With our releases of Lynn Johnston’s heart-warming For Better or For Worse continuing to flow (work on Volume Eight in the series is going on at this moment), I thought it might be fun to look at some of the coverage both the comic strip and its creator received over the years. I settled on these three favorites to share with you:
From the late 1980s: The “microwaving a spider” sequence generated controversy and reader reactions, as this Letters to the Editor column from the July 23, 1988 Detroit Free Press clearly demonstrates:
From the late ’90s: Lawrence’s sexual orientation again appeared as a focus in the strip, and journalist Joe Murray interviewed Lynn about why she returned to this topic in a syndicated 1997 article that ran in multiple papers across the Cox Newspaper Group. The strip seen below was reprinted in our FBoFW Volume 6, on page 160:
From the late ’00s: Would it surprise any of Lynn Johnston’s readers to find evidence of her own generosity, in both word and deed? Here’s a public service ad from the April 26, 2003 North Bay, Ontario Nugget that demonstrates that spirit — and offers a piece of Johnston art done in support of the region’s “Caring for Generations” campaign:
For Better or For Worse remains a much-beloved comic series, and one The Library of American Comics is proud to be collecting in long-lasting hardcover editions. Volume 7’s our most current release, and its cover looks like this:
As always, happy reading!
