Things Are Looking Up...

For Better or For Worse #11

by Lynn Johnston

More family antics from the annals of "For Better or For Worse"--the sensitive comic strip that deals with marriage, parenting, elderly parents, and youngsters. Original.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Strips, Comic Book, Comedy, Canada

130 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

Lynn Johnston CM OM is a Canadian cartoonist, well known for her comic strip For Better or For Worse, and was the first female cartoonist to win the Reuben Award.

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of baby stuff (April is very cute, throws up a lot, learns to crawl and then walk this year) and teenager stuff for both Michael (age 15-16) and Elizabeth (age 11-12). Some life stuff for Ellie too, as her parents in Vancouver are showing their age and need to move into a smaller place.

As in every volume and the entire strip: a lot of life happening.

This volume was set in 1992 but the series frequently proves its timelessness. I sent my wife and daughter a photo of a strip in which Ellie goes after Elizabeth for not wearing winter gear when the weather demands it, decryingat the end, "Fine! I'm not the one who's going to suffer!" followed by a shot of Ellie at the window clearly suffering over her daughter being out in the cold. It's a scene that plays out regularly in my household.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming out in 1992 with strips from mid-91 through mid-92. The birth of April gives Johnston a chance to revisit the baby raising issues that really dominated the early years of the strip but her hand is a bit lighter this time around – it helps a lot that there are enough other issues going on with the other characters in the strip that the baby issues aren’t quite as dominant as in the early days.

[Nancy Bandusky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful, funny, engaging read. Parents with 3 children and a dog - plenty of characters with some funny and some touching storylines.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the little snippets of life that Lynn Johnston does.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! I remember reading the authors works years ago. I was the same age as elizabeth was when these trickled out. Now I get to read this from ellies perspective as a wife and mother.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of laughs and smiles!

[Child960801 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strip goes back to it's roots with lots of baby content in this one. Also, Michael spends the summer on his uncle's farm near Winnipeg and he and his friend group are involved in a lot of drama involving driving and girls. Elizabeth has trouble with her friends. Elly goes back to work. That was a part that showed the strip's age again. Elly goes back to work when April is 6 months old and comments about how that's when most women go back to work. Now, EI will pay you maternity leave for a whole year, so most women stay home for the first year.

[The other John · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection we get a whole bunch of baby jokes, dating jokes, farm jokes, middle age jokes, peer pressure jokes, sibling rivalry jokes, drivers ed jokes, and noisy neighbor jokes. Well, there's also some character development and drama, which makes For Better or For Worse so enjoyable to read.

[Amber the Human · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, I've never laughed out loud at For Better or For Worse, but I am fascinated by the family none the less. What is the back story to each panel - what happened and what didn't? Can't help myself.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next to "Zits". "For Better or for Worse" is my favourite comic strip series. I've seen some of these panels before but they have stood the test of time well.