No Longer the Cutest
I remember the days when I would take my young daughter in the stroller with my older son, and old ladies would come up and greet my daughter and ignore my son, which would upset my son so much that he would shoot a raspberry at the old lady after she departed. Not really. My son could really care less if some passing old lady gave all her attention to his younger sister. In fact, he could really care less if some passing old lady gave him any attention. His eyes went to toys, candy, animals, and other kids. If the old lady was offering him a toy, or candy or had her grandkids or a pet with her; then he would pay her some attention. If she wanted earn my son’s anger, she would give my daughter a present of some sort and nothing to him. He still wouldn’t shoot raspberries. He would sulk, and then later whine and complain.
Old ladies, however, are very different story. If you take small children into an old age home, their eyes light up when they see young cute kids. They want to talk to them and see if they can get them to smile or laugh. They enjoy watching small children’s boundless cute energy. Naturally, given Lynn’s age, I think she has the old lady in today’s For Better or For Worse nailed. Young Michael not so much. However, I will grant her that Patterson kids seem to have an affection for raspberries that starts at an extremely young age and, in the case of Elizabeth Patterson, run on until adulthood. So, while it might not be in character for normal children to raspberry an old lady, it is in character for a Patterson child.
I find that today’s strip actually works best as a metaphor for the new-runs. The older audience comes by to take a look at the new-run, new work from Lynn Johnston. After staring at them for awhile and trying to figure them out, and maybe say how lucky Lynn Johnston is to be able to have a comic strip; they will turn and leave with a very solicitous “Kiss- kiss! Bye-bye!” After they have departed Lynn Johnston gives them a raspberry for their disloyalty to her.
Old ladies, however, are very different story. If you take small children into an old age home, their eyes light up when they see young cute kids. They want to talk to them and see if they can get them to smile or laugh. They enjoy watching small children’s boundless cute energy. Naturally, given Lynn’s age, I think she has the old lady in today’s For Better or For Worse nailed. Young Michael not so much. However, I will grant her that Patterson kids seem to have an affection for raspberries that starts at an extremely young age and, in the case of Elizabeth Patterson, run on until adulthood. So, while it might not be in character for normal children to raspberry an old lady, it is in character for a Patterson child.
I find that today’s strip actually works best as a metaphor for the new-runs. The older audience comes by to take a look at the new-run, new work from Lynn Johnston. After staring at them for awhile and trying to figure them out, and maybe say how lucky Lynn Johnston is to be able to have a comic strip; they will turn and leave with a very solicitous “Kiss- kiss! Bye-bye!” After they have departed Lynn Johnston gives them a raspberry for their disloyalty to her.
posted by howard at 11:17 PM
16 Comments:
Or, if you really want to twist it, Lynn is raspberrying Rod for preferring younger, cuter women to her. (I don't really think this is the case.)
Really, this is just Lynn trying to do a throwaway strip about young children and failing because she hasn't been around young children in so long.
howard,
My son could really care less if some passing old lady gave all her attention to his younger sister. In fact, he could really care less if some passing old lady gave him any attention. His eyes went to toys, candy, animals, and other kids.
As qnjones said Lynn has no idea how children think. A better punchline would have him be relieved that he wasn't the one being fussed over.
I thought Lynn handled this scenario better in the original run when she had Michael list all of the things he would have said if besmitten-with-Lizzie lady had asked. This is like 99% retread, with a "new-run" reaction from Mike.
qnjones,
Or, if you really want to twist it, Lynn is raspberrying Rod for preferring younger, cuter women to her.
There are some possibilities there.
DreadedCandiru2,
A better punchline would have him be relieved that he wasn't the one being fussed over.
I agree. But if Robin in the modern days is any indication, Lynn seems to favor “the boy is stupid” responses.
aprilp_katje,
If I understand you correctly, then what we have is a strip where the setup is the same as one done back in 1980, but the final joke is different. Mike’s “new-run” reaction is to raspberry and his original was listing things he would have said if asked.
