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Fixing indentation
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* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: The author's viewpoint is that Thérèse is a cold, calculating shrew with severe and unreasonable jealousy problems who, despite Anthony's being a loving and supportive spouse, distanced herself from him and their child, cheated on him, and cruelly divorced him. But it's possible to make a solid case that Anthony was manipulative and overbearing, pushing Thérèse towards things she didn't want (a house in the suburbs, a baby, giving up her career to become a {{housewife}}) and being a whiny little bitch when she insisted on doing what she'd planned to do (which Anthony had ''agreed'' to), such as go back to work after Francoise was born. There's textual evidence to support the thesis that Thérèse's "distance" was postpartum depression which Anthony did nothing about. Additionally, Anthony was emotionally unfaithful to Thérèse from the get-go, pining after his ex-girlfriend Liz for his entire marriage. Anthony and Liz's wedding occurs at the end of the strip's run and would seem to justify Therese's jealousy. It's also rather telling on the official website that Anthony gets a full backstory and she doesn't-so we never see things fully from her perspective.
** WordOfGod is that childless career women are cold, selfish, self-centered wastes of space and that the only women who matter are full-time wives and mothers. The character of Connie (Lawrence's mother) was originally created to show this, but the author soon saw her in a sympathetic way and abandoned her plan - only to revive it with evil, evil Thérèse. Thérèse may also be evil because she is French-Canadian and attractive.
** WordOfGod is that childless career women are cold, selfish, self-centered wastes of space and that the only women who matter are full-time wives and mothers. The character of Connie (Lawrence's mother) was originally created to show this, but the author soon saw her in a sympathetic way and abandoned her plan - only to revive it with evil, evil Thérèse. Thérèse may also be evil because she is French-Canadian and attractive.
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* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** The author's viewpoint is that Thérèse is a cold, calculating shrew with severe and unreasonable jealousy problems who, despite Anthony's being a loving and supportive spouse, distanced herself from him and their child, cheated on him, and cruelly divorced him. But it's possible to make a solid case that Anthony was manipulative and overbearing, pushing Thérèse towards things she didn't want (a house in the suburbs, a baby, giving up her career to become a {{housewife}}) and being a whiny little bitch when she insisted on doing what she'd planned to do (which Anthony had ''agreed'' to), such as go back to work after Francoise was born. There's textual evidence to support the thesis that Thérèse's "distance" was postpartum depression which Anthony did nothing about. Additionally, Anthony was emotionally unfaithful to Thérèse from the get-go, pining after his ex-girlfriend Liz for his entire marriage. Anthony and Liz's wedding occurs at the end of the strip's run and would seem to justify Therese's jealousy. It's also rather telling on the official website that Anthony gets a full backstory and she doesn't-so we never see things fully from herperspective.
**perspective. WordOfGod is that childless career women are cold, selfish, self-centered wastes of space and that the only women who matter are full-time wives and mothers. The character of Connie (Lawrence's mother) was originally created to show this, but the author soon saw her in a sympathetic way and abandoned her plan - only to revive it with evil, evil Thérèse. Thérèse may also be evil because she is French-Canadian and attractive.
** The author's viewpoint is that Thérèse is a cold, calculating shrew with severe and unreasonable jealousy problems who, despite Anthony's being a loving and supportive spouse, distanced herself from him and their child, cheated on him, and cruelly divorced him. But it's possible to make a solid case that Anthony was manipulative and overbearing, pushing Thérèse towards things she didn't want (a house in the suburbs, a baby, giving up her career to become a {{housewife}}) and being a whiny little bitch when she insisted on doing what she'd planned to do (which Anthony had ''agreed'' to), such as go back to work after Francoise was born. There's textual evidence to support the thesis that Thérèse's "distance" was postpartum depression which Anthony did nothing about. Additionally, Anthony was emotionally unfaithful to Thérèse from the get-go, pining after his ex-girlfriend Liz for his entire marriage. Anthony and Liz's wedding occurs at the end of the strip's run and would seem to justify Therese's jealousy. It's also rather telling on the official website that Anthony gets a full backstory and she doesn't-so we never see things fully from her
**
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* DesignatedVillain: Thérèse is fairly notable, though it's implied she was always a cold, unemotional woman. Her portrayal as somebody who didn't want to have children makes her villainous in the strip's point-of-view, as was her (justified) jealousy at the attention Anthony had for Elizabeth. Then she got depressed, then finally did something villainous (cheated on Anthony).
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* DesignatedVillain: DesignatedVillain:
** Thérèse is fairly notable, though it's implied she was always a cold, unemotional woman. Her portrayal as somebody who didn't want to have children makes her villainous in the strip's point-of-view, as was her (justified) jealousy at the attention Anthony had for Elizabeth. Then she got depressed, then finally did something villainous (cheated on Anthony).
** Thérèse is fairly notable, though it's implied she was always a cold, unemotional woman. Her portrayal as somebody who didn't want to have children makes her villainous in the strip's point-of-view, as was her (justified) jealousy at the attention Anthony had for Elizabeth. Then she got depressed, then finally did something villainous (cheated on Anthony).
