Lynn Johnston, For Better or For Worse creator, 'opens up' in new exhibit
Comic artist invites public to 'get to know me a little better' at exhibit opening in July
Lynn Johnston, the creator of the For Better or For Worse comic strip, says an upcoming exhibit of her work at the Art Gallery of Sudbury helped her open "the family photo album" again.
The internationally syndicated comic strip, loosely based on Johnston's own family, was a staple in newspapers for 30 years and continues in 're-runs'.
Johnston retired in 2010 a few years after she split up with her husband, who she has said looks a lot like the husband in the comic strip.
But when the Art Gallery of Sudbury approached her about doing an exhibit, she said she was "thrilled" to delve back into the past.
The exhibit is set to open in July and will give "a behind-the-scenes look at Johnston's innovative process, her life, and the many doors that were opened for her along the way," according to a news release.
The characters and the story lines of For Better or For Worse are "heart-to-heart, soul-searching commentary" life, Johnston said.
"I was really super happy when I could come up with something that was a real belly laugh," she said. "But it was satisfying and rewarding to talk about things that really happened and the way I felt about them."
Fan responses to comic will also be part of the exhibit.
"It was always great fun to have people write," she said.
Johnston has been recognized with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and was the first Canadian and woman to receive a Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year. She lives in the small town of Corbeil, near North Bay.
She said she hopes the exhibit shows others that they can make a career of being a comic artist, and that it helps people "know me a little better."