The End of an Era

I am desolated. The comic strip For Better or for Worse has come to an end!

Or rather, it's re-starting from the beginning, so it's not quite an end, but after 29 years in print the current storyline has been wrapped up and the current cast of characters have left the stage, so it's worthy of crying over anyway.

I know, this may mean very little to most of you, but it is a huge thing for me I can tell you! You see, I'm the same age as the oldest child in the strip 'Michael', and unlike every other comic strip around, the characters in the FBOFW universe aged over the years, so in effect I 'grew-up' with Michael - literally. I was at high school at the same time as him and at uni too, and he was having girl troubles when I met my first boyfriend. Michale had an annoying kid sister, I had an annoying kid brother. His mum went back to work at the same time as mind did too.

I wasn't aware of the strip when I was very young of course - after all, it started when I was 3! But I remember reading it when I was pre-teen and I started collecting the yearly books when I was 12 or 13 I think. For years Pat collected the strips for me as my family didn't get the daily newspaper, so now I have piles of carefully hoarded pieces of newspaper, in order of publication, hidden away from the light so they don't go yellow with age.

And I have always had a very strong connection to the characters. Their trials and tribulations, their ups and downs, their lives and loves were all very real to me. Even though they were only ever on paper, they were part of a story that grew as I grew and I could always find parallels with my life in that daily strip.

Now, as I said, it hasn't exactly ended - the writer / drawer Lynn Johnson is starting from the beginning again - sort of. She is re-drawing some strips, and going back to her older style of drawing for all, but she's also expanding the story from its simple beginnings and elaborating on some things that happened when the kids were kids. So I'll still be able to get by daily dose of FBOFW, but the characters won't be my age anymore.

I will miss the older characters. I will miss seeing 'Michael' - who became a writer! - during his daily life. He published a book and had a family - things I aspire to one day. I will miss Elizabeth and her new marriage, I will miss April growing up, I will miss Elly and John, who were lovely parents and lovely people. I will miss them all.

But it did have a good run. 29 years of a continuing story. Who could ask for more really? I applaud Lynn and her team for a fantastic effort over the years and wish them all very well for the future.

So, sad, satisfied, melancholy and hopeful all at the same time. Life must go on - For Better or For Worse!