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* NightmareFuel: For a while, the digital versions of the strips as seen on the site were actually animated [=GIFs=], with the only animation being the characters' eyes blinking every so often. It was... unsettling. One theory is that a young relative showed her how to do it, and she happily went along with their idea.
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* NightmareFuel: NightmareFuel:
** For a while, the digital versions of the strips as seen on the site were actually animated [=GIFs=], with the only animation being the characters' eyes blinking every so often. It was... unsettling. One theory is that a young relative showed her how to do it, and she happily went along with their idea.
** For a while, the digital versions of the strips as seen on the site were actually animated [=GIFs=], with the only animation being the characters' eyes blinking every so often. It was... unsettling. One theory is that a young relative showed her how to do it, and she happily went along with their idea.
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* OnceOriginalNowCommon: While the strip has gone downhill, it's hard to appreciate just ''why'' the strip became a staple in newspaper comics:
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* OnceOriginalNowCommon: While the strip has gone downhill, it's hard to appreciate just ''why'' the strip became a staple in newspaper comics:comics.
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** The Kelpfroths, Michael's crabby CeilingBanger neighbors, also get upset at them for leaving their kids' toys and strollers in the stairwell and a kiddie pool on the common lawn area, where they're 'eyesores'. However, leaving items on the stairwell actually ''can'' create a safety hazard, and kiddie pools can be hazardous to the grass. And when Michael resorted to the childish "sitcom" solution of separating the shared foyer in half in duct tape so they can keep their kids things on "their side", the Kelpfroths were portrayed as being even ''more'' unreasonable for not liking this idea.
*** In another strip, they're pissed off at the fact the clogged up plumbing requires that their bathroom be torn up. But the clogged plumbing was caused by Michael's family, so they're suffering the inconvenience for their neighbor's inability to keep their kids in line, and yet when they're giving a formal complaint to the landlord, the landlord brushes them off. It isn't until later that their smoking causes the place to burn down, which is their least-sympathetic moment.
*** In another strip, they're pissed off at the fact the clogged up plumbing requires that their bathroom be torn up. But the clogged plumbing was caused by Michael's family, so they're suffering the inconvenience for their neighbor's inability to keep their kids in line, and yet when they're giving a formal complaint to the landlord, the landlord brushes them off. It isn't until later that their smoking causes the place to burn down, which is their least-sympathetic moment.
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** The Kelpfroths, Michael's crabby CeilingBanger neighbors, also get upset at them for leaving their kids' toys and strollers in the stairwell and a kiddie pool on the common lawn area, where they're 'eyesores'. However, leaving items on the stairwell actually ''can'' create a safety hazard, and kiddie pools can be hazardous to the grass. And when Michael resorted to the childish "sitcom" solution of separating the shared foyer in half in duct tape so they can keep their kids things on "their side", the Kelpfroths were portrayed as being even ''more'' unreasonable for not liking this idea.
***idea. In another strip, they're pissed off at the fact the clogged up plumbing requires that their bathroom be torn up. But the clogged plumbing was caused by Michael's family, so they're suffering the inconvenience for their neighbor's inability to keep their kids in line, and yet when they're giving a formal complaint to the landlord, the landlord brushes them off. It isn't until later that their smoking causes the place to burn down, which is their least-sympathetic moment.
***
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*** Weed's father never actually shows up in the strip. The one time Weed takes Michael home with him (and when Weed's career issues came up) the only person in the house, who enthusiastically greets Weed ("our boy is home!") and is hugged by Weed... is the housekeeper. Michael initially mistakes her for Weed's grandmother. The discussion of photography vs. the family business is held ''not'' with Weed's father, but the housekeeper (Please note: unlike the Pattersons, this ''is'' a discussion, not an argument. Both sides are calm and reasonable throughout). She points out (reasonably) that Weed's father just wants Weed to be well-settled financially, and doesn't want to hand over his business to strangers when he retires. Weed poignantly replies "I AM a stranger! I'm his son - but he barely knows me!" Unspoken is that the whole reason that Weed's a stranger ''and'' reluctant heir is that his father is a genuine workaholic that put his business over his relationship with his son.
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** Mr. B's death. Unlike Farley's, April had to experience every last second of her bunny's passing.
*** The vet's [[https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/monday-november-11-2002/ expression]] when he realizes he has to break it to a little girl that her beloved pet is dying.
*** The vet's [[https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/monday-november-11-2002/ expression]] when he realizes he has to break it to a little girl that her beloved pet is dying.
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** Mr. B's death. Unlike Farley's, April had to experience every last second of her bunny's passing.
*** Thepassing. And the vet's [[https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/monday-november-11-2002/ expression]] when he realizes he has to break it to a little girl that her beloved pet is dying.
*** The
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* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: When Michael and Deanne discover they have an unexpected pregnancy and are seriously concerned about that development with their financial situation, Elly is ecstatic about it in a IWantGrandkids fit of selfishness without seemingly caring about what they feel about it. The whole scene feels like Michael and Deanne are going to talk it over seriously and call Elly with the concluding panel of her face shattering at being told they decided to have an abortion. Instead of that bombshell, the pregnancy just goes through, resulting in Meredith.
