Elly: Browse The Strips

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I thought about my children. I thought about the three other families who were now gathered together to wait for news--anything that would tell them what had happened, and what was going on. I called them every two hours. I called them just to let them know that everything possible was being done. I felt guilty for being so close to the scene and the first to know. It was all so surreal.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This is true enough! I thought about all the petty things we had done and said to each other when all that really matters is life and love, and the knowledge that everyone is safe. When someone is gone, you go through the litany of "what ifs" and "if onlys," and ask "why?" It made me realize how suddenly things can change, that we should appreciate each other each and every day, and be truly grateful for what we have.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Lynn's Comments: The Search and Rescue supervisors were dedicated and serious. I spent a great deal of time in their headquarters, which had been set up in the Lynn Lake Airport. Big maps on the wall showed the flight paths. The false ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) signal had taken the Hercules away from the position of the downed plane and everyone was becoming edgy and depressed. Once the mistake had been discovered, the Hercules resumed its original pattern. It would track a mile on each side of the path taken by Rod's plane to the bay on Yathkyed Lake--first in a direct line from start to finish, then back and forth across the first path. Spotters stationed in glass pods on either side of the huge plane would scan the ground a mile out and back, a mile out and back. Any slight irregularity, anything shiny, any swath on the ground, they would report to the pilot who would then swing the plane around to have a closer look. A Twin Otter and a helicopter joined the search. The weather was closing in. Even in August, the arctic can be dangerously cold, and timing was critical.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My mother-in-law stayed at my house, looked after the children, and answered the phone. My brother-in-law stayed at his parents' house with his dad who was in constant touch with Search and Rescue. He had the map on which Rod had recorded his flight path and destination. Having been a prospector, Tom knew the land well. He also knew that Rod was with a group of experienced outdoorsmen, and if anyone knew how to survive an accident, they did. He was calm and reassuring, but inside, he was prepared for the worst. We all were.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Lynn's Comments: At home we all waited for any news of the lost men. We had the radio on and suddenly the CBC programming was interrupted by a bulletin: the men had been found safe and alive! How could the radio have received the news before we did? Joy and relief overcame any concerns we had about how the information had been delivered. I called the other women and told them what we had just heard. None of us could put our feelings into words. The shock of the entire situation was now something we could deal with. All we could do was wait for the men to come home--this kind of waiting was wonderful.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: The return of the four survivors was an exhilarating time for the families, but the end of an ordeal for the men. A Twin Otter on floats slowly pulled into the dock and four almost unrecognizable men were helped down from it. All were pale, thin, and covered in bug bites. They had been sheltered, warmed, and fed by the Search and Rescue techs, but the accident had left them weak and weary.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This was the truth. If they hadn't had an old Bic lighter, a bit of Avgas, and some brush, they would not have survived. If the canoeists had not been so knowledgeable, they would not have survived, and if Tom had not kept record of their exact location, they would not have survived. They were lucky. It was a misadventure, which changed and mellowed all of us.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One outstanding part of the story was the role played by the Search and Rescue team. What a wonderful, resourceful, brave and caring lot they are. For a long time, we kept in touch with the men who found and helped Rod and his friends to safety. How can you thank people who risk their lives for a living? We would be forever in their debt.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This is a scene from my childhood. I liked being indoors. I enjoyed drawing and reading. Once I did go outdoors, however, it was hard to drag me back in. I remember my mom nagging me to get out and enjoy the sun and the summer--while it lasted. Seeing her asleep was a rare thing. She was one of those people who worked from sun up until sunset, and to find her relaxing anywhere was surprising. I think I'm a lot like my mother!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Again, the story of the rescue was chronicled in the strip. Rod and the others did find it hard to fend off coughs and colds after their ordeal. The legacy of the accident will last all of us a lifetime. We are all so sure that "it won't happen to us," but when it does, we learn to appreciate every day--knowing how fragile we really are.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Lynn's Comments: In the comic strip, Michael was old enough to understand what had happened and could talk about the adventure with his friends. At the time of the accident, however, our children were not aware of the seriousness of the situation. All they knew was that Daddy had gone for a trip and big planes had come to town to look for him.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Lynn's Comments: If you don't have a dog, it's difficult to make jokes about stuff that dogs actually do. Little incidents like this one, taken from everyday life, inspired my imagination. Using this as material for the strip, saved my dog from woe.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Wordplay is something I really love. The trouble is that gags like this will not translate easily into other languages. I have spoken to translators who must change the gag completely so that a punch line will make sense to their readers. A translator of comic art must therefore be a humourist and a wordsmith as well.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I was particularly happy with this Sunday page. If a strip made ME laugh out loud, then I knew I had a good one in the bank!

Monday, August 31, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I was much more emotional, much more excited than my children were on their first day of school. Maybe it's because I remembered so well my own first day--my own foray into the mayhem of new bodies, new bullies, new friends. Maybe I was remembering the size of the classroom where I sat and what I saw. Maybe I could hear the sounds, feel the noise, and taste the scent of new paper and pencils and paint. Maybe I was reliving their excitement at being a "big kid" for the first time. On the other hand, maybe I was just really glad to have the rest of the day to myself.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I don't remember missing my kids when they went off to school. They were ready, and the strip, for me, was a full time job. This was Elly's point of view. This was from someone who would now be wondering where the future would take her. Wanting a career aside from parenting, she was now free to make some choices.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When the Dundas Valley Journal ran my cartoons, I was thrilled. It didn't take long, however, for me to wish for a larger space and a bit more money. They paid me $10.00 a gag, and when I asked for $15, they stopped buying.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Lynn's Comments: As one of the few female syndicated cartoonists, I was often asked how I was treated by the men in the profession. Like every other woman, I'd been targeted (by a few people) with the usual crap and I learned to live with it. My revenge was to do a better job than my detractors.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I was often asked to champion women's rights in the strip; to reinforce feminism. I never felt comfortable with the word "feminist "; it's a word that to me suggests a negative attitude towards men. Rather, I preferred the word "equalist, " and I thought Elly and her friends were smart and independent and funny enough to show they were indeed equal to the men.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When this strip was first released, it was OK to give your kid a good whack on the seat, but not now. We updated it by removing the stars in the last panel, suggesting that Michael had been given a time out.