Now that comic strip artist Lynn Johnston has ended her creation, "For Better or For Worse," after 29 years, she's taking an unconventional approach: Rather than retire, she's revisiting the strip from the beginning. Starting Monday the strip regressed back to 1979, and will now include a mix of old strips and new ones (drawn to match her style from that era).
The L.A. Times, like other papers across the country, isn't necessarily keen on the idea. The Times plans to run the new "FBOFW" (or "FOOB," as the strip's many detractors call it) for five weeks, then rotate in a new crop of three new comics. The paper will then ask readers to choose between the old vs. the new.
What's the big deal about a hokey comic strip? Turns out people aren't just passionate about which comics appear in their local newspaper, but there's a whole legion of readers who love to hate "FBOFW." (Most of them congregate at the Comics Curmudgeon.) As a Washington Post reporter recently wrote:
These are the many millions who live to despise every last thing about the comic strip and, as such, have never missed a day. For them, "Foob" has never been worse -- worse puns, worse sap, even worse life choices. (Which, in a sick way, means "For Better or for Worse" has never been better!)
I, for one, don't get why, if she's going to expend the effort anyway, Johnston didn't just decide to stick with the comic as is. Otherwise, it is time to move on. I do hope the L.A. Times' next batch of comic contenders are better than the last ones, which ran during a "Doonesbury" hiatus earlier this year (none made the cut).
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