In The Beginning, There Was Chaos: Browse The Strips

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Farley had always been a healthy pooch, but since dogs suffer like we do from illnesses and accidents, I thought it was time to explore a story about going to the vet.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This gave me the opportunity to show how worried the children would be seeing their dog go to "the hospital." We take each healthy day for granted, and to a child, the family dog seems invulnerable to anything that could take him away. Showing concern for Farley's well-being was, I thought, a story that families could relate to. My sister-in-law Beth (the vet) was a great resource at this time.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This strip brought in a lot of mail. People said they prayed for the safety and well being of their pets as much as they did for friends and family.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I don't really like this strip. Even though the things Elly says about herself are exactly the way I felt, I don't think I handled this idea well. What I wanted to say is: It's easy to criticize, but the truth is... nobody's perfect. Oh well. When a strip I hated came out, I'd cringe, wish I had done something better, and be glad that it would be forgotten by the next day. This was before we started reprinting the duds for everyone to read in perpetuity. So, do me a favour... skip this one and go on to the next!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Here is an example of bad lettering. Hand lettering has to be neat, clean, and legible. Spaces between the words are important as well. You have to make sure that the reader's eyes flow easily over the text and that he knows exactly what's being said. I never thought twice about the lettering in this strip until I received a note from a reader saying he couldn't understand why: In the second panel, Elly had called herself a "goon."

Monday, September 24, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I was happy when this punchline came to mind. I thought it was too good to have been thought up by me alone, that some other cartoonist had surely thought of it too. So far, I haven't been told of a duplication, so perhaps I'm home free. Believe it or not, there are days when two of us will think up the exact same line, and on rare occasions, these are printed on the same day!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Aaron came in one day from playing outside and he was filthy. I told him to go upstairs, take off his shirt and pants, and throw them in the laundry. I told him to then fill up the washbasin and give himself a thorough wash. He was gone a long time. When he finally appeared, he was wearing pyjamas but he looked as dirty as ever. I asked him if he had washed himself and he told me to look at his face. Around his mouth was a circle of clean, pink face. He had licked off the dirt for as far as his tongue could reach.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Aaron had one excuse after another for not going to bed. It seemed as though he never slept. I would hear him late at night doing stuff in his room and I wondered when he'd get into a "normal" routine. Well, he's almost 40 now and he's still a night owl. It's not unusual for him to be up and working at 3:00 am!