In an ironic twist, Lynn Johnston, creator of the family-oriented comic strip, For Better or Worse, suffered a jolt when her husband, Rod Johnston, left her for someone else, leading me to wonder where the line between fiction and reality is - or should be - for writers, whether they write comic strips, creative nonfiction, fiction or other works.
This separation was kept rather secret, as Rod left in April and here we are, as of this writing, in September. To add to the irony, this week's comic strip is a look back at how the Elly and John Patterson met- the Pattersons are the fictional couple which some readers believe is based strongly on Johnston's own marriage.
I've been thinking about this, trying to figure out how I feel. I wasn't a strong fan of the comic strip but I did read it and related to so many of the events in it, even though I felt it was starting to lose some of its appeal as time went on. It had the ring of truth to it and I believed that the creator was writing only a thinly veiled account of much of her own life and world view.
To add to the twists, Johnston was also planning to retire to spend more time with her husband and was planning to let the strip go into reruns, like Peanuts and other comic strips. She now says that instead of having only reruns in her strip that she will be adding new content which probably seems like good news to her many fans. "She isn't quitting after all" they may be thinking...and they'd be right. Could the trauma in her life actually turn into something good for her readers? How odd.
The result will be what is called a "hybrid", meaning that readers will see some of the earlier comic strips (like reruns) as well as new material. So far, response has been positive. I can't help wondering how much of Johnston's real-life experiences with divorce will seep into the comic and if the tone of the strip will become darker. Divorce can be a life-altering event. What do you think? Were you a fan of this comic? Are you shocked by the recent news? Do you think it matters or is of any importance to readers of this person's work?
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 35
Given that so much of her past strips seem to have been taken from her life, I imagine we might see something happening to Ellie and John.
what a shame the author will be getting a divorce .... but life DOES go on .... even after divorce ....
Jane, (I'm just enjoying this discussion, I don't feel strongly about this, but...) you're talking about a roman à clef, and you could argue such works benefit from that extra level of analysis. But if they're done right, they stand on their own merit without knowing who they're about.
Beside that specific case, I think it's better to ignore the real world sources of an artist's inspiration. (It doesn't help at all to know who Hemingway was thinking of in The Sun Also Rises, or Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby.)
(I hope Lynn Johnston would be pleased to be mentioned in that company.)
So even though I was an English major and even a published writer, I am afraid to use certain terms out loud because I haven't heard them pronounced and I learn pronunciations much better from hearing them verbally rather than seeing them on the page, even if there are phonetic guides. I can't remember those very well. I guess I'm an auditory learner.
I can't recall the link but all the most recent ones are at her website. Hang on....http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/
I gave you a 10. It's a good article. Sorry if my question bugged you.
Your question didn't bug me. Trust me, I have seen enough rumours floating around. In fact, Tommy Hilfiger had to go on Oprah because some rumor about how Oprah hated him was floating around and she cleared it up.
I don't read this comic regularly. I"m too into all the ones my older son recommends which are far more gritty and not as sweet. The History of Violence, made into what I considered an excellent movie, was a graphic novel first. I thought it was an excellent look at identity and whether one's past can ever be escaped.
They had a child or so together, and she has grandchildren.
She is from Ontario but lives now in Manitoba. and originally began drawing comix on papers in her OB/GYN/s office - when she was pregnant with the baby who became the character Michael.
She played only in Canada for about a year before receiving a 30 or more year syndication.
She has based a lot on her life.
Here is a wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Johnston
She says her mother used to 'beat the living crap' out of her.
Heather R.