Lynn Johnston

Lynn Johnston (born May 28, 1947) is a Canadian cartoonist who is most known for her comic strip For Better or For Worse.

She is also the first female cartoonist to win the prestigious Reuben Award.

Born Lynne Ridgeway in Collingwood, Ontario, Johnston was raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia. She says her mother was a brutal disciplinarian who left Johnston with welts and bruises, but her father refused to lay a hand on his children. She attended the Vancouver School of Art with hopes of making it as an artist. After marrying in 1969, she moved back to Ontario.

Unable to obtain employment in animating, Johnston worked as a medical artist at McMaster University. While expecting her first child, she did drawings on the ceiling of her obstetrician's office. Those drawings were published in her first book entitled David We're Pregnant, which was published in 1972. After her divorce, she freelanced in a greenhouse which was converted into a studio.

In 1978, Johnston and her two children relocated to Lynn Lake, Manitoba. She was asked by United Press Syndicate if she was interested in doing a comic strip. As a result, she sent off twenty copies of a strip called The Johnstons, which would first appear in newspapers throughout Canada under the new title For Better or For Worse.

Many story lines draw from her family's real-life experiences. Her main characters are named after the middle names of her husband and children. Elly is modeled after a friend who died when Johnston was young. Her son has since complained of teasing and embarassment stemming from classmates who thought the comic was a tale of their lives. Her brother-in-law, Ralph Johnston, inspired the story on Lawrence's coming out. Johnston's niece, Stephanie, is developmentally handicapped and her experience is shared in recent story lines on the integration of developmentally handicapped students in April's class.

Johnston was close friends with Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts.

In 2001, Johnston announced plans to end the strip in 2007, when her current contract ends. In explaining her decision to retire, she cited her neurological illness (dystonia) and medication, growing difficulty with understanding today's young families, and desire to have more free time for other interests. She also noted that, given the complexity of her stories, it will take a few years to wrap up plot lines.

Her daughter, Katie, is a ski instructor in Whistler, BC, and her son, Aaron, produces television programs in Vancouver, BC. Johnston says she has supported her children financially and that she once had to cut off her son, who later lined up at a soup kitchen. She has since resumed his allowance. In a June 14, 2003 Globe and Mail article, Johnston stated; "If I give them too much, they're spoiled. If I don't give them any, they're resentful. And you don't want your children looking forward to when you die".

Johnston now resides "quite privately" in the Northern Ontario town of Corbeil. [1] (http://www.fborfw.com/behind_the_scenes/about_lynn.php?page=four)

Awards and honours

• 1986 - Reuben Award; first woman, first Canadian and youngest artist ever to win this prestigious award
• 1987 - Gemini Award, Best Cartoon Series
• 1990 - Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario
• 1992 - Awarded the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour
• 1993 - Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
• 1993 - Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for story on Lawrence's coming out
• 1999 - Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
• 2000 - Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario
• 2000 - Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver
• 2001 - Comic of the Year, Editor and Publisher
• 2003 - A star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto
• 2004 - Debwewin Citation from the Anishinabek Nation for excellence in Aboriginal-issues journalism.

External link

• Official For Better or For Worse Website (http://www.fborfw.com)
• Toronto Star - "For Better, for Worse, not forever" (requires registration) (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1101038464807&call_pageid=970599119419)
• Slate interview (http://cagle.slate.msn.com/hogan/interviews/johnston/home.asp)