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* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** When Michael and Deanne discover they have an unexpected pregnancy and are seriously concerned about that development with their financial situation, Elly is ecstatic about it in a IWantGrandkids fit of selfishness without seemingly caring about what they feel about it. The whole scene feels like Michael and Deanne are going to talk it over seriously and call Elly with the concluding panel of her face shattering at being told they decided to have an abortion. Instead of that bombshell, the pregnancy just goes through, resulting in Meredith.
** When Michael and Deanne discover they have an unexpected pregnancy and are seriously concerned about that development with their financial situation, Elly is ecstatic about it in a IWantGrandkids fit of selfishness without seemingly caring about what they feel about it. The whole scene feels like Michael and Deanne are going to talk it over seriously and call Elly with the concluding panel of her face shattering at being told they decided to have an abortion. Instead of that bombshell, the pregnancy just goes through, resulting in Meredith.
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* FairForItsDay: One way to tell this is to see some things that got Johnston mail of praise and hatemail for including. These days, an author would be considered old-fashioned for playing them straight.
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* FairForItsDay: One way to tell this is to see some The strip was in many ways ahead of its time -- however, a few things that got (i.e., John's casual sexism towards his female coworkers or Elly, the only gay Lawrence becoming a florist) come off as rather dated today. A doctor in one strip was also drawn with a yarmulke...and [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Johnston mail of praise and got hatemail for including. These days, accusing her of pushing an author would be considered old-fashioned for playing them straight. agenda.]]
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Feel free to re-add, but those read more to me like Warp That Aesop.
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* AccidentalAesop: It happens a lot:
** Sympathetic women in the strip are generally expected to get married and be housewives (with a few exceptions -- even many ''background'' characters are married off in the supporting materials), which is explained in-universe as a thankless, difficult, aggravating job. So it can be taken as "a woman's duty is to become a {{Housewife}} even if you hate it".
** "Children are horrible monsters -- you have to take care of them and instead of spending any amount of time on yourself or your interests, you're constantly breaking up fights and lose your sense of identity at the same time."
** "Men are pigs who slack off at home and rarely have anything supportive to say, but you have to marry one in order to have a family (see Aesop #1)".
** "Stealing another woman's husband away is perfectly fine, so long as you think she's a shrew who makes him miserable."
** Mira Sobinski constantly gets away with her overbearing behavior (save for once when Mike stands up to her), implying that "grace under fire" is an ideal -- that rocking the boat and complaining to someone's face is too difficult or horrible, so instead you should let them do or say whatever they want... and then complain about them behind their back (as nearly every character does this regarding her).
** The way both Michael and Elizabeth's adult lives go unintentionally gives the message "It's fine to go to university and do a little traveling, but the right way to be an adult is to stay in your hometown, marry your childhood/high school sweetheart and have kids by your mid twenties. Any other option is the wrong one."
** Sympathetic women in the strip are generally expected to get married and be housewives (with a few exceptions -- even many ''background'' characters are married off in the supporting materials), which is explained in-universe as a thankless, difficult, aggravating job. So it can be taken as "a woman's duty is to become a {{Housewife}} even if you hate it".
** "Children are horrible monsters -- you have to take care of them and instead of spending any amount of time on yourself or your interests, you're constantly breaking up fights and lose your sense of identity at the same time."
** "Men are pigs who slack off at home and rarely have anything supportive to say, but you have to marry one in order to have a family (see Aesop #1)".
** "Stealing another woman's husband away is perfectly fine, so long as you think she's a shrew who makes him miserable."
** Mira Sobinski constantly gets away with her overbearing behavior (save for once when Mike stands up to her), implying that "grace under fire" is an ideal -- that rocking the boat and complaining to someone's face is too difficult or horrible, so instead you should let them do or say whatever they want... and then complain about them behind their back (as nearly every character does this regarding her).
** The way both Michael and Elizabeth's adult lives go unintentionally gives the message "It's fine to go to university and do a little traveling, but the right way to be an adult is to stay in your hometown, marry your childhood/high school sweetheart and have kids by your mid twenties. Any other option is the wrong one."
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* ValuesDissonance: Lynn Johnson's self-described pro-nuclear family views as a "child of the [=50s=]" started rearing their ugly head more and more as the strip neared its conclusion, and when her views clashed with those of many fans, things got ugly. This stung especially hard for the people who first started reading the comic when it was running [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny fresh and groundbreaking]] storylines with progressive attitudes on topics like homosexuality and the disabled, so everyone settling for domestic bliss came across like a slap in the face. Ultimately, the comic is a good example of what happens when a LongRunner starts out progressive, only to have the surrounding culture start changing [[StatusQuoIsGod faster than the comic does.]] Some examples:
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* ValuesDissonance: Lynn Johnson's self-described pro-nuclear family views as a "child of the [=50s=]" started rearing their ugly head more and more as the strip neared its conclusion, and when her views clashed with those of many fans, things got ugly. This stung especially hard for the people who first started reading the comic when it was running [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny [[FairForItsDay fresh and groundbreaking]] storylines with progressive attitudes on topics like homosexuality and the disabled, so everyone settling for domestic bliss came across like a slap in the face. Ultimately, the comic is a good example of what happens when a LongRunner starts out progressive, only to have the surrounding culture start changing [[StatusQuoIsGod faster than the comic does.]] Some examples:
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* RootingForTheEmpire: 90% of the fandom was hoping that Elizabeth would end up with one of her WrongGuyFirst candidates, rather than the inevitable blandness that is [[CreatorsPet Anthony]].
