New-Run Deanna, Run!
Here’s a childhood development aspect that I remember quite clearly. When I was in Grades 1 and 2, boys liked girls and vice-versa. I remember sending a note to a little girl I liked that said, “I love you. Do you love me? Sign Yes or No” and I put a little check box where the little girl could check "Yes" or "No". And she signed she loved me. I was quite excited by this, until another boy had shown me she had done the same thing for him.
When I was in Grades 3 and 4 (and part of 5), boys and girls couldn’t stand each other. They would not sit by each other in classrooms (if they had a choice) and definitely would not sit by each other in the cafeteria. After Grade 6, the separation of the sexes was pretty much over.
There was a part of Michael Patterson’s interest in Grade 1 Deanna Sobinski in the old strips that usually hit the nail on the head. He would nag Deanna. He would think things like he might marry her. He would send her a Valentine’s Day card. All that stuff matched me in my Grade 1 youth memories and I could relate.
As I see the new-run in today’s For Better or For Worse, my thought right off the bat is that Lynn should go back and read her old strips. New-run Michael doesn’t want to admit to Lawrence that he likes Deanna. Old-run Michael actually got into a fist fight with Lawrence in order to get a picture of Deanna. New-run Michael says he doesn’t like girls and he thinks he is doing a good job of concealing it. Old-run Michael would sit by Deanna intentionally and bother her. From what I remember about Grade 1 boys, old-run Michael is the accurate depiction. New-run Michael seems more like a boy in Grade 3 or 4 to me.
As for the depiction of Deanna, Lynn seems to be going with the way she appeared in her very first appearance in the first collection. Deanna used to sport the very popular 1970s Toni Tennille haircut, and in today’s For Better or For Worse, it looks like Lynn Johnston has decided to go with that except with more Shannon Lake-style bangs than Toni Tennille’s. Lynn was really inconsistent with the way Deanna looked in her early appearances. If you look at the Mike and Deanna strips on the webpage when they were young, you will see that Deanna’s appearance changed in every strip. Since Lynn was borrowing characters from other people’s strips back in those days, Deanna is probably closest to Patty (not with Peppermint) from early Peanuts. However, Deanna does not look that different from the one and only new-run previously featuring young Deanna. We have long been promised the backstory on why Deanna left Milborough by Lynn Johnston, as if we don’t already know that she left because her father bought a hardware store in another town. Maybe Lynn will twist it in some way to make it interesting. Well, I can hope, can't I?
When I was in Grades 3 and 4 (and part of 5), boys and girls couldn’t stand each other. They would not sit by each other in classrooms (if they had a choice) and definitely would not sit by each other in the cafeteria. After Grade 6, the separation of the sexes was pretty much over.
There was a part of Michael Patterson’s interest in Grade 1 Deanna Sobinski in the old strips that usually hit the nail on the head. He would nag Deanna. He would think things like he might marry her. He would send her a Valentine’s Day card. All that stuff matched me in my Grade 1 youth memories and I could relate.
As I see the new-run in today’s For Better or For Worse, my thought right off the bat is that Lynn should go back and read her old strips. New-run Michael doesn’t want to admit to Lawrence that he likes Deanna. Old-run Michael actually got into a fist fight with Lawrence in order to get a picture of Deanna. New-run Michael says he doesn’t like girls and he thinks he is doing a good job of concealing it. Old-run Michael would sit by Deanna intentionally and bother her. From what I remember about Grade 1 boys, old-run Michael is the accurate depiction. New-run Michael seems more like a boy in Grade 3 or 4 to me.
As for the depiction of Deanna, Lynn seems to be going with the way she appeared in her very first appearance in the first collection. Deanna used to sport the very popular 1970s Toni Tennille haircut, and in today’s For Better or For Worse, it looks like Lynn Johnston has decided to go with that except with more Shannon Lake-style bangs than Toni Tennille’s. Lynn was really inconsistent with the way Deanna looked in her early appearances. If you look at the Mike and Deanna strips on the webpage when they were young, you will see that Deanna’s appearance changed in every strip. Since Lynn was borrowing characters from other people’s strips back in those days, Deanna is probably closest to Patty (not with Peppermint) from early Peanuts. However, Deanna does not look that different from the one and only new-run previously featuring young Deanna. We have long been promised the backstory on why Deanna left Milborough by Lynn Johnston, as if we don’t already know that she left because her father bought a hardware store in another town. Maybe Lynn will twist it in some way to make it interesting. Well, I can hope, can't I?
posted by howard at 9:59 PM
4 Comments:
We have long been promised the backstory on why Deanna left Milborough by Lynn Johnston, as if we don’t already know that she left because her father bought a hardware store in another town. Maybe Lynn will twist it in some way to make it interesting. Well, I can hope, can't I?
Spot on. We're not going to get away with anything which might depict a realistic situation, like moving for work reasons. No, it's going to be a drawn-out separation leaving Mike emotionally scarred and unable to love another fully until he is reunited with Deanna. And I'm sure Lynn will avail herself of the opportunity to make the whole thing Mira's fault.
I have to agree with forworse on this; Mira is in for a scraping because she has the temerity to actually act on a desire instead of trust in fate to provide. Somewhere along the way, Lynn forgot that the Pattersons had goals that they worked for and turned them into a clan of smug, obnoxious shnorrers who trusted in fate as they sponged off the people whose horses they owned. Mira is evil because she's who Elly used to be.
forworse,
No, it's going to be a drawn-out separation leaving Mike emotionally scarred and unable to love another fully until he is reunited with Deanna. And I'm sure Lynn will avail herself of the opportunity to make the whole thing Mira's fault.
That’s something to look forward to. The Mira-bashing by the Pattersons was excessive and cruel and wonderful to snark. Plus I think there are few comic strip writers out there today who write kids and romance worse than Lynn Johnston. The combination of the 2 plus Mira-bashing has a lot of potential for some really, bad stories. We certainly need something. Most of these new-runs are covering ground that not only has Lynn covered several times, but every other comic strip has covered several times. It’s like watching a 1980s retro show where they do it exactly the way it was done in the 1980s. A terribly-written kids’ romance where the boy does not end up with the girl will cover material that is not covered that often in comic strips.
DreadedCandiru2,
I have to agree with forworse on this; Mira is in for a scraping because she has the temerity to actually act on a desire instead of trust in fate to provide.
It would be a dream come true if Elly condemns Mira and Wilf for buying a hardware store instead of letting someone buy it for them because of fate. It would be so stupid, it would be delightful. Bring it on, Lynn!!
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