Lynn Johnston Decides Not to Completely Retire 'For Better or for Worse'

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I was so shocked on Sat when I read that the comic strip was ending. I was actually in tears. I have been reading For Better or for worse since it began and have loved watching the characters grow and grow-up. This is the only comic strip I even read. There are so many story lines left. I actually thought Grandpa was going to pass away after seeing Elizabeth in the wedding dress. April has to go away to college( there would have been alot of stories attached to that since her character is very much differant than older sister Elizabeth. I still remember Farley dying as well( that is the saddest story line) I read Ms Johnston was going to revisit the cartoon by going back to the beginning but The Cleveland Plain Dealer is not going to run it. So no more cartoons for me.

karen z of OH 1:12PM September 04, 2008

So glad Lynn Johnston isn't really retiring...but why can't this mean we get to keep enjoying the lives of the Patterson family as it is now and as it becomes? I, too, want to be there with the family when Grandpa Jim dies. And before dying, when he meets Elizabeth's first child. These characters all took on a life of their own, and became our favorite reading experience in the paper each day.

Kristin Casey of CA 2:38AM September 04, 2008

I should have known. My silver pattern, my corning ware pattern, my stoneware patterns all were discontinued... This is a disapointment too.
About the begining of this year, I decided the only comic I really wanted to read (on line of course) was "For Better or Worse". It's story line has been one that I have followed for years in the sunday edition of our paper. I thought, wow, it's on the computer, I can watch it daily now.
I feel I've doomed everyone.... for that I'm sorry. I agree with the other person who said I want to be there for all those "upcoming events" How can we let go of this story when it's not finished??

Cynthia of MO 1:05PM September 03, 2008

Thanks for many years of your story, it was ours too! We lived in Calgary, Alberta when we began our journey with you. Michael and my Lindsay followed the same, friendships, college, marriage, children, doing good. My Karen, just married, although she is the elder and will deliver my third grand daughter today. We have laughed and cried with the Pattersons. We now live in America again, far apart, but we start our emails or phone calls with - did you read this morning's For Better or For Worse? Thank you for many years of love and a real family story. Good luck in what you ever choose to do in your retirement.

Nancy Evans Bennett of NJ 12:16PM September 02, 2008

I have loved this strip for years even though our paper didn't carry it from the beginning, so there is probably a lot I have missed since then. Still it saddens me to think that they are frozen in time when there are obviously so many more stories to tell. I have waited forever for Anthony & Elizabeth to finally get together. What was so unique & endearing about the strip is that it moved in real time. It was a joy to watch April grow up & see Elly endure hot flashes as she got older (I can so relate!). Still, Lynn has to do what is best for her at this stage of her life & career. I will give the new-runs a chance but I wish she would have kept it going forward if she was not going to retire completely. Best of luck

Kim Maxwell of OH 2:50PM September 01, 2008

I look foreward to this cartoon first thing in the morning to start my day. I can relate with so much in it. My granddaughter was born on March 18 about a month before April. This is how I kept track of April and knew just where she was comming from. The whole family was like mine. When I would talk to my girls on the phone we'd have to talk about what was happeningwith the peterson family first off. I'm really going to miss them like my own family. Rosemary S. Largo. Fl

Rosemary Schiferle of FL 2:30PM September 01, 2008

A life without the Patterson's would be for worse.
I have followed the saga for 29 years while my daughter grew up, (she turned 29 in April). I know, in today's somewhat jaded view, the family may seem a bit Beaver Cleaver, but you know what? I love them all. It followed a pretty real pattern in life and I feel like they are all neighbors. There are so many stories yet to tell.

Sherry of ID 2:24PM September 01, 2008

If this is indeed the end, it was wnderfully done. The wedding that we always knew was meant to be. Michael and his family in the old house. April off to university, But I need the Pattersons to show me the way into retirement. Farley will always be my hero.

DHJ of CT 9:22AM September 01, 2008

I will sorely miss my daily dose of For Better or For Worse. Needless to say I was so disappointed and somewhat shocked that the people I came to think of as part of my world are no longer. Perhaps it’s the continuity of the storyline that I will grieve with all the laughter and the tears or the realization that almost 30 years has slipped away. Whatever,….. I will try to look forward to Ms. Johnston’s new endeavor and cheer her own “renaissance”.

Nicole of CA of CA 12:03AM September 01, 2008

I too was so sad when I first heard that Ms. Johnston was retiring. I looked forward to reading her comic strip everyday! With relief, I am glad she is not completely retiring, but I am not sure how I feel about her retelling the story from the beginning! I want to see what happens to everyone in the future, not what already happened in the past! But I will leave anymore comments until her new strip comes out. I am sure she knows what she's doing!

cheryl k of NY 9:52PM August 31, 2008