That’s different than Lynn’s usual method for a number of reasons:
a. She usually repeats the punch line and changes the scenario. Like “Bonk”-beds with a head injury on the top bunk, for example, where the punch line was repeated with different people "Bonk"ing their heads.
b. She is making Michael Patterson to be less articulate than he was in the original strip. Lynn’s usual tendency with small children is the other way around, except with boys, so maybe this still fits.
Note that this is proof that Lynn actually does have access to a collection, as she has claimed, and she may consider this to be one of those redrawn and improved strips. Or, she may have gotten past 3 weeks of new-runs and started to run out of ideas on how to fill out the month of September and decided to slightly alter one of her old ones.
We will find this out shortly, since we have 8 more days until October and the relaunch of Farley. Will those 8 days be filled with these kinds of strips? Probably not. We still have to get rid of Fred the fish. I wonder if Fred will die in a fun and unusual way (like killed after Elly finds Fred emptying her bank accounts), or will we have a "tell and not show" strip, with Elly explaining to Michael that Fred died and has already been buried, and that's why the fish bowl has been turned into a planter.
howard,
I wonder if Fred will die in a fun and unusual way (like killed after Elly finds Fred emptying her bank accounts), or will we have a "tell and not show" strip, with Elly explaining to Michael that Fred died and has already been buried, and that's why the fish bowl has been turned into a planter.
Although I find the first option entertaining I know that we'll be told and not shown how Fred died.
I remember the original, too, and it was kind of sweet. Michel said something like, "If she'd asked me, I would've told my name is Michael. I would've told her her I'm six." which, as I remember it, did scan pretty well with kids--like, gee, that old lady was talking to the kid who *can't* answer her questions.
Not, "I'm jealous at any attention given to the baby." By the time the baby is the age Elizabeth is, big brother is totally used to it, and, in fact, is getting some balance back, since universally, people waaaaayy more attention to tiny babies than toddlers.
DreadedCandiru2,
Although I find the first option entertaining I know that we'll be told and not shown how Fred died.
Sadly, you are probably right. When you get right down to it, we’ll be lucky if Fred is ever mentioned again.
Thursday Next,
By the time the baby is the age Elizabeth is, big brother is totally used to it, and, in fact, is getting some balance back, since universally, people waaaaayy more attention to tiny babies than toddlers.
In this case, the person trying to get the balance back is the author, who has shown us several strips of young children over the last few years, where the sibling rivalry is strong, even at years where the younger sibling is too young to think of such things.
"I wonder if Fred will die in a fun and unusual way (like killed after Elly finds Fred emptying her bank accounts)"
I sure wish you would warn a reader when you throw out a zinger--I seriously almost sprayed soda all over the monitor!
If I understand you correctly, then what we have is a strip where the setup is the same as one done back in 1980, but the final joke is different.
You are correct. For some reason, I was initially thinking that this was one of the strips she repeated during this past year, but now that I think about it more, I guess I just came across it during that period because I was checking the collection during the rerun weeks.
I figure either Fred will die off-panel, or he won't die and Michael's failure to kill him will be used as an argument in favor of adopting Fauxley.
debjyn,
I sure wish you would warn a reader when you throw out a zinger--I seriously almost sprayed soda all over the monitor!
Sorry. I’ll try to do better next time with a zinger warning. :)
aprilp_katje,
I figure either Fred will die off-panel, or he won't die and Michael's failure to kill him will be used as an argument in favor of adopting Fauxley.
“Failure to kill him”? Like John says, “Elly, Mike didn’t manage to kill the fish, but he might have better luck with a puppy.”?
“Failure to kill him”? Like John says, “Elly, Mike didn’t manage to kill the fish, but he might have better luck with a puppy.”?
::snerk::
And Elly will get a "Christopher Walken" look in her eye and in a monotone will say, "No. That will be April." ;)
aprilp_katje,
And Elly will get a "Christopher Walken" look in her eye and in a monotone will say, "No. That will be April." ;)
If only. On the other hand, Lynn has been more Meta than usual with her comic strip these days, so…
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