* SeasonalRot: The later years of the strip are mostly regarded as lower in quality. At one point, this was the most-popular strip in North America, and has several famously-touching strips and story arcs, such as the protracted death of Elly's mother, Lawrence's coming-out story, Grandpa Jim's problems, and more. And the earlier strips were seen as an "I feel your pain" call from Lynn to scores of unfortunate, put-upon housewives. It probably had 90% good years to bad ones. And yet, the strip's online reputation is largely-based around complaining about the last couple of years.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: While the strip has gone downhill, it's hard to appreciate just ''why'' the strip became a staple in newspaper comics:
* SeasonalRot: The later years of the strip are mostly regarded as lower in quality. At one point, this was the most-popular strip in North America, and has several famously-touching strips and story arcs, such as the protracted death of Elly's mother, Lawrence's coming-out story, Grandpa Jim's problems, and more. And the earlier strips were seen as an "I feel your pain" call from Lynn to scores of unfortunate, put-upon housewives. It probably had 90% good years to bad ones. And yet, the strip's online reputation is largely-based around complaining about the last couple of years.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: While the strip has gone downhill, it's hard to appreciate just ''why'' the strip became a staple in newspaper comics:
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* RootingForTheEmpire: 90% of the fandom was hoping that Elizabeth would end up with one of her WrongGuyFirst candidates, rather than the inevitable blandness that is [[CreatorsPet Anthony]].
* SeasonalRot: The later years of the strip are mostly regarded as lower in quality. At one point, this was the most-popular strip in North America, and has several famously-touching strips and story arcs, such as the protracted death of Elly's mother, Lawrence's coming-out story, Grandpa Jim's problems, and more. And the earlier strips were seen as an "I feel your pain" call from Lynn to scores of unfortunate, put-upon housewives. It probably had 90% good years to bad ones. And yet, the strip's online reputation is largely-based around complaining about the last couple of years.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny:OnceOriginalNowCommon: While the strip has gone downhill, it's hard to appreciate just ''why'' the strip became a staple in newspaper comics:
* SeasonalRot: The later years of the strip are mostly regarded as lower in quality. At one point, this was the most-popular strip in North America, and has several famously-touching strips and story arcs, such as the protracted death of Elly's mother, Lawrence's coming-out story, Grandpa Jim's problems, and more. And the earlier strips were seen as an "I feel your pain" call from Lynn to scores of unfortunate, put-upon housewives. It probably had 90% good years to bad ones. And yet, the strip's online reputation is largely-based around complaining about the last couple of years.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny:
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* RootingForTheEmpire: 90% of the fandom was hoping that Elizabeth would end up with one of her WrongGuyFirst candidates, rather than the inevitable blandness that is [[CreatorsPet Anthony]].
* SeasonalRot: The later years of the strip are mostly regarded as lower in quality. At one point, this was the most-popular strip in North America, and has several famously-touching strips and story arcs, such as the protracted death of Elly's mother, Lawrence's coming-out story, Grandpa Jim's problems, and more. And the earlier strips were seen as an "I feel your pain" call from Lynn to scores of unfortunate, put-upon housewives. It probably had 90% good years to bad ones. And yet, the strip's online reputation is largely-based around complaining about the last couple of years.
* SeasonalRot: The later years of the strip are mostly regarded as lower in quality. At one point, this was the most-popular strip in North America, and has several famously-touching strips and story arcs, such as the protracted death of Elly's mother, Lawrence's coming-out story, Grandpa Jim's problems, and more. And the earlier strips were seen as an "I feel your pain" call from Lynn to scores of unfortunate, put-upon housewives. It probably had 90% good years to bad ones. And yet, the strip's online reputation is largely-based around complaining about the last couple of years.
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Added DiffLines:
* {{Squick}}: [[https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/saturday-june-25-1994/ One infamous strip]] from Michael’s high school graduation is John’s [[RagingStiffie reaction]] to his son’s ''teenage'' girlfriend in a fancy dress. When the storyline was reprinted in 2023, it was [[https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/saturday-june-24-2023/ thankfully altered]] with John giving a more confused look and the '''BOINGGG''' removed.
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** Did Thérèse actually cheat on Anthony, or did Anthony lie to John for sympathy from the Pattersons and further vilify Thérèse?
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** Did Thérèse actually cheat on Anthony, or did Anthony lie to John for sympathy from the Pattersons and further vilify Thérèse?Thérèse? And if she did, did Anthony really have a right to complain considering his emotional affair with Liz?
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Indentation
Changed line(s) 106 (click to see context) from:
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video).
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* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video).
** Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video).
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Indentation
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* ArchiveBinge: 31 regular collection books, 4 treasuries, 2 Sunday strip collection books, 6 retrospective books, 5 ‘little books’, 2 gift books, and 4 (out of a planned 9) library books.
