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But she used Michael’s children as an excuse to start the story over again, because she still had a lucrative contract and the syndicate still wanted to run it…She was planning to intersperse a few new and some reworked strips, but her husband left her and she didn’t feel as motivated.What are cartoonists supposed to do when they age??Not many are able, or even well enough, to make the “decision” to keep working and creating every day forever,
Not even when they know that some readers feel entitled to new strips and new stories.
We just watched Michael and Lizzie age a couple of years in real time.They’ll continue to do so till the syndicate or Lynn decide to pull the plug….But for now, people want to read it…it ’s in newspapers and has almost as many subscribers on GoComics as “Pearls Before Swine” or “Non Sequitur”…and twice as many as a lot of other popular strips. In fact, far and away the most subscribed strip on this site is “Calvin and Hobbes”…. all reruns from far longer ago.No one wants to kill these golden-egg-laying geese.
I read that new artists are very frustrated with decisions to keep re-running “old” strips such as this and peanuts. It keeps them from getting full- time jobs as they are young and have energy. Although I’m “guilty as charged” because I love this strip and will read everyday even though I know how all turns out.
There was a song: “June is busting out all over” and I think it came from a big Broadway musical. Someone out there will tell me! Anyway — a neighbour of ours (whose name was June) had told my mom, in secret, that she was expecting. Mom was asked to keep it quiet until June knew for sure. In a weak moment, mom told my dad — who was always thinking of puns, gags and ways to crack people up. When dad came upon my mom and her friend talking over the fence, he started to sing “June is busting out all over” and the look on the ladies’ faces was a cartoon waiting to be drawn. Both had their mouths open in that tense little “O” of surprise. Dad was in the doghouse until June was sure of her condition. All was forgiven and baby Alex busted out — red and healthy six months later.
K.C. Fahel: Time is the ultimate judge. Our looking back at some “good old days” is not just selective memory. it is the process by which the best continues to live, while that which does not measure up is forgotten. Then the best of the past gets compared to the whole quality range of the present.
Well, we did get to see April reach high school and Farley’s pup Edgar get old. We got to see Elizabeth marry Anthony at long last and be a step mom to his little girl. We got to see Mike reunited with Deanna, marry her and see their two adorable children who just started school. We got to meet Lawrence’s husband, Gordon’s wife and children, Brian and Dawn’s occasional visits and many more characters from Mike and Elizabeth’s high school and college years – Weed (Josef Weeder), Mike’s college pal, was one of my favorites. We watched April’s tight group of three from kindergarten through high school.
Interesting that it is a family thing. I wonder how it insures the same quality. You may be a relative of Chuck Norris, but that does not ensure you can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves. Some cartoonists have refused to let their work become “zombie strips”, whereupon someone else takes over after death. Charles Schultz and Bill Watterson are a couple of said cartoonists. Hank Ketcham handed off his strip to an assistant shortly before his death. Earlier he had tried one called “Half Hitch”, which was the basically the Navy version of Beetle Bailey. Too bad that one didn’t catch on like “Dennis the Menace”. Just like Lynn Johnston, Hank based that strip off his own son, but a big difference is that he did not “follow” his son growing up in the strip like Lynn did with her kids.
Brian was at Mike’s wedding and I think Liz’s too as Dawn was in the wedding party.
Merry, Mike’s daughter, started preschool at the end of the storyline.
April had one constant friend and that was Becky. Of course, due to nature of childhood high and low tides, members of a group comes and goes but they generally stay together. Until Becky hit high school and changed due to her bad home life if I recall. April remained friends with one boy from childhood – I forgot the name.
Templo S.U.D. almost 10 years ago
Oh, Annie’s expecting a little bundle, huh?
krys723 almost 10 years ago
[SPOILER] So far. It won’t be long before Elly becomes pregnant with April.
SusanSunshine Premium Member almost 10 years ago
Lynn hasn’t “frozen” anything!
She turned 65-sh and retired.
