John: Browse The Strips

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Lynn's Comments: This is something that didn't happen but should have. Brought up in the Anglican Church, I endured countless hours sitting through painfully dull sermons and kneeling as the litany droned on. I would have given anything to see a kid launch a toy down the aisle--and I'm sure the adults would have appreciated it, too!

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Lynn's Comments: This strip was missing for some reason. All we had in our archives was a newspaper clipping, and it had been edited down to fit into smaller format. Eventually, we did get our hands on a print with the top panels included. I redrew the whole thing (so Kevin could do the colouring and send it to the syndicate) and took the liberty of changing the punch line. What I wanted to do was connect "rat race" and "running through a maze" (like a mouse) with CHEESE! The original punch was weak: "We're having cheese". I mean, other than a rodent, who makes a meal out of just cheese? I think the new ending works better, but it's still a stretch! This is an example of when I had a workable idea but couldn't quite figure out how to word it!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Lynn's Comments: It seems funny to me now to see that I saw myself as "old" when I did this strip. When I look in the mirror today, the 67 year old me looks very different from the face I saw then. I have had to adjust to creases, folds, furrows, jowls and bifocals. I also have a slight tremor, so my head shakes. You gotta joke about this stuff. I like to say, "It's a good thing my head shakes from side to side. If it nodded, I'd be agreeing to everything I'm ever asked to do!"

As teenagers, my friends and I made fun of "old folks" Senior's homes we called "Wrinkle City" or "Menopause Manor"--well, I'm there now, and the picture looks different from the other side. When my grandfather said it took courage to be "old," I believe him. And the best laugh of all is: to my aunt Monica who is 85, --I'm a youngster!!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I have always had fun with sound effects and radio broadcasts, labels and names. Jim Borecki is the name of a good friend, with whom I have lost touch. I tried to contact him by putting his name in this strip, but so far I have not been able to find him.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This is a true story. The freezer didn't break down, but it did have to be moved and therefore defrosted. I pulled out an archive of forgotten leftovers, summer fruit and fishing acquisitions, dry pie crusts, soup stock, and more. Some of this was still recognizable, so a mess of reconstituted fodder graced our plates for a week or two. People actually ate what I served--and the freezer was then refilled with the leftovers from the leftovers. We recycle.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I never went shopping with my husband; having a man wait patiently, or impatiently, while I peruse a dress shop would be horrible! I would have to rush, which would take away from the true shopping experience. Whenever I see some sad chap sitting uncomfortably outside the change room in some frou-frou boutique, my heart goes out to him. I want to say, "Get off your duff, go do something YOU want to do, and meet her somewhere else!" This strip was done in solidarity with those who shop and those who wait.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When my paternal grandmother came to stay with us for 6 months, I was 16 and very independent. My parents both worked, so it was my job to get the dinner on and Gram's appearance in the kitchen was "one too many cooks!" She had just lost her husband, was lonely and depressed, and my dad had invited her to stay. Having spent her adult lifetime looking after others, she naturally put herself to work--on my turf! From the day we set eyes on each other, we were rivals. Gram had my bedroom. I was sleeping in the basement in a "room" made of plywood boards and a curtain. I resented this terribly. I resented her teeth in a glass on my dresser and her clothes in my closet. I also resented being told what to do by someone other than my parents, and her criticism irritated me beyond belief.

One day I saw her fidgeting with the oven. It was a gas oven, and she wasn't familiar with the way the oven worked. When I tried to tell her how to do it, she barked at me to mind my own business, that she knew how to operate an oven, and to get out of her way. Figuring this would be a great opportunity to see what would actually happen if you lit the oven the wrong way, I crossed my arms, leaned against the doorway, and watched. First she turned on the gas. The oven door was closed. Interesting. Then she looked for a match. She found the matchbox on the wall and took out a match. She went to the stove, struck the match on one of the elements and opened the oven door. Well--Ka-BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!! The explosion blew Granny across the room. She wound up on the opposite side--sitting on the floor with her back against the cupboard doors. Her eyebrows were gone, and all the hairs on her chin were frizzled black. The best thing of all was the look on her face. Her mouth had formed a little "o." I was thinking, "Wow! So THAT's what happens!" It took a few seconds before I reached out to help her up, and a few more for us both to realize that she could have been very seriously hurt! With grateful relief, we hugged each other, and for the rest of her stay, we held a truce.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Here again was potential for some really fun story telling. I wanted to show Ted and his secretary, I wanted to delve into this new relationship, but the restricted space I had to work in held me back. The thing about a daily comic strip is I had to focus on the central characters as much as possible, or I would lose them to other characters who might take the spotlight. There are a number of sit-coms which resulted in separate stories: "Frasier" comes to mind, a spinoff from "Cheers." (Such great writing in these!)