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* ArchiveBinge: 31 regular collection books, 4 treasuries, 2 Sunday strip collection books, 6 retrospective books, 5 ‘little books’, 'little books', 2 gift books, and 4 (out of a planned 9) library books.
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* InformedWrongness: Elly's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-absorption]], both parents' inability to think of April as anything but the naive baby of the family, and just occasionally the reality of the strip itself all conspired to make sure April was always wrong; if it couldn't make her wrong on factual counts, then it would make sure she was at least a wicked child for insisting upon the facts instead of blindly rolling over and taking the blame.
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* InformedWrongness: InformedWrongness:
** Elly's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-absorption]], both parents' inability to think of April as anything but the naive baby of the family, and just occasionally the reality of the strip itself all conspired to make sure April was always wrong; if it couldn't make her wrong on factual counts, then it would make sure she was at least a wicked child for insisting upon the facts instead of blindly rolling over and taking the blame.
** Elly's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-absorption]], both parents' inability to think of April as anything but the naive baby of the family, and just occasionally the reality of the strip itself all conspired to make sure April was always wrong; if it couldn't make her wrong on factual counts, then it would make sure she was at least a wicked child for insisting upon the facts instead of blindly rolling over and taking the blame.
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* MemeticMutation: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Gap-Toothed Starey 'Hoooo!' Guy"]], an unnamed student that gawked at April after her boyfriend apparently told him they'd done the deed. The Comics Curmudgeon [[http://joshreads.com/?p=1018 happily pointed him out]].
to:
* MemeticMutation: MemeticMutation:
** The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Gap-Toothed Starey 'Hoooo!' Guy"]], an unnamed student that gawked at April after her boyfriend apparently told him they'd done the deed. The Comics Curmudgeon [[http://joshreads.com/?p=1018 happily pointed him out]].
** The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Gap-Toothed Starey 'Hoooo!' Guy"]], an unnamed student that gawked at April after her boyfriend apparently told him they'd done the deed. The Comics Curmudgeon [[http://joshreads.com/?p=1018 happily pointed him out]].
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* Narm: The kids continued to say "an'" instead of "and" well into their teens. It got awkward when a teenage Michael would be having a serious conversation with somebody and would use "an'" like a 3-year old.
* NeverLiveItDown: Anthony's actions immediately after rescuing Elizabeth from a violent assault by the man who's been stalking her for some time. Instead of then taking Elizabeth to the police to report her attempted rape, he first announces that "he's never had anything to fight for until now" (this, from a man with a wife and ''brand-new daughter''), then takes her to a park and proceeds to go on a whiny diatribe about how horrible ''his'' married life has become ("I'm not a homewrecker!" "I have no home!"). From the context, this is mostly because his wife refuses to be a stereotypical stay-at-home mom. And all of it is explicitly an effort to guilt-trip the newly-vulnerable Elizabeth into waiting for him. Apparently Johnston designed the entire assault plotline simply as a means to give Anthony an old-fashioned BigDamnHeroes moment, complete with StandardHeroReward, and until the inevitable backlash erupted had no idea that she was instead turning him into a {{Jerkass}} of the highest order. Not surprisingly, when the Anthony/Elizabeth relationship strips were later collected on the website, these particular scenes were quietly omitted.
* NeverLiveItDown: Anthony's actions immediately after rescuing Elizabeth from a violent assault by the man who's been stalking her for some time. Instead of then taking Elizabeth to the police to report her attempted rape, he first announces that "he's never had anything to fight for until now" (this, from a man with a wife and ''brand-new daughter''), then takes her to a park and proceeds to go on a whiny diatribe about how horrible ''his'' married life has become ("I'm not a homewrecker!" "I have no home!"). From the context, this is mostly because his wife refuses to be a stereotypical stay-at-home mom. And all of it is explicitly an effort to guilt-trip the newly-vulnerable Elizabeth into waiting for him. Apparently Johnston designed the entire assault plotline simply as a means to give Anthony an old-fashioned BigDamnHeroes moment, complete with StandardHeroReward, and until the inevitable backlash erupted had no idea that she was instead turning him into a {{Jerkass}} of the highest order. Not surprisingly, when the Anthony/Elizabeth relationship strips were later collected on the website, these particular scenes were quietly omitted.
to:
* Narm: {{Narm}}: The kids continued to say "an'" instead of "and" well into their teens. It got awkward when a teenage Michael would be having a serious conversation with somebody and would use "an'" like a 3-year old.
*NeverLiveItDown: NeverLiveItDown:
** Anthony's actions immediately after rescuing Elizabeth from a violent assault by the man who's been stalking her for some time. Instead of then taking Elizabeth to the police to report her attempted rape, he first announces that "he's never had anything to fight for until now" (this, from a man with a wife and ''brand-new daughter''), then takes her to a park and proceeds to go on a whiny diatribe about how horrible ''his'' married life has become ("I'm not a homewrecker!" "I have no home!"). From the context, this is mostly because his wife refuses to be a stereotypical stay-at-home mom. And all of it is explicitly an effort to guilt-trip the newly-vulnerable Elizabeth into waiting for him. Apparently Johnston designed the entire assault plotline simply as a means to give Anthony an old-fashioned BigDamnHeroes moment, complete with StandardHeroReward, and until the inevitable backlash erupted had no idea that she was instead turning him into a {{Jerkass}} of the highest order. Not surprisingly, when the Anthony/Elizabeth relationship strips were later collected on the website, these particular scenes were quietly omitted.
