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Holy moly!!! From the previous readings posted here, I gather you are planning to retire. Oh no! What will I do without my cup of coffee and your strip to start my day.

I love, love, love everything you've written and drawn. I personally prefer your earlier art work, because, for me, it defined how funny the strip is. Having said that, the fact that your art work has evolved says a great deal about you as an artist. The whole look and feel of the strip has grown and evolved. That's how it should be.

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into the research of topics. I also, really appreicate the staff who assist you and keep this interprise going. I appreciate your family for being willing to share you and their life with the world. I appreciate your parents for raising you to be the kind of person who sees goodness, kindness, and humor in most of the world and trys to convey it to others.

Yea for Liz and Anthony!!! The fact she would end up with him is so realistic. I can't begin to count the folks I know who have done the same thing. We tend to want an exciting/different man or woman, but once we dig a little we find that what makes them exciting/different sometimes are qualities that are not desirable for a stable realtionship. What great story lines you can develop from Anthony's previous marriage.

This is a comic strip folks. This is not real life. I know everyone thinks this is their personal property and they should have input in the story line, but you are wrong. It was developed to entertain and communicate. Now it also teaches.

I love how sweet and kind the people are in the strip. I have asked folks if Canadians are really that nice and have been told over and over again...YES! What's wrong with having such niceness in our lives?

Gee! Do you think a girl from the deep South could find love and happiness in Canada? I do!

Lynn, you are a wonderful goodwill amabassador for your lovely country.

Good luck in whatever you do in life.

Linda Lee--Birmingham, Alabama

Hi Linda - "retirement" isn't quite the right word for what Lynn's got planned. Please look here: for more on the future of FBorFW.

I just read the comment about how "of course, Paul would choose someone of his own race" instead of Liz. I think it was obvious from the start that their problem was not racial but geographical. Paul would never have been happy in a urban area, and as much as Liz loved Mtigwaki she was not prepared to spend her life there. Biracial marriages and relationships exist and flourish everywhere but the ones that don't last didn't necessarily fall apart because of racial problems. Don't project your issues onto a wonderful comic strip.

Natalie, Florida

thank you for your all your wonderful writings. I began reading them 16 years ago when i was pregnant with my first child and have been a faithful reader ever since.it's bittersweet, is'nt it, to see our children grow up? the younger years go by in a flash because we are so busy, and then when things begin to settle down and get easier we realize our kids have grown up and have left babyhood behind. how sad!! at least elly gets to get her 'baby fix' with the grandchildren, i'll have to wait a few more years 'til mine!! so, once again, thanks for all the laughs and for bringing back memories of when my kids were small.

Donna, savannah, ga usa

I am so sad that your script will no longer be the first step to starting my day. You have provided me such joy. I enjoyed your storylines and loved watching the characters change. They almost became real to me and the human dynamic was wonderful to see. What a boring world we would live in if we were all the same. Thank you for adding human realities to the mix. When grandpa had a stroke so had my husband and to see the struggles and fears played out and to watch the progress has lightened my load. So enjoy your retirement. It is well earned and may blessings rain down on you, as you have been a blessing to me. You, dear lady will be missed as my first companion of the day. I will remember you with fond memories. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world you have made it a much better place to be in.

Carolyn Dyce, TN

Greetings! Lynn is not really "retiring" in the fall - please look here for our notes about what will be happening with the strip later this year!

I look forward to reading the latest news from FBFW every day. I just wanted to let you know again from another faithful reader how much your work is enjoyed and what pleasure it brings. Thank you!

By the way, will you ever revisit the fate of Mike and Deanna's landlord and their downstairs neighbors? Wondering what life has brought them since the fire...

And how does one revisit the earlier strips of Liz and Anthony in their school years?...

Joe D, Stillwater, MN, USA

You can find the stories about Liz and Anthony in some of Lynn's older collection books. Here is a list that you can print out and take to the library or your local bookstore. Enjoy!

I'd like to join the chorus of complaints about the horror of Liz and Creepthony getting back together. Anthony's CREEPY. I've loved Liz for forever and it's so depressing to see her whine and whine and now settle for the nearest familiar stalking creep she once dated and wisely dumped.

As to the people noting that many of us complainers should note that not everyone's perfect, well, yes. Of course. This is a fictional story that's deeply involving and has worked so well since we were kids that we care about how things turn out. We care that Liz is being paired off with ham-handed writing to someone who is completely unattractive to everyone besides Elly. I don't want Liz to be perfect, I want her to live and learn and not settle for an utter loser like Anthony. And his horrible mustache which I'm sure will reappear soon enough.

karen, Portland OR

I've been thinking about (dreading) Lynn's up-coming retirement and the change in the strip format. I am a little unclear about exactly how it will work. Is it true that there will be a few new strips, expanding on some of the more popular story arcs? I know there are many stories that were never really related to Lynn's satisfaction. Also, what will become of the website when the fateful day comes?

I have been a fan of the strip for a very long time, and have been hinting at friends and relative that the collection books would be perfect birthday gifts. Thank heavens the strip is preserved in that format.

I will miss your daily strips, but wish the studio crew all of the best in this new phase of their careers.

Joe D, Cardinal, Ontario

Thanks Joe - but not to worry, we're not packing our bags and folding up the tents! We're hoping everyone will be pleasantly surprised by what we've got up our collective sleeve. Sorry we can't spill our beans just yet, but here's a bit more information.

As your mentor said 'Good Grief!!' An attic full of squirells? What other defects did old man Stibbs leave behind for John and Elly to fix for him? And why are they so gullible? First , Elly eats up Kortney's lies and excuses with such enthusiasm that she asks for seconds, now most of their discretionary income is on a train ride whose destination is a contractor's bank account because a 'sweet' old man is getting ChooChoo Johnny to fix up the stuff he couldn't afford to. All I can say is that I hope April likes that smaller bedroom now that she knows Elly cares 'cause everyone knows the promised basement apartment will get dome a couple of days before she heads to college two years from now.

