John the Glutton
Today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse ties into the new-run comic strip from 4 days ago, when the Pattersons and Poiriers visited the costume shop. The costume at which little Michael pointed and said, “Space Guy!!! Yeahh!” is the one that Michael appears to be wearing as he goes around with Lawrence and his father trick-or-treating. Even though that strip ended with Michael declaring “…I’ve changed my mind!!!”, it appears he ended up with Space Guy anyway. Either Elly didn’t give into Michael’s last minute request for change OR Michael wasn’t talking about the costume when he said that.
Ironically, Connie Poirier, who espoused the idea of store-bought costumes, appears to have outfitted Lawrence with a different costume than the King outfit at which Lawrence was looking in the costume shop. Lawrence appears to be dressed as Batman (in black and white) and brown Batman in the version done by the American Color colourist. I suspect brown Batman is a little further away from copyright infringement. Perhaps next time we will have pallid Batman or spotted Batman or vampire Batman.
As for the basic premise of the strip, you will have to cut Lynn Johnston a lot of artistic license to make this one work. I have been trick-or-treating with my kids many times, and they go at such a fast pace, it is simply not possible for a dad to have the time to consume 4 popcorn balls, 2 taffy apples and 6 chunks of homemade fudge while escorting kids around. It would make you sick. That sort of thing is a post-trick-or-treating activity. I can only imagine the reason why John would feel the need to do all that eating before he got home and her name is Elly. As to whether Elly would disapprove of John’s eating or whether Elly would eat all the stuff herself is unknown.
The other aspect of the strip which used to work and now doesn’t is the missing Lizzie. When the strip was originally published, I believe Lizzie couldn’t walk yet, so it was reasonable she wasn’t along with John, Mike and Lawrence. Thanks to the mixing of Year One and Year Two strips, Lizzie is able to walk and appears to have been left out of trick-or-treating. My daughter was mobile enough to trick-or-treat to a few houses when she was 20 months old. When she realized she was being handed free candy, she became a girl obsessed. It was very cute. We let her trick-or-treat for as long as she could do it. She almost covered the whole neighbourhood before she got tired. I wonder if Lynn Johnston is going to do a new-run to explain where Lizzie is, like she explained where Farley the dog was during the summer camping strips, which were originally done pre-Farley. I can see the strip now: After they finish trick-or-treating, they head to the kennel to pick up Lizzie.
Ironically, Connie Poirier, who espoused the idea of store-bought costumes, appears to have outfitted Lawrence with a different costume than the King outfit at which Lawrence was looking in the costume shop. Lawrence appears to be dressed as Batman (in black and white) and brown Batman in the version done by the American Color colourist. I suspect brown Batman is a little further away from copyright infringement. Perhaps next time we will have pallid Batman or spotted Batman or vampire Batman.
As for the basic premise of the strip, you will have to cut Lynn Johnston a lot of artistic license to make this one work. I have been trick-or-treating with my kids many times, and they go at such a fast pace, it is simply not possible for a dad to have the time to consume 4 popcorn balls, 2 taffy apples and 6 chunks of homemade fudge while escorting kids around. It would make you sick. That sort of thing is a post-trick-or-treating activity. I can only imagine the reason why John would feel the need to do all that eating before he got home and her name is Elly. As to whether Elly would disapprove of John’s eating or whether Elly would eat all the stuff herself is unknown.
The other aspect of the strip which used to work and now doesn’t is the missing Lizzie. When the strip was originally published, I believe Lizzie couldn’t walk yet, so it was reasonable she wasn’t along with John, Mike and Lawrence. Thanks to the mixing of Year One and Year Two strips, Lizzie is able to walk and appears to have been left out of trick-or-treating. My daughter was mobile enough to trick-or-treat to a few houses when she was 20 months old. When she realized she was being handed free candy, she became a girl obsessed. It was very cute. We let her trick-or-treat for as long as she could do it. She almost covered the whole neighbourhood before she got tired. I wonder if Lynn Johnston is going to do a new-run to explain where Lizzie is, like she explained where Farley the dog was during the summer camping strips, which were originally done pre-Farley. I can see the strip now: After they finish trick-or-treating, they head to the kennel to pick up Lizzie.
posted by howard at 10:58 PM
10 Comments:
Heh, I was two years old when my parents first took me trick-or-treating. According to them, I caught on after the second house, and started saying, "give candy!" at every door. They tried to get me to say "Trick or Treat", but apparently I didn't see the point. "Give candy!" worked anyway.
Imo, it's weird that Lynn Johnston focuses her trick-or-treating strip on John. I'd think focusing on the kids would be easier, and certainly more entertaining. Though I suppose that wouldn't fulfill the "John-is-an-evil-male" mandate.
Thanks to the mixing of Year One and Year Two strips, Lizzie is able to walk and appears to have been left out of trick-or-treating.
This will make Monday's re-reprint, if it occurs, especially annoying; we don't need to see Mike giving Lizzie the wrappers and thinking that THAT'S sharing.
I have been trick-or-treating with my kids many times, and they go at such a fast pace, it is simply not possible for a dad to have the time to consume 4 popcorn balls, 2 taffy apples and 6 chunks of homemade fudge while escorting kids around. It would make you sick. That sort of thing is a post-trick-or-treating activity.
Exactly. The post-trick-or-treat inspection. And the parent isn't supposed to eat the homemade stuff. The whole idea is that, while it's probably okay, you just don't know, so those things need to be discarded. Makes me wish John bit into a razor blade when he saved the kids from a taffy apple.
Clio,
I'd think focusing on the kids would be easier, and certainly more entertaining. Though I suppose that wouldn't fulfill the "John-is-an-evil-male" mandate.
I think Lynn Johnston has issues with showing kids enjoying Hallowe’en. I went through the Hallowe’en strips where Merrie and Robin would have had a chance to be shown enjoying the holiday, and there was not one comic strip where they did. The focus was almost always on the adults. Meredith’s only Hallowe’en strip ended in disaster for her. There were no strips with Robin and Hallowe’en. You have to go back to 1998 to find a kid Patterson enjoying Hallowe’en, and that is April.
DreadedCandiru2,
This will make Monday's re-reprint, if it occurs, especially annoying; we don't need to see Mike giving Lizzie the wrappers and thinking that THAT'S sharing.
I believe that strip was reprinted in the hybrid year, and Lynn has been shown to be cognizant that she can’t re-reprint from that year.
aprilp_katje,
The whole idea is that, while it's probably okay, you just don't know, so those things need to be discarded.
In today’s strip John sees the popcorn balls being dropped by the old lady, so he could presume that he knows the popcorn balls are safe because he knows the neighbour, but he has to eat them now, while he remembers where they came from. This works with the internal logic of the strip, once you accept that although no parent could or would do that, John is doing it.
howard,
Lynn seems to have handled that problem you mentioned by means of creating a new-ruin that'll run tomorrow. It has the same premise but gets to its nauseating destination by a different route.
If you can't reprint it, new-run it.
howard,
I think Lynn Johnston has issues with showing kids enjoying Hallowe’en.
This works for a lot of things. Lynn Johnston has issues with showing X enjoying Y.
God, this one is a retro clunker. I don't know anybody who gives out popcorn balls or fudge, precisely because of all the poisoned Halloween treats hysteria over the past years. Maybe there's still one old lady on the block who optimistically makes taffy apples and hopes they won't be thrown out by concerned parents. But not 12 separate houses in the neighborhood.
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