*
** Anthony's actions immediately after rescuing Elizabeth from a violent assault by the man who's been stalking her for some time. Instead of then taking Elizabeth to the police to report her attempted rape, he first announces that "he's never had anything to fight for until now" (this, from a man with a wife and ''brand-new daughter''), then takes her to a park and proceeds to go on a whiny diatribe about how horrible ''his'' married life has become ("I'm not a homewrecker!" "I have no home!"). From the context, this is mostly because his wife refuses to be a stereotypical stay-at-home mom. And all of it is explicitly an effort to guilt-trip the newly-vulnerable Elizabeth into waiting for him. Apparently Johnston designed the entire assault plotline simply as a means to give Anthony an old-fashioned BigDamnHeroes moment, complete with StandardHeroReward, and until the inevitable backlash erupted had no idea that she was instead turning him into a {{Jerkass}} of the highest order. Not surprisingly, when the Anthony/Elizabeth relationship strips were later collected on the website, these particular scenes were quietly omitted.
Changed line(s) 70 (click to see context) from:
** It touched upon issues such as infidelity, homophobia, sexual assault, child abuse, deformities, the treatment of First Nations peoples, cancer, death, strokes, and ableism. Most newspaper comics simply ''did not'' talk about that stuff - oftentimes it was kept for AVerySpecialEpisode.
to:
** It touched upon issues such as infidelity, homophobia, sexual assault, child abuse, deformities, the treatment of First Nations peoples, cancer, death, strokes, and ableism. Most newspaper comics simply ''did not'' talk about that stuff - -- oftentimes it was kept for AVerySpecialEpisode.
Changed line(s) 72 (click to see context) from:
** Johnston in one early strip actually depicted a doctor wearing a yarmulke - it's hard to appreciate just how risky this was, since she [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything received hatemail for pushing an agenda in comics]].
to:
** Johnston in one early strip actually depicted a doctor wearing a yarmulke - -- it's hard to appreciate just how risky this was, since she [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything received hatemail for pushing an agenda in comics]].
Changed line(s) 82 (click to see context) from:
* TearJerker: Farley's death was this for many; especially since you don't really expect NewspaperComics to talk about stuff like ''this''. Charles Shultz was so mortified by the idea that he joked "I'm gonna have Snoopy get hit by a ''truck'' -- and I'll get a whole lot more publicity than ''you'' will!"
to:
* TearJerker: TearJerker:
** Farley's death was this for many; especially since you don't really expect NewspaperComics to talk about stuff like ''this''. Charles Shultz was so mortified by the idea that he joked "I'm gonna have Snoopy get hit by a ''truck'' -- and I'll get a whole lot more publicity than ''you'' will!"
** Farley's death was this for many; especially since you don't really expect NewspaperComics to talk about stuff like ''this''. Charles Shultz was so mortified by the idea that he joked "I'm gonna have Snoopy get hit by a ''truck'' -- and I'll get a whole lot more publicity than ''you'' will!"
Changed line(s) 84,85 (click to see context) from:
** Lawrence's coming out storyline has him telling his parents which goes far worse than you'd expect for two major supporting characters: Connie refuses to accept it and tells Greg to "talk some sense into him". Instead Greg throws his step son out into the cold telling him to go live "where people like you live." Laurence's response is absolutely heartbreaking.
-->'''Lawrence:''' My name is Lawrence Porier and I live here!
-->'''Lawrence:''' My name is Lawrence Porier and I live here!
to:
** Lawrence's coming out storyline has him telling his parents which goes far worse than you'd expect for two major supporting characters: Connie refuses to accept it and tells Greg to "talk some sense into him". Instead Greg throws his step son out into the cold telling him to go live "where people like you live." Laurence's Lawrence's response is absolutely heartbreaking.
-->'''Lawrence:''' --->'''Lawrence:''' My name is Lawrence Porier and I live here!
Changed line(s) 94 (click to see context) from:
* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: Deanna is drawn with exaggerated lips, presumably to enhance her beauty. But it looks bizarre next to other women in the strip.
to:
* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: UnfortunateCharacterDesign:
** Deanna is drawn with exaggerated lips, presumably to enhance her beauty. But it looks bizarre next to other women in the strip.
** Deanna is drawn with exaggerated lips, presumably to enhance her beauty. But it looks bizarre next to other women in the strip.
