image of Patterson family group

Classic Website Features

small version of Who's Who graphicOur Who's Who page features character biographies and a complete list of all the secondary characters who appeared in the strip.


Lawrence's Story In 1993, Michael's friend Lawrence Poirier revealed that he was gay, sparking a controversy that rocked the comics page. Read the story here.


Meet Shannon Lake Meet Shannon Lake, April's school friend with Special Needs who was based on Lynn's real-life niece, Stephanie.


Mtigwaki logo
Visit Mtigwaki, the fictional Ojibwe village in Northern Ontario where Elizabeth voyaged to spread her wings as a teacher and work with First Nations kids.
Introduction to the Classic Content

Lynn began drawing For Better or For Worse® in 1979. Over the 29-year run of the strip, the Patterson family experienced many milestones, made many friends and encountered all aspects of modern life.

Now that FBorFW is in "new-runs" and Lynn's drawing style has changed (look here for an explanation), we're gradually updating the website to reflect the new look of the strip and remove items that don't fit the strip's new direction. But we know you'll still want to see the older website content, so we've collected it here for you to enjoy!


Take a Look Backstage
R and D Graphic

Lynn's drawing and writing styles grew in complexity and realism over the original run of For Better or For Worse, requiring that she put a lot of research into her work. You can find out more about our R&D process via the links below.

R&D: Research is Key
R&D: Real People
R&D: Real Places
R&D: A Model Student
R&D: Drawn From Life

En lo Bueno y en lo Malo

A little about FBorFW en Español.

The Making of a Comic Strip

At the height of its complexity, generating one complete week of For Better or For Worse comics required 55 hours of labour and a team of creative staff.
Learn how we did it!

Patterson Family Memories
Elly as a stamp
Letters from the Pattersons
From April of 2004 until September 2007, the Pattersons wrote monthly letters to you, our website audience. We've collected the letters here so you can still read them!

Mike and Deanna: A Love Story
Michael Patterson married Deanna Sobinski on September 15th, 2001. Read their story here.

Grandpa Jim's RCAF Service
Grandpa Jim was a member of RCAF Squadron 408. You can learn more about his military service here.

Liz and Anthony: Another Chance
After several years apart during their college years, Elizabeth Patterson married Anthony Caine on August 25th, 2008. Find out about their decision to pursue separate paths and the story of their reunion here.

Characters Who Came Later:
These Pattersons appeared later on in the FBorFW story. Click their names to learn more about them:

April Patterson
Grandpa Jim
Deanna Patterson
Meredith Patterson
Robin Patterson
Iris Richards
The Pets

Farley sittingRemembering Farley: A look into the life and heroic death of the Patterson's beloved sheepdog.