For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for October 07, 2018

as much I used to bike ride and I try to jog, that’s not funny indeed

No bike helmets in the 1989 original. They are drawn on for 2018

I guess the joke here is that the reader thinks Michael is commentating on his bicycle race with Lawrence, with the reveal of the truth in the final panel. The problem is the reference to “Thunderbutt” and “Wide Load” give it away almost immediately that’s he making fun of someone else. If Michael had been saying “Patterson” vs. “Poirier”, then that final panel surprise might have worked.

While we have seen Michael mock his mother before, we have never seen him mock Connie before. It’s unusual behavior for him.

I wonder which is which?

That was definitely one of the better installments of this strip overall.

Ellie and Connie must be pretty fast if the boys had to ride their bikes to follow them.

Just remember, Michael — she can just as easily humiliate YOU in public now!

Revenge may be sweet, Michael!

And there goes the winnerrrrrrrr…Feetlebaum.

They’re going the distance,they’re going for speed…

It was my experience that children were more supportive of their parents getting out there and exercising. Michael’s comments are deflating and disrespectful. Not funny.

Pretty hard to believe that was done out loud no matter what year it was. Maybe from a half-mile away, but not in earshot!

It’s a comic!!! Just enjoy.

They should have been “dead meat” right off the bat.

Lynn’s Notes:

I think this is one of my all time favourite Sunday pages. My son never did this…but it’s something he would have done!

Lynn’s notes: I think this is one of my all time favourite Sunday pages. My son never did this…but it’s something he would have done!

I thought it was clever, too. Provided the moms didn’t hear them, it was fairly harmless if a little obnoxious, teen fun. But we start out thinking it’s far more innocent. It tricked me but gave hints- Mike sounds like he’s saying he’s tired near the end, which makes you think Then, at the end, all becomes clear.

Also, for the longest time, parents exercising was far less common and not seen as very necessary, so the mocking seems a reasonable response to something absurd they were doing, to me. I know I would have thought it was silly. It was before a lot of the health info was out there, and we really didn’t think they’d die or get diabetes or something from sedentary lifestyle (and sedentary lifestyles were just beginning to show the first dangers— diabetes wasn’t really in the limelight yet, and heart attacks seen as too much fatty foods and maybe from a beer belly). The aerobics craze and adults being pushed to exercise for health (as opposed to what we thought of as silly, vain, selfish reasons like weight loss), per my young memory, started taking off later in the 80s). Of course, based on where you lived and what you watched, your experience may be different. Neither of my parents saw a need to exercise as they weren’t too heavy. They got into that in the 2000s, when exercise for all to keep healthy was more in news.

So many serious comments today but I have to confess that this strip made me laugh out loud!

This, along with the Death of Farley, is one of the very few strips I remember. I still think “Thunderbutt and Wide Load” is one of the funniest.

Today was a laugh out loud strip. Very funny !

I could picture myself, as a teenager, doing something like that, if given the opportunity.

Well drawn and well written.

This was my favorite back in 1989. I still love out

It was funny, but in the real world Michael and Lawrence would have been punished immediately rather than threatened. At least in my house they would have.

I noticed that Lawrence is that pasty grey, purplish color again. Does the colorist have something against skin tones?

Actually, all El has to do is explain that HE and the rest of the family will be “helping” her master the dinner recipe of broccoli, turnip and acorn squash casserole with brussel sprouts on the side if he doesn’t shut up and he’ll fall right in line. Even in 2018 there are ways to get teens to toe the line!

Which one is “Wide Load”, Mike? Mom, betcha!

Don’t you hate people who think they have to explain the comix? 99% of us get it, OK?

HOWTHEDUCK Apostrophe placement. Please correct.

most excellent

Thanks for the link to the original strip …. it’s funny then and still is today.

This made me LOL, that’s for sure….it also reminded me about walking behind a Junior High gang of boys with them all wearing their jeans, or sweats, more than half way down, if you know what I mean. I was braver in those days, and said to them, “Looks like all of you have a full diaper”… You should have seen how fast they pulled up their pants. Looking at how the fashions changed to accommodate this trend: the boys wear those hip hugging jeans nowadays, which don’t look as bad as the full fit ones did way back in the 80’s…

Now that was laugh out loud funny.

Yeah, it’s always great to make fun of a mother trying to improve her health so she doesn’t end up as a burden on the family budget in need of nursing care. Har har. And we all know that if Michael had similarly yarped at his father, his hind end would have paid for it. But it’s always a great laugh to humiliate your mother in public…

Michael is a brave kid

Any of the readers who have children ( or grandchildren) probably knew right away, that Michael was taunting his mother (and Connie). It was downright rude but, as we all know, kids will be kids. The next time they beg for an ice cream from mom, she could simply say……Noooooooooooo!

.

A real funny one today. The comments also made me laugh.

Wide Load and Thunderbutt, followed by Triangle Head and Gray Blob.

He’s very rude