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For Better or For Worse, a Conversation with Canadian Cartoonist Lynn Johnston
Ep. 44
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⚠️ Content warning: In this episode, we talk openly about abuse, alcoholism, and death. Please take care while listening.
We’re back with our first guest of 2026, and it is none other than Lynn Johnston, the Canadian comic strip artist behind For Better or For Worse.
At its peak, For Better or For Worse was read by more than 230 million people worldwide and became beloved for its groundbreaking concept: characters who aged in real time over the 29 years the strip ran. Lynn Johnston is a celebrated Canadian storyteller and artist who used her work to explore real-life issues including love, grief, family dynamics, abuse, and LGBTQ+ identities, at a time when being openly gay was far less accepted.
In our conversation, Lynn shares what it was like growing up in a wildly creative family where her brother was favoured, and how she often felt she never lived up to her mother’s expectations. She speaks candidly about the unexpected sense of relief she felt after her parents passed away, no longer living under the weight of her mothers expectations. Lynn also opens up about her first marriage, the abuse she experienced, and how she grew through single motherhood.
While our conversation naturally touches on For Better or For Worse, it is ultimately about much more than comics. It’s a celebration of who Lynn Johnston is, and the life experiences that shaped her into the Canadian treasure she is today.
🔗 Links from the episode
❤️ Subscribe to my channel for more
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Interested in being a guest on the podcast?
See you next Tuesday!
xx Hannah Octavia
(Theme music curtesy of Fran Lusty's song, Functioning Adult)
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