Lawrence: Browse The Strips

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My dad always made us cards. For birthdays and other events, he'd draw something funny, write a poem or a joke, and that was part of the gift he gave us. To this day, I like to make cards for my family--and again, it's a special part of the gift.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Lynn's Comments: There had to be a bad guy in the picture, so Brad Luggsworth was introduced. His last name just popped into my head. It suited him. Brad was out to get Michael Patterson and anyone he hung out with. I don't know why he set Michael in his sights, but that's the way it was. Brad was a large kid, a slow learner with a chip on his shoulder who threw his weight around. FBorFW had become a "story strip." New characters provided great material, but they added to a growing "cast" as well.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I don't know who the Brad Luggsworth character was based on. There were always big kids in school who intimidated just because of their size. In my world, I was the bully. I felt safer if I was the one with the chip on my shoulder and the penchant for a fight. I was always ready to defend myself--or, maybe the word was "protect."

Monday, May 12, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Not so long ago I was wandering around one of the local high schools--waiting for the robotics team to run one of their competition models (I am such a fan!) when someone opened a locker. The familiar smell sent me back in time to days of lunch bags, gym strip, foolscap and gum. They say that you don't forget smells, so test yourself: think of new Pink Pearl erasers, a doll's saran hair, pencil shavings, crayons and wax lips--do they bring back memories?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Lynn's Comments: For the new release of this strip, the dialogue was changed to read, "Hey, guys, what's short and round--" I knew I would still get negative mail but perhaps fewer complaints than when it was first printed. People don't want to see derogatory remarks of any kind, even if it's exactly what two little boys would say. I could have deleted the strip, but I rather liked the gag!

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My mother had a day of the week for laundry. Rain or shine, she washed on Wednesday, and there was an order to the way she hung the clothes on the line. Sheets, towels, and good clothing was hung first--so it could be seen and appreciated by the neighbours. Underwear and things not meant for public scrutiny were hung closer to the house. These things were easily reached by standing on the rungs of our porch railing, and often fell prey to my brother--whose pranks with Mom's unmentionables were legendary.

After our neighbour's big dog, Teddy, died, their daughter, Tootie (our babysitter), bought a small fuzzy pup, which she called "Noby"--short for "Nobody." Noby was a sweet, easygoing little pooch who put up with just about anything the local kids would do to her. One day, Alan decided to dress her up in Mom's underwear. Noby dutifully stood still while bra and panties were administered. Al expected a wild struggle for freedom, but Noby stood still. Frustrated by the lack of action, Al lifted Noby up and placed her inside a sheet, which had been doubled so it could hang on the lower line. Noby went crazy. She squirmed and howled, and we worried that she'd tear the sheet open. Tootie soon came to her rescue. She pulled Noby out of the sheet, cuffed my brother on the side of his head, threw the bra and panties on the lawn, and went home.

I picked up the underwear and put it back on the line. The sheet was left to dry. Later, when Mom pulled in the laundry, I watched as she folded it. When she got to the underwear, she frowned, wondered why it looked unwashed, but kept on folding. Then she reached for the sheet. There in the middle was a mess of dirt and dog hair. Mom looked at me and said, "Where's your brother?" Alan, of course, was gone. I was close at hand and received the brunt of her wrath. After a thorough tongue-lashing, I was sent to my room--Al had to wait. Nothing was said when he came home, and I was furious. I thought I had taken the blame for everything! Later that evening it was clear that justice prevailed. When Al pulled the blankets back on his bed, there was the dirty sheet. Grossed out and grumbling, he slept on it for a week!

Friday, July 4, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One of the most effective advertising gimmicks ever was the "jingle." My chums and I memorized all of them, and today, I can still sing the bluesy torch song that extolled the goodness of Du Maurier cigarettes. I'm trying to think of a modern equivalent--anyone heard a really good jingle lately?

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Lynn's Comments: This scenario was actually from a childhood memory. My brother and I did make a television out of a cardboard box, and we did try to put on a show for our friends. What happened was, our dad, who was a born entertainer, took over the box and put on the show for us. He should have been in vaudeville--but, was born a few years too late.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Lynn's Comments: In the Canadian north, you learn to live with flies. Legends, stories, and songs have been written about them, and no amount of spray will protect you when the season is nigh. I used to complain about the mosquitoes on the west coast, but the black flies, deer flies, and mosquitoes in northern Ontario make wimps out of them. On the GOOD side, the country here is beautiful!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Doug and Ina Harrison lived on Trout Lake--about a mile down the road from us, close to my in-laws. Ruth and Ina were great friends. The Harrisons' dock was a favourite place for these ladies to sit and have tea, and our kids were welcome, too. Katie and Aaron spent hours on the Harrisons' dock, swimming and fishing, and enjoying the company of Doug and Ina, who became "adopted grandparents." This strip was to thank them for their kind generosity. I gave them the original.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Looking back on this storyline gives me great pleasure. The strong friendship between Mike and Lawrence binds these two boys for 30 years, and yet, Lawrence is gay. This was something even I didn't know until Lawrence was in his late teens.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I did this Sunday page after I was squeezed in half by a sadistically designed lawn chair. I brought the chair into my studio and drew the exact position it was in when it maimed me. I felt relieved and vindicated even before the art was published. This job came with unlimited and curative benefits. I was jubilant when I took the chair to the dump.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I chose Thunder Bay as the city where Connie and Lawrence were moving because it was too far away for a friendly visit. Even though it's in the same province, it's a long drive to Thunder Bay from Toronto. I knew that, despite promises to do so, these two ladies would not be seeing each other for a very long time.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Lynn's Comments: It was never my intention to have Connie and Lawrence move away. It just happened! Once Connie's relationship with Ted soured and Uncle Phil met Georgia, Connie's personal life was on hold. An opportunity for her to take a good job in another town seemed like a positive step, so the story took this turn. What the move did was give me another challenge to deal with and a new family to welcome. This helped to keep the story interesting.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Lynn's Comments: It was fun to give Connie a new look. A big change in your life affects you mentally and physically, and it seemed to me that after ridding herself of the annoying Ted, Connie was renewed, refreshed, and recharged.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One of the good things about Michael and Lawrence's friendship is that it comes from the heart: two boys with much in common, nothing more. In a few years Lawrence will tell Michael that he is gay, and it doesn't matter. What does matter is their affection for one another. I had no idea when I drew these strips that Lawrence would realize this about himself, and so it was a surprise to me too. Looking back at these two boys, enjoying what will ultimately be a life-long friendship, I'm proud of the story that evolved.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I tried to imagine what it would be like for Lawrence to stand outside his old house in a neighbourhood that he loved. He must have felt a sense of loss and confusion. Children have no choice when it comes to enormous decisions like moving, so I assumed he would stand there, wondering why he was now living somewhere else!