But she used Michael’s children as an excuse to start the story over again, because she still had a lucrative contract and the syndicate still wanted to run it…She was planning to intersperse a few new and some reworked strips, but her husband left her and she didn’t feel as motivated.What are cartoonists supposed to do when they age??Not many are able, or even well enough, to make the “decision” to keep working and creating every day forever,
Not even when they know that some readers feel entitled to new strips and new stories.
We just watched Michael and Lizzie age a couple of years in real time.They’ll continue to do so till the syndicate or Lynn decide to pull the plug….But for now, people want to read it…it ’s in newspapers and has almost as many subscribers on GoComics as “Pearls Before Swine” or “Non Sequitur”…and twice as many as a lot of other popular strips. In fact, far and away the most subscribed strip on this site is “Calvin and Hobbes”…. all reruns from far longer ago.No one wants to kill these golden-egg-laying geese.
freewaydog almost 10 years ago
I like Elly’s hair!
crazyliberal almost 10 years ago
I read that new artists are very frustrated with decisions to keep re-running “old” strips such as this and peanuts. It keeps them from getting full- time jobs as they are young and have energy. Although I’m “guilty as charged” because I love this strip and will read everyday even though I know how all turns out.
kab2rb almost 10 years ago
Spring has sprung and so has allergies suffers. Wished our flowers would pop up and say hello we’re here to be viewed.
JanLC almost 10 years ago
Lynn’s Notes:
There was a song: “June is busting out all over” and I think it came from a big Broadway musical. Someone out there will tell me! Anyway — a neighbour of ours (whose name was June) had told my mom, in secret, that she was expecting. Mom was asked to keep it quiet until June knew for sure. In a weak moment, mom told my dad — who was always thinking of puns, gags and ways to crack people up. When dad came upon my mom and her friend talking over the fence, he started to sing “June is busting out all over” and the look on the ladies’ faces was a cartoon waiting to be drawn. Both had their mouths open in that tense little “O” of surprise. Dad was in the doghouse until June was sure of her condition. All was forgiven and baby Alex busted out — red and healthy six months later.
The musical was “Carousel”.
hippogriff almost 10 years ago
K.C. Fahel: Time is the ultimate judge. Our looking back at some “good old days” is not just selective memory. it is the process by which the best continues to live, while that which does not measure up is forgotten. Then the best of the past gets compared to the whole quality range of the present.
capricorn9th almost 10 years ago
Well, we did get to see April reach high school and Farley’s pup Edgar get old. We got to see Elizabeth marry Anthony at long last and be a step mom to his little girl. We got to see Mike reunited with Deanna, marry her and see their two adorable children who just started school. We got to meet Lawrence’s husband, Gordon’s wife and children, Brian and Dawn’s occasional visits and many more characters from Mike and Elizabeth’s high school and college years – Weed (Josef Weeder), Mike’s college pal, was one of my favorites. We watched April’s tight group of three from kindergarten through high school.
USN1977 almost 10 years ago
Interesting that it is a family thing. I wonder how it insures the same quality. You may be a relative of Chuck Norris, but that does not ensure you can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves. Some cartoonists have refused to let their work become “zombie strips”, whereupon someone else takes over after death. Charles Schultz and Bill Watterson are a couple of said cartoonists. Hank Ketcham handed off his strip to an assistant shortly before his death. Earlier he had tried one called “Half Hitch”, which was the basically the Navy version of Beetle Bailey. Too bad that one didn’t catch on like “Dennis the Menace”. Just like Lynn Johnston, Hank based that strip off his own son, but a big difference is that he did not “follow” his son growing up in the strip like Lynn did with her kids.
capricorn9th almost 10 years ago
Brian was at Mike’s wedding and I think Liz’s too as Dawn was in the wedding party.
Merry, Mike’s daughter, started preschool at the end of the storyline.
April had one constant friend and that was Becky. Of course, due to nature of childhood high and low tides, members of a group comes and goes but they generally stay together. Until Becky hit high school and changed due to her bad home life if I recall. April remained friends with one boy from childhood – I forgot the name.
RonMadara almost 10 years ago
Without notice, the Bergen Record of Hackensack, NJ dropped this comic and substituted some inane comic about a unicorn.