The Fight
Just yesterday, Michael Patterson went up to Deanna Sobinski and when told the news that she would be moving said, “New friends? But-what about me?” There are a number of ways that can be taken, but judging from today’s strip in For Better or For Worse, one of those ways apparently isn’t that Michael likes Deanna. Oh no. Michael’s real interest was in making a joke about new friends vs. old friends where the old friends are not even 6 yet.
All that business of yesterday, where Michael chases after Deanna and he gets all upset that she is moving, clearly gives away how he feels about her. And yet, today’s strip is as if that strip never happened. Michael stops talking to Deanna. Michael is pushing around a mound of snow and when Lawrence shows up, Michael gets into a fight with him over telling Deanna he likes her. Hey, Michael! She already knows. You gave her your pudding cup. You’re getting into a fight with Lawrence over her. I think she is smart enough to figure it out.
Even more mysterious is Lawrence’s reaction to Michael’s news. After being told Deanna is moving, why would his first reaction be to announce Michael’s feelings about Deanna to her? How about, “Hey, Deanna. Michael says you’re moving. What’s up with that? I thought you were going to stick around at least until the Grade 4 Hallowe’en dance.” Deanna says, “The sooner you get out of town the better. By the way, you and your mom should move to Thunder Bay now and not wait 4 years.”
On the other hand, maybe a teacher will come out and lecture Michael and Lawrence about race relations. That would make it all worthwhile.
All that business of yesterday, where Michael chases after Deanna and he gets all upset that she is moving, clearly gives away how he feels about her. And yet, today’s strip is as if that strip never happened. Michael stops talking to Deanna. Michael is pushing around a mound of snow and when Lawrence shows up, Michael gets into a fight with him over telling Deanna he likes her. Hey, Michael! She already knows. You gave her your pudding cup. You’re getting into a fight with Lawrence over her. I think she is smart enough to figure it out.
Even more mysterious is Lawrence’s reaction to Michael’s news. After being told Deanna is moving, why would his first reaction be to announce Michael’s feelings about Deanna to her? How about, “Hey, Deanna. Michael says you’re moving. What’s up with that? I thought you were going to stick around at least until the Grade 4 Hallowe’en dance.” Deanna says, “The sooner you get out of town the better. By the way, you and your mom should move to Thunder Bay now and not wait 4 years.”
On the other hand, maybe a teacher will come out and lecture Michael and Lawrence about race relations. That would make it all worthwhile.
posted by howard at 11:06 PM
10 Comments:
howard,
How about, “Hey, Deanna. Michael says you’re moving. What’s up with that? I thought you were going to stick around at least until the Grade 4 Hallowe’en dance.” Deanna says, “The sooner you get out of town the better. By the way, you and your mom should move to Thunder Bay now and not wait 4 years.”
Maybe Lawrence could remind her not to fall asleep at the wheel next time around; that way, she'd have been able to avoid being sucked into Elly's world of madness and idiocy.
There won't be a lecture about race relations. Lawrence isn't black yet. He's been depicted as white in a Sunday strip.
Query: Wasn't Shawna-Marie white too when she was younger?
DreadedCandiru2,
Maybe Lawrence could remind her not to fall asleep at the wheel next time around; that way, she'd have been able to avoid being sucked into Elly's world of madness and idiocy.
Considering how impatient Lynn has been with the story retelling, she may gloss completely over the Martha and Rhetta days for Michael, and Deanna could have her car accident some time next year.
Anonymous,
There won't be a lecture about race relations. Lawrence isn't black yet. He's been depicted as white in a Sunday strip.
That’s true. He’s been in 2 Sunday strips since the new-runs began, and he is Caucasian in both. However, in his hybrid reprint strip, he was definitely black there. Lynn Johnston changed colourists when she went to the new-run stuff, and I guess no one has told him about Lawrence.
Query: Wasn't Shawna-Marie white too when she was younger?
As I recollect, Shawna-Marie went back and forth between black and Latina. In some older strips her skin colour got the black cross-hatching and in others, it did not.
howtheduck, I was going to link to the same repeat strip. That was during the first year, and Lawrence definitely had brown skin in the original run of it. What was more ambiguous, I think, was his appearance in the B/W dailies.
I think Shawna-Marie was always meant to be a black Latina from Argentina (that could be a song title, eh?)
I've already sugggested over at the FOOBiverse's Journal that when Mike dates Martha and Rhetta, he'll thought-bubble kissing (six year old?) Dee, which will be charming to KAN but Anthony-Level Sick to us Normals.
John_F_Jamele,
Judging from what I saw in today's Coffee Talk, I'd say you were right. The infamous Jim Inman saw what he wanted to see in this and seems more than willing to ignore the subtext.
aprilp_katje,
That was during the first year, and Lawrence definitely had brown skin in the original run of it.
In the first year, Connie referred to Pete (Lawrence’s original father) as “like thin plywood with walnut veneer.” I wonder now if the walnut veneer was a skin-colour reference. It’s hard to say, since we never saw Pete.
I think Shawna-Marie was always meant to be a black Latina from Argentina (that could be a song title, eh?)
Like The Girl from Ipanema
John F Jamele,
I've already sugggested over at the FOOBiverse's Journal that when Mike dates Martha and Rhetta, he'll thought-bubble kissing (six year old?) Dee, which will be charming to KAN but Anthony-Level Sick to us Normals.
That could well be the case. Of course, the question is whether or not 6-year-old Deanna will look like 6-year-old Deanna or this blonde April look-alike Lynn is drawing for Deanna these days.
DreadedCandiru2,
The infamous Jim Inman saw what he wanted to see in this and seems more than willing to ignore the subtext.
He says the old strips are new to him, so won’t he be surprised when Deanna doesn’t leave, but sticks around for 4 more years.
Post a Comment
<< Home