To Lisp or not to Lisp: That is the Question
In today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse, we get to see the one and only time Deanna Patterson lisps. Despite this briefness, when Lynn Johnston wrote the book, The Lives Behind the Lines, 20 years later which was after many appearances of Deanna where she did not lisp, she wrote this:
She was always an easygoing kid, interested in music and softball and movies and friends. She has a pretty face, and light blond hair and she speaks with a slight and endearing th when she says the letter s. She looks fragile, but her strength is in her character and in her convictions to give back something to the world she feels has given so much to her.
“Music and softball and movies”. This certainly doesn’t seem like the Deanna we know. Only her trip to Honduras after she graduates matches the description of giving something back to the world.
With respect to the strip itself, the drawing isn’t too bad. You can see in the first panel, Deanna has her back to Michael in a defensive posture as he tries to snuggle or fondle her. This implies she has been putting up with Michael for awhile before she got to this point. After she turns in Michael to “Mith” Campbell, then Deanna gets up, sticks her tongue out, and leaves. Who knows what “Mith” Campbell said? It could be something like:
a. Michael Patterson. Just because you are a non-linear thinker, that doesn’t give you the right to keep your back non-linear and lean on people.
b. Deanna, come sit up here and don’t worry, I won’t put you anywhere near that little pervert again. Girls don’t sit near Michael!
c. Michael Patterson! That is not your assigned seat. How many times have I told you not to change out our individually-assigned desks with a table?
The reason why this one plays out with resonance to the modern story is the line about how Michael is going to marry someone else, even though he ultimately marries Deanna. In the original storyline, this was one of the only lines which showed how young Michael felt about Deanna. Most times, Michael was shown making loud public denials of his affection for her. This line would be cute with a 6-year-old innocently thinking about girls only as linked with marriage. I remember when my son was due to be born, his 5-year-old female cousin used to talk about how she was going to marry him, and this strip reminds me of her innocent view of marriage.
I find I can enjoy this strip, if I ignore the new-runs on the subject. With the new-runs Lynn Johnston has turned Michael’s crush on Deanna from cute to obsessive, and changed Deanna's reaction from annoyed to hateful. It is one of those situations where Lynn could not resist putting in one sly wink to the future after another. Unlike the situation with Anthony and Elizabeth, where Lynn knew at the beginning where the relationship was going to go, this was not the case with 1981 Deanna Sobinski and Michael Patterson. I liked it better that way. The dialogue and the situations seemed more natural. Again from The Lives Behind the Lines:
When people saw that Michael and Rhetta were drifting apart, they were upset with me. “If you have Michael and Rhetta break up, I’ll never read your dumb strip again!” One man wrote, “I guess we all need to experience a love that’s true, even if it’s just in a comic strip.”
Michael’s encounter with Deanna Sobinski was as much of a surprise to me as it was to everyone else. A young woman has an accident in a car, and Michael sees it happen.
For this story, Lynn allowed the characters to progress in the direction they were headed, instead of driving them in the direction she wanted. It is a stark contrast to Elizabeth and Anthony, who seemed to be forced together against their will. Taking that Elizabeth and Anthony mentality and applying it to young Michael and Deanna does not work. When I think about the story of Deanna and Mike, I will try to forget the new-runs.
Tomorrow’s strip is a puzzle. If Lynn Johnston goes in chronological order to the next strip following this one, she will end up with a Lawrence broken leg strip and she has already shown Lawrence standing without visible crutches. Nevertheless, I don’t think that would stop Lynn Johnston from reprinting the strip anyway. Tomorrow will tell.
She was always an easygoing kid, interested in music and softball and movies and friends. She has a pretty face, and light blond hair and she speaks with a slight and endearing th when she says the letter s. She looks fragile, but her strength is in her character and in her convictions to give back something to the world she feels has given so much to her.
“Music and softball and movies”. This certainly doesn’t seem like the Deanna we know. Only her trip to Honduras after she graduates matches the description of giving something back to the world.
With respect to the strip itself, the drawing isn’t too bad. You can see in the first panel, Deanna has her back to Michael in a defensive posture as he tries to snuggle or fondle her. This implies she has been putting up with Michael for awhile before she got to this point. After she turns in Michael to “Mith” Campbell, then Deanna gets up, sticks her tongue out, and leaves. Who knows what “Mith” Campbell said? It could be something like:
a. Michael Patterson. Just because you are a non-linear thinker, that doesn’t give you the right to keep your back non-linear and lean on people.
b. Deanna, come sit up here and don’t worry, I won’t put you anywhere near that little pervert again. Girls don’t sit near Michael!
c. Michael Patterson! That is not your assigned seat. How many times have I told you not to change out our individually-assigned desks with a table?