Changed line(s) 96 (click to see context) from:
* UnintentionallySympathetic
to:
* UnintentionallySympatheticUnintentionallySympathetic:
Changed line(s) 98 (click to see context) from:
** April. Her family eventually starts treating her like TheUnfavourite, to the point of selling their own house and forcing her to live in a basement just so their precious Michael can have a big home for his new family. What's more, when April voices her complaint(s) about the new living situation (ie sharing a bathroom) ''she'''s called out for being spoiled. Wha
to:
** April. Her family eventually starts treating her like TheUnfavourite, to the point of selling their own house and forcing her to live in a basement just so their precious Michael can have a big home for his new family. What's more, when April voices her complaint(s) about the new living situation (ie sharing a bathroom) ''she'''s called out for being spoiled. Wha
Changed line(s) 101,103 (click to see context) from:
** Becky is seen as a bitch for being a star and pushing away her friends. While she’s far from perfect, she’s also been through a lot: her parents had a nasty divorce and told Becky ''to her face'' that they only stayed together because of her, she’s slut shamed for being with an older boy (and even if they had sex, she may have been coerced into it) and her father is a StageMom who emotionally abuses her and won’t let her see her mother. Not to mention that April and the others seem to be fair weather friends towards her.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video)
** One strip has Elizabeth saying "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the world...next to Bill Cosby, of course." At the time of the strip's publication ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' was a hugely popular show and Cosby had a reputation as a wholesome family man. With his sex scandals coming to light in recent years...not so much now.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video)
** One strip has Elizabeth saying "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the world...next to Bill Cosby, of course." At the time of the strip's publication ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' was a hugely popular show and Cosby had a reputation as a wholesome family man. With his sex scandals coming to light in recent years...not so much now.
to:
** Becky is seen as a bitch for being a star and pushing away her friends. While she’s far from perfect, she’s she's also been through a lot: her parents had a nasty divorce and told Becky ''to her face'' that they only stayed together because of her, she’s slut shamed she's slut-shamed for being with an older boy (and even if they had sex, she may have been coerced into it) and her father is a StageMom who emotionally abuses her and won’t won't let her see her mother. Not to mention that April and the others seem to be fair weather fair-weather friends towards her.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of avideo)
video).
** One strip has Elizabeth saying "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the world... next to Bill Cosby, of course." At the time of the strip's publication ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' was a hugely popular show and Cosby had a reputation as a wholesome family man. With his sex scandals coming to light in recent years... not so much now.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a
** One strip has Elizabeth saying "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the world... next to Bill Cosby, of course." At the time of the strip's publication ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' was a hugely popular show and Cosby had a reputation as a wholesome family man. With his sex scandals coming to light in recent years... not so much now.
Changed line(s) 110,111 (click to see context) from:
** John and Elly telling Michael that he “owes” them for feeding and sheltering him whenever he doesn’t want to do chores reads more like emotional and verbal abuse.
** There’s little attention paid to the children’s mental health: When a teenage Elizabeth shows signs of depression, John brushes it off by saying that she has a great life, Michael’s anger management issues aren’t addressed and Elly and John pay little notice to April’s PTSD from nearly drowning in the river, instead showing annoyance with her refusal to take baths.
** There’s little attention paid to the children’s mental health: When a teenage Elizabeth shows signs of depression, John brushes it off by saying that she has a great life, Michael’s anger management issues aren’t addressed and Elly and John pay little notice to April’s PTSD from nearly drowning in the river, instead showing annoyance with her refusal to take baths.
to:
** John and Elly telling Michael that he “owes” "owes" them for feeding and sheltering him whenever he doesn’t doesn't want to do chores reads more like emotional and verbal abuse.
**There’s There's little attention paid to the children’s children's mental health: When a teenage Elizabeth shows signs of depression, John brushes it off by saying that she has a great life, Michael’s Michael's anger management issues aren’t aren't addressed and Elly and John pay little notice to April’s April's PTSD from nearly drowning in the river, instead showing annoyance with her refusal to take baths.
**
Changed line(s) 118 (click to see context) from:
** April, especially both when she nearly drowned in the river and when Elly and John sold the house to Michael and Deanna without telling her or even ''thinking'' about her. While John did later show some concerns, the others were dismissive of her valid complaints. Not to mention that that she was bullied by Jeremy Jones and threatened with physical assault by Kortney and Elly didn’t defend her either time, it’s implied that she’s closer to Jim than the rest of the family and she’s constantly doing unpaid babysitting for Deanna and it’s implied that Elizabeth plans to do the same. No wonder she left for Calgary and never looked back.
to:
** April, especially both when she nearly drowned in the river and when Elly and John sold the house to Michael and Deanna without telling her or even ''thinking'' about her. While John did later show some concerns, the others were dismissive of her valid complaints. Not to mention that that she was bullied by Jeremy Jones and threatened with physical assault by Kortney and Elly didn’t didn't defend her either time, it’s it's implied that she’s she's closer to Jim than the rest of the family and she’s she's constantly doing unpaid babysitting for Deanna and it’s it's implied that Elizabeth plans to do the same. No wonder she left for Calgary and never looked back.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 107 (click to see context) from:
** According to Johnston, one of Anthony's best qualities, and the biggest reason why he's a more suitable husband for Elizabeth than any of her post-high school boyfriends, is that Elizabeth's parents know him well. In her mind, this apparently trumps being attractive, interesting, or even, apparently, unmarried.
