If It's Connie, It Must be Reprint
Connie Poirier and coffee mean only one thing: Reprint. Today’s For Better or For Worse is basically a strip designed to set up the old story where Elly worked for Dr. John Patterson as his assistant. If this is the case, then there is a whole storyline which could be reprinted from early For Better or For Worse. I suspect that is coming tomorrow. If so, it will be another example of Lynn Johnston listening to her fans who complained about how the reprints strayed too far from the memories introduced by the modern characters.
As for me, the idea of another week of reprints fills me with a sense of dread. I enjoyed the over-the-top praise of Michael’s writing and Elly’s minimal grandparenting skills last week and Elizabeth throwing herself at Warren Blackwood the week before. But this week, even the new stuff is just a rehash of old jokes For Better or For Worse has done before and better.
Not only that, but the art bothered me again today. The sticky-out tongue laughing is a trademark of the Lynn Johnston art style. The artist today and yesterday could not get it right, when drawing Connie Poirier laughing. I don’t know who is drawing this stuff these days, but even if it is Lynn Johnston doing it, she is not getting the Lynn Johnston style down right. There was a certain joy conveyed in the old, sticky-out tongue laugh. Connie Poirier’s version looks freakish to me.
As for the humour itself, the pun does actually make sense for a change, which is good. It’s not funny, but at least it doesn’t leave me scratching my head and asking myself what the pun means. I find these days, as I open my comic strip page in my local paper, in comparison to other strips on the page, For Better or For Worse is really struggling. Even The Quigmans, which I have often thought was the poorest, written and drawn series in my local paper, is starting to compare favourably to For Better or For Worse. The strips that surround it in the paper are filled with the work of artists who appear to be actually trying to make someone laugh, or to tell a story, even though they are often not successful. But with this strip, we see recycled jokes about technology and a very lame pun on dentistry and poverty. The artist does not even seem to be trying, and for some reason, it is bugging me today.
As for me, the idea of another week of reprints fills me with a sense of dread. I enjoyed the over-the-top praise of Michael’s writing and Elly’s minimal grandparenting skills last week and Elizabeth throwing herself at Warren Blackwood the week before. But this week, even the new stuff is just a rehash of old jokes For Better or For Worse has done before and better.
Not only that, but the art bothered me again today. The sticky-out tongue laughing is a trademark of the Lynn Johnston art style. The artist today and yesterday could not get it right, when drawing Connie Poirier laughing. I don’t know who is drawing this stuff these days, but even if it is Lynn Johnston doing it, she is not getting the Lynn Johnston style down right. There was a certain joy conveyed in the old, sticky-out tongue laugh. Connie Poirier’s version looks freakish to me.
As for the humour itself, the pun does actually make sense for a change, which is good. It’s not funny, but at least it doesn’t leave me scratching my head and asking myself what the pun means. I find these days, as I open my comic strip page in my local paper, in comparison to other strips on the page, For Better or For Worse is really struggling. Even The Quigmans, which I have often thought was the poorest, written and drawn series in my local paper, is starting to compare favourably to For Better or For Worse. The strips that surround it in the paper are filled with the work of artists who appear to be actually trying to make someone laugh, or to tell a story, even though they are often not successful. But with this strip, we see recycled jokes about technology and a very lame pun on dentistry and poverty. The artist does not even seem to be trying, and for some reason, it is bugging me today.
posted by howard at 11:27 PM
15 Comments:
howard:
At long last, the laziness of the artwork has been equalled that of the writing. It seems alomst selfish of Lynn to churn out substandard material this close to the start of the reload. We deserve to see her go out with a bang, not a poorly-constructed sticky-out tongue laugh.
Gah, I'm dreading the next installment of flashbacks, too. Also, if Lynn goes into the flashbacks I think she will, Connie's setup for them is not even accurate. Elly wasn't working for John because he couldn't afford an assistant--she was helping out while Jean was out on maternity leave.
Oops, not maternity leave. A one-week vacation.
Something's bugging me about the last panel here: the framing seems all wrong, with the characters set too low and a lot of empty space above their heads. Was there originally a longer, more complex word balloon there, and Lynn (or whoever) changed her mind and was too lazy to reframe the panel? Or were the Lynnions insistent that she give them the chance to show off their ability to make a half-tone grayscale backdrop?
Connie = Pacman
Maybe it's bugging you now because the laziness and lack of caring about the strip has just gone on so darn long.
I was willing to give Lynn a break in all the "retire-half-retire-divorce-trauma" stuff that has been happening, but good grief; enough is enough.
She needs to get some direction or plan going; the inertia has affected all her characters/plots/artwork. It's truly unfair to the readers and other aspriring artists; Lynn is being selfish and she is damaging what little fond memories the readers have of the Pattersons.
It's also amazing how Elly (who has lived in the same place her entire life); has a child at home and two more within spitting distance, plus two grandchildren only has Connie to call up when John is gone so she won't "be alone". This is sad.
Elly's from Vancouver originally, but she's lived in Milborough for the better part of 30 years, so, yes, you'd think Connie wouldn't be her only available friend.
april_patterson:
Elly's from Vancouver originally, but she's lived in Milborough for the better part of 30 years, so, yes, you'd think Connie wouldn't be her only available friend.
The same thing might be said for the rest of the family. Having a short "Friends and Influences" section on their bio pages may save storage space on the Foob server but it indicates that the Pattersons are indeed antisocial jerks.
Translations:
Panel 1: Connie is the only person who will tolerate Elly, other than Elly's husband. And vice versa.
Panel 2: John looks for any excuse to get a break from Elly.
Panel 3: Elly exaggerates her former "poverty."
Panel 4: Elly reveals herself to be a total douche by comparing her middle class lifestyle to Third World Poverty.
dreadedcandiru2
We deserve to see her go out with a bang, not a poorly-constructed sticky-out tongue laugh.
Not only us, but Lynn Johnston too. Why could she possibly want to end her 30-year magnus opus on such a poor note? If it were me, I would want to write an ending that would kill.
aprilp_katje,
Elly wasn't working for John because he couldn't afford an assistant--she was helping out while Jean was out on a one-week vacation.
I am kind of curious why it is that Lynn Johnston would want to retcon this.
dlauthor
Was there originally a longer, more complex word balloon there, and Lynn (or whoever) changed her mind and was too lazy to reframe the panel? Or were the Lynnions insistent that she give them the chance to show off their ability to make a half-tone grayscale backdrop?
It is almost assuredly dialogue that was anticipated. You can see in Panel 3, Connie’s speech overflows the panel border. If it had been written not to overflow, it would have taken up Elly’s little speech space. Add Elly’s little speech in Panel 3 to Panel 4, and there is the rest of the space. And yes, it is a sign of laziness.
debjyn
It's also amazing how Elly (who has lived in the same place her entire life); has a child at home and two more within spitting distance, plus two grandchildren only has Connie to call up when John is gone so she won't "be alone". This is sad.
True enough. Elly must have done something to piss off Carol Enjo and Anne Nichols, two of her former friends who used to be her neighbours.
qnjones,
Elly reveals herself to be a total douche by comparing her middle class lifestyle to Third World Poverty.
She certainly has beaten the living daylights out of the “Pattersons are poor and struggling” plotlines. I wonder how long it will be before, Michael Patterson, best-selling author, starts claiming he is poor again?
No, nothing is ever as bad as the Quigmans. Check THIS out:
http://www.quigmans.com
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