The reason why this one plays out with resonance to the modern story is the line about how Michael is going to marry someone else, even though he ultimately marries Deanna. In the original storyline, this was one of the only lines which showed how young Michael felt about Deanna. Most times, Michael was shown making loud public denials of his affection for her. This line would be cute with a 6-year-old innocently thinking about girls only as linked with marriage. I remember when my son was due to be born, his 5-year-old female cousin used to talk about how she was going to marry him, and this strip reminds me of her innocent view of marriage.
I find I can enjoy this strip, if I ignore the new-runs on the subject. With the new-runs Lynn Johnston has turned Michael’s crush on Deanna from cute to obsessive, and changed Deanna's reaction from annoyed to hateful. It is one of those situations where Lynn could not resist putting in one sly wink to the future after another. Unlike the situation with Anthony and Elizabeth, where Lynn knew at the beginning where the relationship was going to go, this was not the case with 1981 Deanna Sobinski and Michael Patterson. I liked it better that way. The dialogue and the situations seemed more natural. Again from The Lives Behind the Lines:
When people saw that Michael and Rhetta were drifting apart, they were upset with me. “If you have Michael and Rhetta break up, I’ll never read your dumb strip again!” One man wrote, “I guess we all need to experience a love that’s true, even if it’s just in a comic strip.”
Michael’s encounter with Deanna Sobinski was as much of a surprise to me as it was to everyone else. A young woman has an accident in a car, and Michael sees it happen.
For this story, Lynn allowed the characters to progress in the direction they were headed, instead of driving them in the direction she wanted. It is a stark contrast to Elizabeth and Anthony, who seemed to be forced together against their will. Taking that Elizabeth and Anthony mentality and applying it to young Michael and Deanna does not work. When I think about the story of Deanna and Mike, I will try to forget the new-runs.
Tomorrow’s strip is a puzzle. If Lynn Johnston goes in chronological order to the next strip following this one, she will end up with a Lawrence broken leg strip and she has already shown Lawrence standing without visible crutches. Nevertheless, I don’t think that would stop Lynn Johnston from reprinting the strip anyway. Tomorrow will tell.
posted by howard at 3:30 PM
8 Comments:
Unlike the situation with Anthony and Elizabeth, where Lynn knew at the beginning where the relationship was going to go, this was not the case with 1981 Deanna Sobinski and Michael Patterson. I liked it better that way. The dialogue and the situations seemed more natural.
Same here and for the same reasons. It sort of bothers me that she can't see that her attempt to foreshadow their marriage was as destructive to her strip's credibility as the forced march to the Settlepocalypse was.
You've made the same point I've been making elsewhere: today's strip isn't too bad on its own. It's when it is viewed alongside some of the newruns of Mike and his itchy tummy that it's destroyed. I can imagine a six-year-old having a fleeting thought about marriage and then thinking about how much longer it is until recess. I can't imagine a six-year-old having an obsessive crush on a classmate.
Most times, Michael was shown making loud public denials of his affection for her.
One of Mike's problems might have been associating with kids who mock him by yelling, "Smirk!" ;)
I don’t think that would stop Lynn Johnston from reprinting the strip anyway.
Me, neither. I fully expect to see that strip and their related follow-ups to be reprinted. We're just supposed to pretend that Lawrence's shoulders actually were in the right position for crutches in that "snowman" strip where they weren't.
DreadedCandiru2,
It sort of bothers me that she can't see that her attempt to foreshadow their marriage was as destructive to her strip's credibility as the forced march to the Settlepocalypse was.
Very true. The great potential of the new-runs of which you have often spoken, was the possibility of seeing more of young Deanna Sobinski’s personality, her sister and her family life. We have certainly seen none of that.
forworse,
You've made the same point I've been making elsewhere: today's strip isn't too bad on its own. It's when it is viewed alongside some of the newruns of Mike and his itchy tummy that it's destroyed.
The new-runs have added things to the strip which I never would have expected. For example, Lawrence Poirier’s issues with using only the toilet in his home have added a strange and bizarre extra aspect to the strips where he is thrown out of his house overnight for being gay.
aprilp_katje,
One of Mike's problems might have been associating with kids who mock him by yelling, "Smirk!" ;)
I have a feeling this may have been an issue with the Patterson kids for most of their time in Milborough. Them and the kids who say, “Sigh”.
We're just supposed to pretend that Lawrence's shoulders actually were in the right position for crutches in that "snowman" strip where they weren't.
I doubt we are even in the “supposed to pretend” stage. My guess is that when Lynn drew the “snowman” strip, she completely forgot Lawrence had a broken leg, especially if she was using strips in the April, 1981 parent-teacher conference / post broken leg time frame as models.
I'm surprised that you haven't commented on Lynn's Thailand trip. I rather enjoyed your take on Mexican trip last year.
http://www.fbofw.com/news/
bobbeers,
Lynn's Thailand trip, eh? Since you asked for it, I'll get right on it.
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