger howard said...

Anon NYC,

Adolescents today listen to music of all stripes, so it is plausible that April is familiar with this Helen Reddy classic I Am Woman.

Yes, but a different question is "Would a teenager today quote it in reference to herself?"

8:46 PM  

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