to:
** According to Lynn Johnston, one of Anthony's best qualities, and the biggest reason why he's a more suitable husband for Elizabeth than any of her post-high school boyfriends, is that Elizabeth's her parents know him well. In her mind, this apparently trumps being attractive, interesting, or even, apparently, unmarried.Lynn even highlights the fact that Anthony stayed close to the Pattersons when Elizabeth was in Mtigwaki as a positive for their relationship. Leaving aside Anthony's marriage, Lynn seemed confused that readers didn't agree that hanging out with Liz's ''family'' while she was living hundreds of kilometres away was somehow proof that he'd be a fantastic husband for ''Liz''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 107 (click to see context) from:
** On her website, Lynn Johnston defended her choice to have Elizabeth get together with Anthony, claiming that Liz's other beaus were unsuitable because her family didn't know them well.
to:
** On her website, Lynn Johnston defended her choice According to have Johnston, one of Anthony's best qualities, and the biggest reason why he's a more suitable husband for Elizabeth get together with Anthony, claiming than any of her post-high school boyfriends, is that Liz's other beaus were unsuitable because her family didn't Elizabeth's parents know them him well. In her mind, this apparently trumps being attractive, interesting, or even, apparently, unmarried.
Changed line(s) 113 (click to see context) from:
** In one early strip, Elly doesn't allow Michael and Lawrence to watch a movie because it's rated PG. Back then, PG was considered as bad as PG-13, with movies like Film/{{Airplane}} getting thst rating. Nowadays with most children's movies getting that rating, a kid not being allowed to watch a PG rated movie in this day and age comes off as incredibly sheltered.
to:
** In one early strip, Elly doesn't allow Michael and Lawrence to watch a movie because it's rated PG. Back then, PG was considered as bad as PG-13, with movies like Film/{{Airplane}} getting thst that rating. Nowadays with most children's movies getting that rating, a kid not being allowed to watch a PG rated movie in this day and age comes off as incredibly sheltered.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 102 (click to see context) from:
* UnintentinoalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video)
to:
* UnintentinoalPeriodPiece: UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 102 (click to see context) from:
* UnintentioalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video)
to:
* UnintentioalPeriodPiece: UnintentinoalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* UnintentioalPeriodPiece: Several of the strips released in the 80s and 90s mention the technology and culture of the time, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', cassette tapes, etc. When the strip was re-ran from the beginning, some of these references were changed to more modern things (e.g. Michael asking for video games for Christmas instead of a video)
** One strip has Elizabeth saying "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the world...next to Bill Cosby, of course." At the time of the strip's publication ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' was a hugely popular show and Cosby had a reputation as a wholesome family man. With his sex scandals coming to light in recent years...not so much now.
** One strip has Elizabeth saying "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the world...next to Bill Cosby, of course." At the time of the strip's publication ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' was a hugely popular show and Cosby had a reputation as a wholesome family man. With his sex scandals coming to light in recent years...not so much now.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* Narm: The kids continued to say "an'" instead of "and" well into their teens. It got awkward when a teenage Michael would be having a serious conversation with somebody and would use "an'" like a 3-year old.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AudienceAlienatingEra: The comic is widely considered to have ended on one of these, then restarted on another. It became a soapbox for the creator's very dated (and somewhat warped) views and beliefs. Not helping is that the reboot seems to be designed to vilify John (who was based on her ex-husband) as much as possible.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None of these is a real ships, it's just a sarcastic way of saying Anthony needs to die.
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* DieForOurShip: Fans want Anthony to die for the various ships of Elizabeth/Interesting Life, Elizabeth/Freedom, Elizabeth/Independence, Elizabeth/Anyone But Anthony... well, honestly, they just want Anthony to die.
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Unnecessary.
Deleted line(s) 24 (click to see context) :
** The fanbase, however, was taken with different attributes -- his ugly moustache, his nerdy appearance, his boring and unambitious career (the accountant for a car shop that turned into a small chain), and a large degree of whininess and emotional dependency, as well as his unfaithfulness to his wife. Keep in mind that Liz's other love interests were handsome, passionate, ambitious career men with fascinating positions and lifestyles -- Liz dropped her own adventurous, unique life for "domestic bliss" with Captain Boring. Keep in mind ''also'' that a large part of the strip's fanbase was by this point identifying with the young post-college Elizabeth, which is why this particular trope ''stung'' so much. The writer and the audience were of completely different minds regarding what kind of life was most rewarding and fitting for Elizabeth.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 71 (click to see context) from:
** Johnston in one early strip actually depicted a doctor wearing a yamaka - it's hard to appreciate just how risky this was, since she [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything received hatemail for pushing an agenda in comics]].
to:
** Johnston in one early strip actually depicted a doctor wearing a yamaka yarmulke - it's hard to appreciate just how risky this was, since she [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything received hatemail for pushing an agenda in comics]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 110 (click to see context) from:
** In one early strip, Elly doesn't allow Michael and Lawrence to watch a movie because it's rated PG. Back then, PG was considered as bad as PG-13, with movies like Film/Airplane getting thst rating. Nowadays with most children's movies getting that rating, a kid not being allowed to watch a PG rated movie in this day and age comes off as incredibly sheltered.
to:
** In one early strip, Elly doesn't allow Michael and Lawrence to watch a movie because it's rated PG. Back then, PG was considered as bad as PG-13, with movies like Film/Airplane Film/{{Airplane}} getting thst rating. Nowadays with most children's movies getting that rating, a kid not being allowed to watch a PG rated movie in this day and age comes off as incredibly sheltered.
