The Lives Behind the Lines
Lynn Johnston
Reviewed by Robin Fisher

It‘s quite the feat that upon reading a book at age 24 I can say, “man, what a trip down memory lane.” Lynn Johnston‘s book, ‘The Lives Behind The Lines‘, reads more like a flashback of my life than a wonderfully extensive history of one of my extended families. She is my Charles Schulz.

In my life, For Better Or For Worse was something of a tradition. Almost every morning before school I would read the comics in the paper, before or after my Dad. It was a ritual. “Hey Dad, did you read Better Or Worse yet?”, or “Mom, Mom, you gotta read this, it‘s you.” I had been reading the strip since my parents had bought one of the first books, I‘ve Got The One-More-Washload Blues. “This is me,” thought little Robin. “That kid Michael, he‘s the same age as me and they live in a neighborhood just like mine, too!” For an 8-year-old, it‘s kind of mind-boggling. (I assure you, the similarities didn‘t and don‘t end there.)

I followed it until I finished high school and I still read it whenever I get the chance, but I have no idea what‘s really happening to this family I‘ve known almost all my life. In ‘Lives‘, Johnston easily fills in all the missing holes with previously unheard stories and new cartoons. Her tone throughout the book is like sitting down to coffee and catching up on all the neighborhood gossip.

It starts at the beginning with the beginning. Patterson was derived from the word, ‘patter‘. To talk, something all families do. We get the love story of John and Elly for the first time. We learn about Elly‘s sacrifice of her schooling, John‘s struggle to become a dentist, Michael, the pleasant surprise and the almost reluctant start of the family unit that is For Better Or For Worse. Peppered with personal anecdotes of her idea processes and life experiences, the beginning is great because the large majority of it hasn‘t been seen, heard or mentioned before.

For Better Or For Worse started with the birth of Elizabeth. There‘s also some great pictures to accompany the text, like a bird‘s eye view of the Patterson‘s neighborhood, Elly and John‘s wedding, and their cramped but comfortable first apartment with all of its ‘70s paraphernalia. I really shouldn‘t have to tell you about the art. It‘s flawless and natural, smooth and confident, some in color, some in black and white, old art and new art, all laid out beautifully and simplistically. Very important because even though through the magic of comics we can figure it all out on our own, it‘s not our world, it‘s Johnston‘s, and she‘s finally putting it all to paper, recounting the stuff that wasn‘t in the comics.

It‘s a full history of everyone in the comic strip, from Mr. B. to one of John‘s co-workers, from their first appearances ‘til now. She fills us in on what‘s going on in other characters‘ lives, even characters we haven‘t seen in a while. Lastly, she promises that they‘re still around and we haven‘t seen the last of them yet. This is interesting because in comic strip land, she‘s one of the few artists that ages her characters. It‘s easy to relate to because the characters grow as I and my family grow. Since high school, I‘ve caught the strip here and there. Though I had practically forgotten all about Elly‘s next door neighbor Ann, she fills us in like we never missed a thing. I had originally thought Michael had four or five different girlfriends, but Johnston set my record straight. Or an added bonus, the coming out of Lawrence. We all saw it in the strip, but what about how he came to acknowledge that part of him, what about the first time he felt anything for anyone and realized he was different, or the first time he fell in love? Johnston tells all and let‘s us know that there is so much more to her characters.

During all these stories she also tells us some real stories, where inspiration was culled or insight was discovered. Most of the real stories have a sort of down note. Maybe because at the time, her mentor and friend Charles Schulz was retiring. Or maybe because tragedy prevails any life, to a certain extent. It‘s fitting then that, at the most depressing moment of the book, Farley‘s death, Schulz gets the laugh. “If you do that, (kill off the family dog) I‘ll have Snoopy hit by a truck,” he told Johnston. She did it anyway and it was a truly heartbreaking moment. I can honestly say I‘ve never felt that kind of emotion upon reading four panels in my life. But it‘s real moments like that, that are without too much sap, when we come to realize why Johnston is such a good storyteller. Getting to know these characters even better than before with this book just makes them seem more real. It‘s good to have that. To see another family and realize that yours isn‘t so weird.

That‘s another thing that the book reminded me of while I was reading it. When I read For Better Or For Worse, I rarely shared it with my friends, but my Dad and I would always talk about it. It‘s a comic that can relate to many different people of many different ages. Lives confirms that. It‘s a comic that begins with a relationship between two people and a couple of kids and ends with a relationship between two people and a couple of adults. They‘re good role models. They have great family values and realistic family values, something you don‘t really see enough of these days. People make mistakes in this comic and they learn from it. They are human. Through it all, Johnston deals with it with a healthy sense of humor. Ingenious. I read this book from cover to cover and it felt just like going home.