Customer Reviews

Suddenly Silver: Celebrating 25 Years of For Better or For Worse

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Suddenly Silver" is a wonderful retrospective of the 25 year run of the "For Better of For Worse" comic strip. In it are thoughts and memories from not only Lynn but her whole family, as they all reflect on the effect the strip's fame has had on their lives and what it has meant to them. Included is a selection of strips ranging from the beginning of the strip up through Elizabeth's college graduation. One note: for anyone who is an avid collector of Lynn's works, this book does not contain but a couple of pages of strips past the birth of Meredith, where the last collection "Reality Check" ended - this is just a retrospective, not a new collection. Guess we'll have to wait until March for that! But as a retrospective, it is excellent and will not disappoint the real fans - highly recommended!

I don't remember when I started reading FBoFW, but I've been reading it so long it's been a part of every day for (sigh) a quarter of a century. The family has been so real I often wondered how many of the stories were about the Patterson family and how many were fiction, and this book answers some of those questions. I remember a strip, which is part of this collection, of Elly and John lying in bed wondering whether they were dealing with young Michael in the best way, agonizing over the decisions they were making. Then in the last frame, cut to Michael lying in his bed thinking it must be wonderful to be a grownup because you always know everything!
The strips are nice memories, though some of the cuts between topics may leave new readers wondering about the gaps. The new essays about family members add interesting facets to some of the stories in the strip and how it evolved from a nice (though insightful) strip about a young family into commentaries about life, death, society and every family's wishes. Johnston lost some fans when she embraced some of these issues, but she gained millions more.
I know I'll miss FBoFW when Lynn Johnston retires, but the decades we've shared have been wonderful, and I look forward to the stories she'll tell between now and then.

I have been a fan of For Better for Worse for the longest time. Although I really do prefer some "new strips", this Treasury was a wonderful; stroll down memory lane.

Sure, I had seen all the strips before, but it was great to read them again (some I had even forgotten about).

Its interesting to see how the author has grown in both her drawing and her storylines.

The little blurbs from family members were a nice touch, although I would have hoped for a little more in-depth comments from some of them. Still, this is a great book. Nice and thick loaded with wonderful, wonderful strips.

Fans of Lynn Johnston's syndicated husband/wife comic strip "For Better or For Worse" will want to consider Suddenly Silver: Celebrating 25 Years Of For Better Or For Worse (the opus of her creations), gathering a quarter century of the comics under one cover in a celebration marking its silver anniversary of publication. Three sections feature cartoons from the strip's early, middle and recent years, following story lines and character development. A keepsake edition: most strips are in black and white, but some color resides.

I'll admit that I've probably only been reading this strip for maybe 10 years or so, so I was stunned to learn it's actually been around since I was still in high school. I think as a married, family man myself now for the past 15 years is what drew me (no pun intended) to Lynn Johnston's wonderful strip about life, love, and family.

This book is a 25 year retrospective of the fantastic characters Lynn has created as we see them grow and mature over that time. Suddenly Silver is divided into three sections that reflect the strip's early, middle, and recent years. Throughout the book, Lynn Johnston offers readers anecdotal musings and comments on her real life, and how it is reflected in her character's growth and family evolution. Blended with Johnston's family's own response to what it was like growing up in a cartoon strip, this makes for a truly sweet journey.

Lynn is one BIG reason why I am such a fan of comic strips. Thank you Lynn!

Celebrate 25 years of friendship as you reminisce with Elly and John Patterson. We already feel that we know them personally, having watched them and their children grow and mature along with the rest of us. And we find that we have the same relationship with Lynn Johnston, who has faced life's challenges and changes, as have we.

I just wanted a pick me up so I purchased this book. I have always enjoyed For Better or For Worse and this book did not disappoint. It brought back memories of past stories on this comic strip and a big smile to my face. It was fun watching the kids grow up again and reading the story behind some of her story lines. If you like this comic strip, I would definitely recommend this book!

Congratulations to Lynn Johnston on this milestone! Where so many other cartoonists have either quit the profession entirely (I'm thinking of the untimely demises of Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side) or have publicly professed major cases of deep and lingering burnout (Gary Trudeau) Johnston continues to crank out the highest quality, most universally beloved strip on the comic pages. For Better Or For Worse has been there every day pretty much throughout my whole life, and I can't think of a time I haven't known about it and read it, even if in the early days it did involve me sounding out the words as I lay on the living room floor with my face about five inches off the page, liking the adventures of a refreshingly normal suburban family and trying my best to get some of the puns and inside jokes longtime readers so cherish. It's been something I've grown up with and come to count on among so many changes in this dynamic world. Really, For Better Or For Worse is much more than a comic strip and even more than "art" (although it certainly is that). As anyone who has marched thru life in these last decades and looked forward to the daily dose of the Patterson family can tell you, Lynn Johnston has done little short of opening a window that lets us peer into the goings-on of a group in some ways as meaningful and nearby as our real life neighbors and friends. Thanks, Lynn, and here's to the next twenty-five years!

I loved reading through this and catching up on the Pattersons since the comic started being published before I could read. what a truly wonderful collection. this is my favorite comic strip of all time and this book is truly enjoyable. thank you Lynn Johnston for making us laugh and cry through the years.

This is a nice way to start a FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE collection as it's a quick look back through the 25 years. The "notes" written by her family members about their lives with Lynn and the characters add a spark to the book. I did however, wonder about her son Aaron who constantly referred to his mother as "Lynn" in his piece. It made it sound to an outsider to the Johnston family (like myself) that he perhaps still has some issues with his mother. OH well, I guess we've all been there at one point or another! I enjoyed this anniversary book although I preferred the book THE LIVES BEHIND THE LINES which details the lives of the characters that Lynn just can't fit into 5 panels a day. So far I believe that book to be the best of the anniversary series if you are an avid FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE collector.