Author Archives: fborfwnews

Is FBorFW Missing From Your Local Paper?

Sometimes people write to us asking why For Better or For Worse is suddenly gone from their local paper. Every paper’s comics section is managed by that newspaper’s editors, and they make judgement calls about which strips to run, based on comments from readers and different market factors.

We generally aren’t told when a paper drops the strip, but we do know that editors value customer feedback – if you’d like to see FBorFW reinstated, please just write a nice note to your paper’s editors and ask! It often works.

The Pattersons read the paper over John's shoulder

The Top 5 Characters You Never Realised Were Underdogs

We like to cheer on the underdogs because their fortune is a kind of reassurance that there is, in fact, a way to beat the odds and succeed. The Pattersons encounter a few underdogs and it’s not always obvious who they are. Here are five of the most loved characters who we either didn’t expect to succeed, or whom we didn’t really think of as underdogs right away.

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New! For Better Or For Worse Shirts at Hot Topic

Hot Topic Happy Day t-shirtWe’re excited to announce that For Better or For Worse t-shirts are now available as an online exclusive from Hot Topic! We’ve got Farley designs as well as ones featuring Mike, Liz, and April and also a couple never-before-seen drawings by Lynn!

 

Get em while they’re hot!

Lynn’s Recipes: Bessie’s Chocolate Cake

We’ve been putting together a collection of recipes for foods that have appeared in the comic over the years, or in the calendars we’ve published in years past. You can see the whole series of recipes here. This one is a Johnston family recipe for a from-scratch chocolate cake. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

¼ cup cocoa
1 cup flour
½ cup water
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups icing sugar
1 lightly beaten egg
3 tbsps.of hot water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cocoa, water, and milk in sauce pan and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from stove and add butter (stir until melted). Add sugar, vanilla, and egg. Whisk until smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour batter into a lightly greased 8 inch cake pan and bake for 25 minutes.

To make icing, mix together icing sugar, cocoa, and water until smooth. Carefully spread over HOT cake (fresh from the oven ). Allow cake to cool before serving.

I rarely eat chocolate cake, but this one’s too good to resist.

Coming January 12th: For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library, Vol. 5

The latest volume in the popular hardcover library of FBorFW books is being released tomorrow! Order from your favourite local bookstore, or find it online!

Collect the beloved newspaper comic strip that chronicles the saga of the Patterson family in real time, over three decades, in these definitive editions.

This volume features one of the most beloved stories in the strip’s history–the saga of Farley, the family dog. When little April gets into big trouble, it is up to Farley to come to her rescue. But that isn’t the only big event in the lives of the Pattersons. Michael heads off to college while Elizabeth navigates her teen years. Back at home, Elly and John deal with adult problems such as house renovations and menopause.

Lynn Johnston keeps the ongoing narrative fresh and interesting. Includes every comic strip from April 25, 1993 to August 31, 1996. Each volume also contains annotations by Lynn Johnston detailing motivations for certain strips, funny anecdotes, reactions from fans, and much more!

For Better or For Worse: The Complete Collection volume 5

“Johnston’s groundbreaking strip remains critical without being caustic and sweet without being sentimental. Here, from a woman’s perspective, was the reality of daily domestic life—beautifully drawn social satire, unafraid to skewer male chauvinism, or explore twin challenges of women’s lib and motherhood.” –The Globe and Mail

“An exquisite tome… Fans of the highest virtuosity in cartooning will relish this deluxe introduction to the Pattersons’ heartfelt and delightful story” –Library Journal

“Anyone who has been a kid or has been a parent ought to find something to connect or re-connect with.” –Cinema Sentries