New Year: Browse The Strips

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Lynn's Comments: We had no smoke detectors when I did this strip, but it was fun putting all those letters across the top of the page. I think by the end of the 1980s most folks had detectors, and those who didn't felt pretty foolish.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Our folks didn't suddenly wake up and discover our deeds that New Year's morning. Dad went to use the bathroom and found Alan doubled over the biff (from smoking the cigar), and me in the tub smiling stupidly. As I recall, neither of our folks was angry with us for trying out contraband; they were mad at themselves for leaving it there. We all considered it a lesson learned.

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!!

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.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Little things stay in your memory, for example, I remember when my mother and dad finally allowed me to drink out of real glass. I felt so grown up. It was as though they were saying, in a significant way, "We trust you."

Friday December 30, 2016

Lynn's Comments: One of the best New Year's Eves we ever spent was the first year we stayed home with the kids. We had a junk food dinner, watched the celebrations on TV, and went to bed just after midnight. The next time we tried this, the charm had worn off a bit, and after that, we let serendipity take her course. The first time was the best time and something to remember.

Friday January 1, 2021

Lynn's Comments: Every Christmas I write a newsletter to my friends and family about stuff we've done over the past 12 months. For this I rely heavily on my old paper calendars, and I've kept them for years. Each one is like a diary—a record of our lives.

Monday January 3, 2022

Lynn's Comments: Being a comic strip "creator" gave me the awful advantage of being able to steer these characters in any direction I wanted them to go. I often wondered if, in the greater scheme of things, someone "up there" had that same control over us!