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Beyond For Better or For Worse

For Better or For Worse creator Lynn Johnston says she's enjoying retirement, thank you very much. The comic strip, which follows the lives of the Pattersons — a family originally based on Johnston's own — ran from 1979 to 2008.
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For Better or For Worse creator Lynn Johnston signs John Knox's tie — featuring a cartoon print she designed herself — at the Art Gallery of Sudbury's annual general meeting Oct. 21. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen.
For Better or For Worse creator Lynn Johnston says she's enjoying retirement, thank you very much.

The comic strip, which follows the lives of the Pattersons — a family originally based on Johnston's own — ran from 1979 to 2008. It's now in “re-runs,” with strips from the 1980s in print once again.

Johnston, 67, who lives in Corbeil, just outside of North Bay, said she fills her time with painting, writing, fabric design, travelling, and, most importantly, caring for her two grandkids, aged eight months and three years old.

“I used to hate hearing old people talk about their grandchildren, so I'm not going to bore you,” she told NorthernLife.ca during a visit to Sudbury Oct. 21, after speaking at the Art Gallery of Sudbury's annual general meeting.

“It's funny when the tables are turned, and I'm the old person talking about my grandchildren. It really is a huge thing. It's a very important thing, because it's the next generation.”

Johnston said she doesn't “for a second” miss writing the strip.

Part of those reasons are personal. Her marriage to North Bay dentist Rod Johnston was on the rocks six years ago, and she thought — mistakenly, as it turned out — that retirement might save the relationship.

“Then the marriage broke up, and I didn't want to draw characters that were based on a married couple, especially John, who looked a lot like my ex,” Johnston said.

In another way, though, with the Pattersons' lives having come full circle — from a family with young children, to those children being grown with kids of their own — she thought the story had been fully told anyway.

“So, it made a lot of sense from all directions to let it go,” Johnston said. “It's a good idea to let something go when it's doing well, too.”

When asked what she thinks the Pattersons would be doing in 2014, if she were still writing the strip, Johnston interestingly said she doesn't know.

“I really haven't mentally followed them,” she said.

“I've just let them disappear. It's like dear friends that have moved to another country, and you've planned to stay in touch, and you might visit once, but after that, you go your separate ways.”

During For Better or For Worse's run, the strip broke ground by tackling sensitive subjects, including homosexuality, child abuse, sexual assault and the death of family members and pets.

In doing so, Johnston said she wanted to reflect reality.

Still, she said she thinks she was rather gentle in writing about these issues. For example, when one of Michael Patterson's friends — Gordon Mayes — is hit by his father, Gordon only gets broken glasses and bruises.

Now officially a senior citizen, Johnston said she's looking for someone she can share her knowledge of the comics industry with.

But that's proven to be a big disappointment, she said, as several potential proteges have wanted immediate success without first paying their dues.

“I've heard it all before — excuse after excuse after excuse,” Johnston said. “Some day, if the right person comes along, I'll open doors for them.”

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Heidi Ulrichsen

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