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I closed my eyes.

There was a sound like that of the gentle closing of a portal as big as the sky, the great door of heaven being closed softly.
It was a grand AH-WHOOM.

I opened my eyes—and all the sea was ice-nine.

The moist green earth was a blue-white pearl.

Cat’s Cradle © 1963 by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

For Better or For Worse 9/3/07

Today is Fööberdämmerung — launch of the new, frozen phase of For Better or For Worse.

Well, so they say. In fact, the strip road-tested its “Mike ‘n’ Meredith” photo-reminiscence gimmick back in July — so nothing really begins today. And the current storylines, including the one with Canada’s Favourite Couple, won’t treacle out until early next year — so nothing ends, either. In fact, despite the announcements and interviews, there is no actual event here — it’s like Canadian Grandparents’ Day or something.

Whatever the timeline, I’m conflicted about the conversion of FOOB into a zombie/rerun hybrid:

 Gee!

  • It’ll be nice to see the old strips again. They were good!
  • The author is doing the responsible thing for her staff. Nice!
  • Good way to ease into retirement and keep an income stream going. You go, girl!

    • But!

  • Reruns of a serial won’t attract new readers, and nostalgia is mighty thin gruel.
  • Hey, 2,000 papers! There’s plenty of new talent out there — give somebody else a chance, eh?
  • Twenty-eight years is a great run — retire, already!

    • And Yikes!

  • FOOB is now all Michael, all the time.

    • Despite all the buildup, the FOOBocalypse turns out to be precisely nothing — perfectly congruent with the way the strip manages characters and events, and oddly satisfying.

    AH-WHOOM

    — Uncle Lumpy