For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for January 03, 2022

Amen to that, Gran. (Was this originally 1994 or somethin’?)

Why is Grandma Marian messing with the Elly’s family calendar and looking at the 2021 events marked on it as if they had anything to do with her? Doesn’t she have her own calendar in her own house?

Naw, man, you two are better of in the ’90s.

Cliches are twice as annoying in real life!

2022??… I thought that this strip was a flash-back to the 1980s. The Granddad was a World War II vet. He’d be over 100 in 2022.

1994 was interesting enough in its own right. But a real walk in the park compared to 2020-2021.

Except in this case, we can click on 1993 and see what’s going to happen!

Happy, Healthy, New Year to everyone!

Lynn’s Comments:

Being a comic strip “creator” gave me the awful advantage of being able to steer these characters in any direction I wanted them to go. I often wondered if, in the greater scheme of things, someone “up there” had that same control over us!

This comic has gotten criticism because of its dated technology and attitudes, etc. Some have responded to that criticism by saying that it’s almost 30 years old. That’s fine, but then Lynn tries to bring it into the present day by changing the dates, adding seatbelts, and stuff like that… But the overall experience makes you feel like Milborough is almost 30 years behind the rest of North America.

I don’t know about anyone else by I feel like the novel of my life has turned into stereo instructions. …in Chinese.

Very true, also up to the public how they treat each day.

2021 was an exciting year… You got that right, Marian.

The first panel leaves something to be desired in the update.

Sometimes though, I wish I could just skip to the end of a trying chapter. I don’t want to go through some of the things I’ve had to go through. But alas… Grandma is right… one day at a time.

I didn’t realize these were new

Words of wisdom from a wise old Grandma.

Time….100% man made concept. Every other species has instinct, humans have clocks…sorry cell phones!

omg…bangs head on table Who cares!? It’s a cartoooon!!!!!

BTW… I realized a couple of days ago that we don’t have any 2022 calendars, so I went to the usual places were in years back I’ve gotten some. I could not find a single store that has them! Is this part of the supply chain fiasco?

The setting is 1993, so we know what happens in a real-world event with Lawrence:

Calvin: “Dad, will you please sign my report card? By the way, what is your name you sign with anyway?”

Dad: “Calvin, that is so obvious, everyone knows my name is…”

Announcer: “We interrupt Calvin & Hobbes to bring you this breaking footage from the Trans-Canada Highway, which has been cordoned off. Scene shows Ford Bronco being pursued by several RCMP cruisers We believe Lawrence is in this vehicle. This just in, RCMP has called the cell phone and are now talking to the driver. Please excuse any forthcoming profanities (by Canadian standards).”

Michael{over phone}: “This is M.P. You know who I am, gosh golly darn it!”

Grandma looks pretty feeble in the last panel here. She may know she may not see another year.

Grandpa married a woman named Iris in 2003. This strip may cause trouble . . . .

No matter how it written this has away been a Class Act comicOne of the best in the business beside Schulz

As far as updating the calendar, it is fine for just this one daily;

but to the faithful readers, it does mess with the the aging of characters, and their timelines.

Overall it doesn’t bother me at all, and don’t mind that Lynn does that every year, since it has become part of her routine nowadays.

Nice analogy.

Sorry Marian, in this case we can certainly skip ahead as much as we want. All we need to do is go back to the 1993 dates on GoComics.

One certainly can look ahead. It’s not a trick ending.

And pray you live long enough to finish the novel and not experience a premature ending.

C’mon syndicate, just admit this is a rerun.

Reminded again by Duck’s comment that Elizabeth would “want her life to end” if she knew future events: Years ago I read a short story (and I kick myself for not writing down the name for future reference) that addresses this. A man somehow gains the ability to look into his future. He sees his future self in a hospital bed, with wires and tubes and machines everywhere. He thinks, “I am NOT going to go through that!”, gets a gun, and shoots himself in the head. He doesn’t die – he wakes up in a hospital bed, with wires…etc. (I’m not saying that Duck advocated that Elizabeth commit suicide. But the thought line here is similar).

I can see the future. 2022 is going to be just like 2021.

I think this is one time where making minor tweaks to update just makes the whole thing weird. They should’ve kept the original dates, IMHO. 2021 was not a year easily mistaken for other years.