Wrong Jokes on Wright
I remember Constable Paul Wright, Liz’s boyfriend in Northwest Ontario, and the only guy she dated who genuinely seemed to like her. When he was introduced Lynn Johnston had Elly make a comment about how Liz had not met Mr. Right and then put an arrow pointing directly to Constable Paul Wright’s name, so we would get the point.
Considering Lynn’s love of puns, I was convinced that this was an indication Paul Wright was going to be Mr. Right for Liz. Later on, as the business with Anthony Caine dragged on, I began to think that Lynn Johnston was waiting to do the pun, “I guess Paul Wright wasn’t Mr. Right.” It never happened. So, in today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse, seeing Lynn do wordplay on Wright Wing, right, left, and wrong; it brought back pleasant memories of Paul Wright and the terrible pun which gave him his last name.
As for the strip, the joke appears to be that the instructions for finding Room 301 D are so difficult for Elly to understand, she has to ask another person for the directions she just got, instead of asking the information lady to repeat herself. This is passive Elly Patterson at her best, making unnecessary trouble for herself for humourous effect. I guess in tomorrow’s strip, Elly will be late to class.
The biggest problem I have with the strip is in Panel 3, where Elly stares at us, the reader. She is supposed to be giving us a look which says, “I can’t believe what bad directions this woman is giving me.” Instead it seems like she is looking at us suspiciously, like we may have noticed that her right hand is on her left arm (which it appears to be). Lynn used to be able to draw gobsmacked pretty well, as in the last panel of this strip. I think she may have forgotten how crucial that is to putting over the joke. Without a good Elly reaction, there is nothing very funny about the strip.
Considering Lynn’s love of puns, I was convinced that this was an indication Paul Wright was going to be Mr. Right for Liz. Later on, as the business with Anthony Caine dragged on, I began to think that Lynn Johnston was waiting to do the pun, “I guess Paul Wright wasn’t Mr. Right.” It never happened. So, in today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse, seeing Lynn do wordplay on Wright Wing, right, left, and wrong; it brought back pleasant memories of Paul Wright and the terrible pun which gave him his last name.
As for the strip, the joke appears to be that the instructions for finding Room 301 D are so difficult for Elly to understand, she has to ask another person for the directions she just got, instead of asking the information lady to repeat herself. This is passive Elly Patterson at her best, making unnecessary trouble for herself for humourous effect. I guess in tomorrow’s strip, Elly will be late to class.
The biggest problem I have with the strip is in Panel 3, where Elly stares at us, the reader. She is supposed to be giving us a look which says, “I can’t believe what bad directions this woman is giving me.” Instead it seems like she is looking at us suspiciously, like we may have noticed that her right hand is on her left arm (which it appears to be). Lynn used to be able to draw gobsmacked pretty well, as in the last panel of this strip. I think she may have forgotten how crucial that is to putting over the joke. Without a good Elly reaction, there is nothing very funny about the strip.
posted by howard at 10:01 PM
10 Comments:
As for the strip, the joke appears to be that the instructions for finding Room 301 D are so difficult for Elly to understand, she has to ask another person for the directions she just got, instead of asking the information lady to repeat herself. This is passive Elly Patterson at her best, making unnecessary trouble for herself for humourous effect. I guess in tomorrow’s strip, Elly will be late to class.
Either that or we've been given a lead-in to the Bored Housewife strip. That's 'cause the guy she ends up asking for directions looks a lot like Professor Smugtwerp.
Without a good Elly reaction, there is nothing very funny about the strip.
I agree; without the over-reaction, the strip ends up looking like a boring, uneventful slice of normal life.
I agree; without the over-reaction, the strip ends up looking like a boring, uneventful slice of normal life.
In a world where college classroom buildings have information booths, atriums, and multiple named wings. And where you can join a class in the middle of October.
I know a lot of people haven't minded the last couple days' strips, but I hate them nearly as much as I hate Anthony. They are SO lazy. To me, they fit perfectly into the FOOB spiral: I hate the John-is-a-pig arc, can we get back to Connie-is-desperate? I hate Connie-is-desperate, let's take a break with Elly-the-martyr. Enough Elly-the-martyr, time for Mike-the-60-year-old-woman. Had enough of that, time for Farley abuse. Okay, I can't handle Farley abuse, how about something totally not related to the real world in any way, like these college strips? Whoops, 2 strips is my limit on that, I hope tomorrow returns to John-is-a-pig.
