Sunday, December 06, 2009

Signatures, Santa and Knees

Today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse is a Christmas strip from the second year, originally published 12-22-1980. Thanks to the FOOB search, I can see the original and its publication date. It looks pretty much the same as the reprint except the stuff in the columns between the panels is different and oddly enough, the Lynn signature is not the same. Looking at the two “Lynn”s side-by-side makes me realize that there is a significant difference in the way the “L” and the “y” are formed. The “n”s look basically the same. Either Lynn has changed her signature or someone else is signing these things for her.

In the reprint, young Michael Patterson is expressing the standard Christmas greed associated with children. I remember when my own kids were small enough to take to see Santa, their usual reaction was stark terror, or utter shyness. Occasionally, they would answer the “What do you want for Christmas?” question and we paid special attention to what was answered. In general my kids would only have the presence of mind, or the time, to ask for one thing. We tried to make sure that the one thing appeared under the Christmas tree with a big “From Santa” on it. That maintained the Santa Claus mystique for many years in my house.

One of my father’s favourite stories was when I was a young lad living in an apartment complex in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. My father had decided that it was wrong to lie to children and that if asked a question, he would always give a truthful answer. At this point I was 5 years old, and I asked my dad if Santa Claus was real. Immediately after I got his answer, I took this startling news to my best friend Timothy, who lived in the same apartment complex. Timothy immediately told his mother, and his mother immediately came to our apartment and confronted my father with, “You’ve ruined Christmas for my child!!”

As for the strip itself, the part I like best is in the first panel as young Michael Patterson puts on his boot. His bent knee goes so far up his body that his chin is resting on his knee as he stands up. Try this one yourself to see if you can do it. It is such an amazing demonstration of dexterity that the American Color colourist got confused and thought his knee was a part of his jacket.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

My father had decided that it was wrong to lie to children and that if asked a question, he would always give a truthful answer. At this point I was 5 years old, and I asked my dad if Santa Claus was real.

We didn't believe in lying to our children either. However, we didn't handle this question with child-imagination-crushing "No", because we see Santa Claus as a cute fictional personification of what is actually the spirit of giving to others - so our answer to our children, was "Yes, Santa Claus IS real, but Santa Claus doesn't necessarily look like what everyone pictures him as, and someday you will see that."

When they were a bit older and told us they had figured out we provided the "Santa" presents, we explained that anyone who is giving to others is being Santa Claus - that's the real truth and beauty behind the story represented in our country by a chubby old man in a red suit, in Italy by the old woman La Befana, in Germany by Kristkindl, in Hungary by Mikulas, etc.

11:56 PM  
Blogger DreadedCandiru2 said...

The interesting thing is what you commented on elsewhere; this strip started out as Elly trying to undo whatever damage she thought Phil did when he took Mike to see Santa the first time and ended up wondering what a 'blonde nubile' was. It's sort of nice to know that, since Mike has no idea why this is really happening, the mystique is still alive.

2:44 AM  
Blogger April Patterson said...

It looks pretty much the same as the reprint except the stuff in the columns between the panels is different and oddly enough, the Lynn signature is not the same.

Also, Lynn has inserted a space into Lawrence's "howcome" in panel two.

3:36 AM  
Blogger howard said...

Anonymous,

When they were a bit older and told us they had figured out we provided the "Santa" presents, we explained that anyone who is giving to others is being Santa Claus - that's the real truth and beauty behind the story represented in our country by a chubby old man in a red suit, in Italy by the old woman La Befana, in Germany by Kristkindl, in Hungary by Mikulas, etc.

That’s a nice way of explaining Santa and yet keeping the children’s imagination alive. If only you had talked to my father back in 1960s. Of course, the 1960s were a different time, and it might not have done any good back then.

6:05 AM  
Blogger howard said...

DreadedCandiru2,

The interesting thing is what you commented on elsewhere;

Yes, I try to say different things in different places.

this strip started out as Elly trying to undo whatever damage she thought Phil did when he took Mike to see Santa the first time and ended up wondering what a 'blonde nubile' was. It's sort of nice to know that, since Mike has no idea why this is really happening, the mystique is still alive.

That lasted for 2 years. In 1982, Mike found out in this strip and this strip. Elly told him the truth and John questioned her action in this strip. Later on though, we see that Michael has not decided spoil it for Lizzie.

6:06 AM  
Blogger howard said...

aprilp_katje,

Also, Lynn has inserted a space into Lawrence's "howcome" in panel two.

Good catch! I missed that one.

6:06 AM  

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