Paul J, Saint John, NB

I generally don't write into these blogs, but I have been very disappointed in the recent storyline, that I had to make my dissatisfaction known.
As I rule, I enjoy the plots and characters found in your scripts. I have read your stories for a couple decades and they are a nice kickoff to the day.
As with any good "soap opera" writer, if you allow your characters to grow in a logical progression, then your readers will continue to develop an understanding of the character and can "pull" for that character in the situations that you present.
The recent storyline with Liz and Anthony simply does not play. It is forced and does not ring true, unless you are planning to play it as two lonely, frustrated people who turn to each other out of desparation. The problem here is that, in the morning after, Liz "should" wake up and realize that it was just lonliness, not romance that was calling.
Anthony has always been a solid confidant for Liz, someone to spill her guts to, but NOT spend her life with. There was a reason it did not work earlier and why, if you actually let your characters be who you have developed them to be, it would not work now.
Liz is portrayed as an intelligent, free-spirited, inquisitive soul, while Anthony has always been a straight arrow, conservative, close to home guy. You can make a friendship there, you can't support a relationship...for very long.
Plus. if things were to continue, Liz would be thrust into a forced family arrangement, which "in real life", would be a whole different set of problems to be overcome. It may be a good storyline to let her realize this and have to figure out how to stiop it without breaking Anthony's heart.
I'm sure you will come up eventually with a character that we loyal readers will say "he's (or she's??) the one for Liz".
I do truly look forward to your strip every morning and don't agree with some of your responders who feel your scripts are fading.
It is time to focus on the younger generation and let them grow.
Thanks for the opportunity to express my views.

Bill M, Virginia

You know, as someone who's pretty much in the same shoes as April - albeit a few sizes bigger, since I'm a few years older - I'm really annoyed and frustrated at this whole "She understands!" business.

If Elly really understood why April was so upset, they probably wouldn't need to have that conversation. I've heard pretty much the same summary of my feelings as April just got, and I can't say I was rushing to my parents' arms after I heard it. I wanted some support in dealing with those feelings, not just to know that my parents aren't entirely oblivious to my existance. I wanted an ear and a shoulder, and hopefully an apology... not just a voice pointing out what I already knew.

But this little shed of acknowledgement is enough to magically brighten April's mood? This is enough to get a hug and a smile? Yeah, right!

If this was some way to make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside because April has a "great mom", it failed. Far too little, far too late. It came across as fake sympathy, and April's lapping it up because that's more than she usually gets. And that's pathetic enough to make me want to give April a hug - a real one, for having to live with this.

Hilary T., Rhode Island

First off, thanks go to Lynn for coming up w/the idea & keeping going for so many years w/this great slice-of-life "cartoon." I put cartoon in quotes because FBOFW is more like a serialized novel w/illustrations! I'm between the ages of Elly & John & their kids, so at different times have related to one generation or another as my perspective has changed.

Second, it's amazing how vehement people can get. Wow. While I'm disapppointed that Liz & Anthony are ending up together, it's not Darfur or global warming.

If I had a couple of wishes for the rest of the current format of the strip, it would be for Liz to not end up w/Anthony. I love nice guys, but there's something about Anthony that's just not right-feeling. And I'd wish that April would be less self-absorbed. Yes, she's a teenager, & moving is tough, but she seems more self-absorbed than most. (And if she did have to leave her furniture behind, why? I can't imagine that Mike & Dee would take her furniture away.)

However, those are small quibbles. It's been a great time seeing the Pattersons' lives over the years. Thanks Lynn, & good luck!

Sherry R, Rochester, NY

Thanks Sherry - as far as we know, April does still have her own furniture. Elly and John left most of their stuff at the old house, but there's been no mention of April leaving hers behind.

What a fantastic new feature! I've enjoyed reading many of the comments here, but I feel I have to add one of my own. I'd like to give Elizabeth a kudos for being open to second chances with Anthony. As a woman who married a man with a child, I have to say that being a stepmom has been one of the most interesting, challenging, and utterly wonderful and fullfilling things in my life, and I love being a wife too. I'm sure Elizabeth will take the time and care that one needs when developing a relationship with a father and his child before rushing into anything permanent, much as I did. However, I think automatically dismissing a relationship with someone because they have a child is very wrong--as with most things, you'd never know how wonderful your life could be unless you take a chance. Kudos again, to Elizabeth. I hope her relationship with Anthony and with his little girl, develops into something beautiful! All best to the readers far and wide, and thanks to Lynn for many years with the Patterson family!

Erica S, Glen Burnie, Maryland

As a longtime fan (24 years), I'm a little sad to see April's character so conflicted. It's hard to believe a teenager as open and empathetic when dealing with special needs classmates would indulge in so much self-pity about having to move DOWN THE STREET?! She didn't have to move out of town or change schools. She has her own room. Her parents are together. Many teens, including mine, had to move out of state, due to their parent's jobs or other economic pressures. Mine handled it with grace and maturity. If you want April to be a self-centered brat, be consistent with that portrayal. Other readers have criticized Liz and Mike's characters as needy or immature. At least they've always been that way. I think Liz was more of a homebody than she thought, and while she first reveled in living so far from home, her comfort level was compromised and that eventually came to the forefront. Mike's always been the quintessential doofus/smart guy, like a lot of men. Bright when he needs to be, but otherwise clueless. Even though they're fictional creations, consistency in character is key. April is all over the map. I don't believe the cliche that all teenagers are like that. They may be moody, but their character usually shines through.
Thanks for all the great years!

Susan R, CO