And so the cycle continues.
Either that or we've been given a lead-in to the Bored Housewife strip. That's 'cause the guy she ends up asking for directions looks a lot like Professor Smugtwerp.
Actually he looks exactly like Professor Smugtwerp, particularly as he appears in the third panel of the strip you are referring to. He is also wearing the same clothes. With today's new-run, Lynn has created a new context for the prof looking at Elly's papers in the first panel of that strip and saying, "Here's a coincidence--I'll be teaching the class you're in!" Originally there was no lead-in to that strip and it was left to the reader to decide why she was having this encounter.
Clio,
I know a lot of people haven't minded the last couple days' strips, but I hate them nearly as much as I hate Anthony. They are SO lazy.
Ironically, this is precisely the reason I enjoy the new-runs. Lynn has added 50% new material to her old work, but none of it seems new except when Lynn makes some enormous mistake in the continuity of her own strip. In the hands of someone less lazy and more talented, they might actually take the old characters in the situation in which they are in, and write a brand-new story for them. Whenever Lynn tries to do anything like that, she ends up with a huge disaster like Deanna Sobinski leaving town 4 years too early. I am looking forward to some more Elly-in-school strips, because there is so much potential for continuity-busting disaster there: Elly becomes a best-selling author, or Elly reads her poetry in a beatnik café, etc.
aprilp_katje,
With today's new-run, Lynn has created a new context for the prof looking at Elly's papers in the first panel of that strip and saying, "Here's a coincidence--I'll be teaching the class you're in!" Originally there was no lead-in to that strip and it was left to the reader to decide why she was having this encounter.
Egads! You mean Lynn Johnston has created a new-run that actually enhances a story? And here I thought the purpose of new-run additions was to make John look worse, have Elly suffer more, or have Farley and the kids make more of a mess. Well, maybe this one qualifies as a "Elly suffers more" strip, now that I think about it.
Egads! You mean Lynn Johnston has created a new-run that actually enhances a story?
I think it remains to be seen whether this enhances or completely screws up the story! She's changed tomorrow's (presumed) strip from happening during the prior semester, ostensibly just after she's signed up for the class and well before it actually begins the following January. Now, she's set it up so that she and the prof are on their way to the class where we will probably see Elly realizing that she can still sleep with her eyes open.
The college building with an information booth, atriums, and multiple named wings can be explained by Lynn Johnston's basic unfamiliarity with academia. She didn't go to a liberal arts college; she went to art school. She did work at a university, but as a medical illustrator. She probably never spent any time in campus buildings with classes in writing or literature. (And, of course, that's why she doesn't know what Elly would be expected to bring to the first day of writing class.)
You don't expect her to break her vow and do *research* do you?
aprilp_katje,
Now, she's set it up so that she and the prof are on their way to the class where we will probably see Elly realizing that she can still sleep with her eyes open.
However, by starting it earlier than January, this give Lynn a lot of time to add that 50% of extra story to the “Elly takes Creative Writing” storyline. Watch with amazement as Elly discovers her inner muse. Watch with horror as John and the kids squelch Elly’s newfound writing, just as she is about to become a great Canadian author. Laugh with glee as Farley excretes some waste material on Elly’s work.
Anonymous,
She probably never spent any time in campus buildings with classes in writing or literature. (And, of course, that's why she doesn't know what Elly would be expected to bring to the first day of writing class.) You don't expect her to break her vow and do *research* do you?
Yes, gone are the days when she used to put drawings of actual places at Nipissing University and Canadore College into her strip, when Elizabeth was in school. That was one of the cool things about the old strip, when Lynn put something landmark building in, it would oftentimes be a place that actually existed.
You don't expect her to break her vow and do *research* do you?
Well, no, but I guess I thought everyone sort of knew what college buildings were basically like, enough not to create one that immediately jumps out as ridiculous anyway. And I admit, I'm foolish and thought that just wandering into a college building one day to see what one was like, or even just looking one up on the internet, would be so little work as to not even count as research. I keep having low expectations instead of NO expectations.
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