Reprints to New-Runs
I think I am growing accustomed to these reprint-to-new-run transitions, like we have in today’s For Better or For Worse. Rude, young Michael turns into polite, young Michael. Uncle Phil goes from 1960s cool guy speech to 1980s cool dude speech. The fashions make subtle changes, usually having to do with the less-difficult-to-draw patterns of the new-runs. Close-ups and no silhouettes turn to awkwardly composed long distance views and lots of silhouettes. The list goes on and on.
Lynn Johnston has given lip service to imitating her old style of art and how it has rejuvenated her. The old characters just don’t look the same or act the same as they did back in 1980. What becomes clearer and clearer to me, the more I analyze this strip, is that all the characters are Lynn, and that is Lynn in whatever state she is in when she creates the strip. Even as she goes back and makes additions to her old strip storylines, modern day Lynn Johnston appears.
Lynn Johnston has given lip service to imitating her old style of art and how it has rejuvenated her. The old characters just don’t look the same or act the same as they did back in 1980. What becomes clearer and clearer to me, the more I analyze this strip, is that all the characters are Lynn, and that is Lynn in whatever state she is in when she creates the strip. Even as she goes back and makes additions to her old strip storylines, modern day Lynn Johnston appears.
posted by howard at 10:55 PM
8 Comments:
howard,
What becomes clearer and clearer to me, the more I analyze this strip, is that all the characters are Lynn, and that is Lynn in whatever state she is in when she creates the strip. Even as she goes back and makes additions to her old strip storylines, modern day Lynn Johnston appears.
And yet she doesn't seem to see that. I don't have a camera in Lynn's house but she's said enough to make me certain that she doesn't notice the obvious shift in styles. She honestly believes that she's gone back to her old style.
I think Lynn has actually said herself something to the effect of, "All the characters are ME!" You hit it on the nail. And that puts all of this into a more disturbing light: Lynn actually sees herself as the writer who was sooooooo gifted that her first novel garnered an unheard-of advance; as the "good" daughter who tries out her wings only to use them to fly home; as the horribly put-upon wife and mother...
No wonder she can't get a clue and retire.
I love your commentary on the strips--SO refreshing!
dreadedcandiru2,
She honestly believes that she's gone back to her old style.
Her new-run style appears to be the style Lynn used to draw in her background characters in the modern strip. Using that style, she’s drawing the characters somewhat like they used to look in 1980 with some exceptions:
a. John doesn’t have his sideburns.
b. Elly, Annie and especially Connie’s bodies look like they were when they were in their 40s, and not their 20s.
c. Lizzie, Connie, and Mrs. Baird have heads that are almost unrecognizable compared to their 1980 selves.
d. Puppy Farley has the rounded features of grown-up Farley
e. Elly almost never has her hair down, and doesn’t quite have the petite, little nose of her early years.
In these cases, I cannot attribute that to style, but more artistic choices. The characters are drawn differently from the way they were in 1980, and then published side-by-side with the old drawings, so everyone can see the difference. Even Lynn Johnston.
Anonymous,
I think Lynn has actually said herself something to the effect of, "All the characters are ME!"
I remember one interview where she described trying to get into the head of each character, and then describing with amusement, how it was to be a dog. She was usually more successful with the dogs, unless Lynn wants to urinate on trees in real life.
Lynn actually sees herself as the writer who was sooooooo gifted that her first novel garnered an unheard-of advance; as the "good" daughter who tries out her wings only to use them to fly home; as the horribly put-upon wife and mother...
As far as the writer goes, that was Lynn exactly. She got an unprecedented long-term contract to do her comic strip published by national syndicate, based on the illustrations in her “David, We’re Pregnant” book. That is extremely similar to the unheard-of advance, and it has messed up Lynn’s expectation of other people and their success ever since. She has expressed the opinion before that it is easy to become rich if you work hard and show up on time.
In real life, she certainly was not the “good” daughter who flew home. Her home in Corbeil, Ontario is far from her starting point, and she said in one interview, how she was unable to attend to her dying mother, due to the distance.
Horribly put-upon wife and mother is subjective. I’m sure she had her moments. In her early days, at least, I did see a CBC documentary where she played the role of the stay-at-home mom. She was fortunate enough to have a career handed to her that was almost perfect for being a stay-at-home mom.
I love your commentary on the strips--SO refreshing!
Thanks.
I think the Liz as LJ component comes from the way Liz was portrayed as a silly, flighty girl who was hurt by an exciting, charming, but ultimately untrustworthy man, and instead realized she should best settle down with a "nice" man.
Cedar,
I think you are right there. Parts of the Liz / Anthony relationship were lifted directly from the Lynn and Rod relationship.
Yet another reason for Lynn to end the story with the wedding. She'd realized she was retelling a story that was going to end badly. (We'd been warning her about Anthony for some time.)
This also explains the lackluster "romance" between Liz & Anthony. She couldn't convince US to like Anthony & she wasn't even able to show us that LIZ cared for him.
Who was the inspiration for Therese?
Who was the inspiration for Therese?
Anthony and Liz are a reverse gender of Lynn and Rod. Lynn was the single mom as Anthony was the single dad. Therefore Thérèse was Lynn’s first husband. Her first husband, supposedly left without contesting anything and with no interest in his son and cheated on Lynn with more than one woman, if I recollect correctly. I believe Lynn described him as the good-look, bad boy type; so it is interesting to see Lynn’s female version of that was a sophisticated career woman, who didn’t want children, and who wanted to live in the city.
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