Wednesday, February 18, 2009

She might need to hit him again....

A special, bonus six-panel FOOBAR today:

24 comments:

DreadedCandiru2 said...

I wish Lizzie the best in her new endeavor. It's gonna take a lot more than bopping one potato-head with another to get results because he's a persistent little freak but anything she can do to get rid of the guy is a good thing.

(BTWL "Yeah, right...TRY!!" shows us how little Liz thinks of Elly right about now.)

April Patterson said...

"Yeah, right...TRY!!" shows us how little Liz thinks of Elly right about now.

Yup--she just knows her too well. ;)

Anonymous said...

So what does the little creep remember?

April Patterson said...

So what does the little creep remember?

Ah, good question! (She writes, having not prepared a good answer.) ;)

howard said...

I love your picture of young Anthony. Only one year old and already in glasses.

April Patterson said...

Thanks, howtheduck. I decided Anthony was one of those children who get glasses as babies or toddlers. ;)

InsertMonikerHere said...

Which would then mean Anthony =/= Grade 1 freckle-faced kid! yes! (Hey, that kid was interesting)

April Patterson said...

Hey, that kid was interesting

Clear evidence against that kid being Anthony! ;)

scarabee said...

I do want to say that some very wonderful kids (like a dear friend's daughter - and me! for that matter) wear glasses when very young. Most of us turn out OK. It's just that cher Anthony is such a *beast* already...

I think that's an interesting tack for Liz to take, though. And definitely a way to see if she can influence her future at all (although the fact that she's still fixated on marriage is a bit of a bother).

April Patterson said...

I definitely didn't intend to disparage anyone who needed glasses very early. It's just that I imagined Anthony having his recognizable visual features right from the start.

although the fact that she's still fixated on marriage is a bit of a bother

She is still Liz, after all. ;)

Anonymous said...

I was wondering about Anthony. Thanks, April!

From what this section of comic tells, it looks like he remembers nothing. He also seems to have been ready-made into the schmuck/'70's-dad-wannabee that we all know and loathe. He also seems more clueless than even Michael.

Cedar said...

I really love the juxtaposition int eh first panel of Liz chewing on the cookie/toy/whatever, and sarcastically thought-ballooning.

--apologyhat

Anonymous said...

I think your characterization of Liz is pretty good. You're right, no way Liz ever envisioned the possibility of NOT getting married. And it would be totally within her character to secretly wish she'd married the hunky Paul, yet to go ahead with marrying Anthony because he was safe, attentive, and Dad-like.

Let's face it, Lynn only put in that Paul cheats nonsense so Liz wouldn't have to be shown making that decision. (Well, that, and Lynn is obsessed with men being cheaters.)

April Patterson said...

He also seems to have been ready-made into the schmuck/'70's-dad-wannabee that we all know and loathe. He also seems more clueless than even Michael.

Yes, he's definitely the Anthony we know and loathe, Don Hargraves.

April Patterson said...

I really love the juxtaposition int eh first panel of Liz chewing on the cookie/toy/whatever, and sarcastically thought-ballooning.

Thanks, apologyhat. :)

April Patterson said...

And it would be totally within her character to secretly wish she'd married the hunky Paul, yet to go ahead with marrying Anthony because he was safe, attentive, and Dad-like.

Definitely--especially since she seemed so lifeless and robotic through the whole process of dating, becoming engaged with, and marrying Anthony. It was as if she'd accepted this as her inevitable fate without actually taking any joy in it.

Well, that, and Lynn is obsessed with men being cheaters.

So true--this has definitely been a favorite device of hers. And ITA that Paul was just made a cheater so that Liz could be the victim and then drift towards Anthony without being the one who breaks things off with Paul.

Cedar said...

I've always sort of had it in my head that Anthony didn't have it bad for Liz since the beginning. Rather, first he fell for Candace, but realized she was way too beautiful for him, and ran with older boys anyway. Then he fell for Dawn, but she was too popular and cool, and even her friendliness (which drew him to her in the first place) wasn't worth much since she was so warm and friendly to everyone. Then he fell for Shawna-Marie since she was so interesting, creative, and smart, but he was too boring to ever impress her. Finally, upon realizing how bland, insecure, and dopey middle school Liz was, he fell for her, because she was just good enough for him. This explains his attraction to Therese (that is, his "type" isn't bland, timid Lizes, but confident, attractive smart women like all her friends, who ultimately make him feel insecure and lash out). Perhaps in the new-run world, he remembers just enough to know he shouldn't attempt to actually be with someone he's attracted to, but to settle.

April Patterson said...

Finally, upon realizing how bland, insecure, and dopey middle school Liz was, he fell for her, because she was just good enough for him.

That was my read, too--and I used this when I did my "Anthony" bio:

By the time Anthony began junior high, he'd become what his less-than-charitable peers would call a "dork." He an overbite and needed a fairly thick pair of glasses to correct his near-sightedness. To make matters worse, he was physically awkward, as his sense of coordination had not caught up with the new lankiness of his limbs. One of the only girls who was nice to him was Elizabeth "Liz" Patterson, who also needed glasses. She was pleasant-looking in a non-threatening way, and average in just about every way. Anthony was realistic enough to know he'd never have a chance with the stunning and popular Candace Halloran, who was in Liz's circle of friends. Nor did he hold out any hope Liz's best friend, the adorable Dawn Enjo, would give him a second glance. But Liz Patterson--she was attainable!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Candace was supposed to be stunning? I always thought she was drawn to be ugly or "exotic." And describing Liz as "average in almost every way"...yikes. Is this an intentional slam on her daughter Katie? Great to know that Anthony didn't want her for any reason other than that he could get her.

I sometimes wonder if Lizthony was Lynn's subversive take on marriage. It's just too hard to believe she really feels a marriage of people who are just settling is truly desirable.

April Patterson said...

Candace got hit with an ugly stick sometime around year two of university, but before that she was actually meant to be very pretty. I definitely didn't mean to slam Katie with the description of Liz as completely average--this was more my bristling against the way the official bio of Anthony made her out to be:

Elizabeth Patterson was perky, blonde and smart. She wore glasses like he did, which for some reason felt like a bond between them, and the big blue eyes behind the lenses were alive with interest in everything and everyone around her. He liked the fact that she enjoyed school (most of the time) and wasn't ashamed to admit it, unlike most of the kids in their class. Her confidence and cheerful attitude impressed him. He wished he knew her better.

Liz in middle school just really wasn't like that--she was mousy and insecure and, well, average.

Cedar said...

All of that bio description is such a lie: middle school Liz was moody; she didn't have much interest in school; she wasn't a good student; and she had zero confidence.

April Patterson said...

All of that bio description is such a lie: middle school Liz was moody; she didn't have much interest in school; she wasn't a good student; and she had zero confidence.

Yes! That's what bugged me so much about that description. You can read the strips from that time and see that it's just not true.

Leah said...

Loved your Anthony bio, especially the ending and all the sly digs at the strips along the way! Only nitpick I have is as an alumna of UWO - it's University of Western Ontario, NEVER Western U., although the issue is really that FBoFW kept referring to it as the latter and misleading people.

April Patterson said...

quix: Thanks for the compliment and also the tip re. UWO. I'll go back in and fix that when I have a moment. :)