For Better or For Worse tries something new

 

Hot news for fans of "For Better or For Worse!" After saying last year that she intended to retire and run a mix of old strips and new ones, creator Lynn Johnston is going to try something new: Retelling the series from the beginning. 

 "FBoFW" is an intricate comic-strip series sorta like "Gasoline Alley" in a way. Its characters have aged in real-time, and we've seen the Pattersons grow older, start careers, etc, etc. So it was sad when Johnston last year said she was edging toward the end and wanted more time off. Her solution was to run "flashbacks" featuring old strips, and then also move the story forward with new episodes too.

Her new idea is a way to ensure the strip doesn't become one of those committee-produced products, a la "Beetle Bailey" or "Garfield," and also a good means of ensuring it isn't drained of all its nuance and flavor by passing it on to someone else (Speaking of this, would someone PLEASE put "Snuffy Smith" out of his misery? Or "Shoe"?).

It's also a good safeguard against the strip becoming preserved as a "classic" -  a la "Peanuts," which continues to run old panels in today's newspapers. Look, everyone loves Charles Schulz, but there's no reason to keep running his comics when so many other people are trying to launch new - and more contemporary - features every day.

Johnston's efforts are worth watching. Maybe she'll figure out a way to talk more about the mysterious older Patterson sister who vanished from the strip early on.