In television, they have the freedom to write for a number of characters; to delve into their lives and personalities, but with static lines and panels, we are limited to showing small glimpses of the lives of the secondary characters around them.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One of the things I love to do is sound effects. Trying to come up with the phonetic spelling for the sound a head makes as it hits a pillow, for example, is so much fun. ("FWUMPP" would do it). I think the sound effect I am most proud of is the sound of a toilet plunger. It goes: "Ka_FLOOMP-a-GUSH." Sometimes you have to decide whether to repeat a letter as in "FWAPPPP!" One "P" just won't do it. A smack with a wet towel, for example has to sting. This requires several P's.

If you are a fan of Mad magazine, you'll remember the wonderful comic art of Don Martin. His sound effects were fabulous. I think he coined "Fwoooommmm!," and "Ka-chingggg!" One of the weirdest letters I ever received was from Don Martin's wife accusing me of stealing her husband's sound effects. I didn't think I had. The sounds I wrote all came from my head. Then again, can you really lay claim to a cartoon sound? WHHHHOOOOO!!! I sure hope not!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One day, I got tired of seeing the pile of single socks and mittens that had accumulated next to the dryer, and I threw them all out. A while later, I was cleaning out the storage room, going through camping gear, old toys, and outdoor clothing, and I found a collection of single socks and mittens--mates to the ones I had thrown out. I wished I had looked through the camping gear first--but I might have tossed out all the single things only to discover their mates in the laundry.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This part of the story was entirely made up. This is what's fun about a comic strip storyline--the possibilities are endless. This is where the ability to fantasize comes in: a fantasy could take me completely away from reality--to places I didn't even know I could go!

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I am someone who procrastinates until stuff HAS to be done. In order to force myself to do ironing, say, I give myself a deadline--I have learned from the strip that deadlines provide the pressure I need to produce. I'll invite friends for dinner at 6:00 on Saturday, for example, so I'll definitely have the kitchen clean by the time they get here. I'll promise someone an article of clothing, and then I HAVE to go through my closet. I'll have a garden party to force myself to weed my garden, and on it goes. This strip was done when I was in a panic. I had procrastinated for so long that I was late; my editor expected to get this strip several days beforehand, and if I didn't get it done ASAP, I'd be fined for missing my deadline. I wondered what in the world I would do for this Sunday page--and it hit me! Why not write about procrastination!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Dental practices generally employ a lot of women. Women go on maternity leave, and at times, will have to leave the practice in order to follow a husband who has been relocated elsewhere. We were always thinking about staff: how to replace someone, or how to cope when a very well trained assistant, for example, had to take time off. It was a challenge, but it also introduced us to new and talented people who became part of our extended family.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My little grandson will be a year old when this strip runs. He has just started to walk, and is curious about everything. Whatever he can grasp, goes into his mouth. If a cupboard can be opened, he'll be into it. He has a very small attention span, which is great because he can be easily distracted. He is also teething and wants to be with us (attached) a great deal of the time. I had forgotten how much work the one year old was. I have a lot of stamina and I put time aside just for him, but I can hardly keep up. Our daycare provider is an angel many times over! She gives my daughter and me the freedom to work in the studio, which in turn gives baby Ryan the freedom to be himself. It's all good!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When we first arrived in Lynn Lake, we had no front desk person for the clinic and no chair-side assistant. With Aaron in kindergarten and my mom-in-law willing to look after Katie, I thought I might be able to work with Rod part-time while he trained someone else.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When this strip appeared, I was criticized for stereotyping the Enjo family: they were Asian, therefore they were intellectuals. It was interesting to note that the complaints didn't come from people of Asian descent!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I was so happy while drawing this. A good gag gave me great expressions to work with as I built up to the punch line. Not only did I enjoy the process here, but I was getting back at my mother and all the teachers who told me to "get down to business and hit the books." This strip was a cleansing experience.