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Congratulations to faithful reader Joshua at comment #97 for his quick win! The dedication and knowledge of Foob fans continues to amaze! Sheesh, eleven minutes!

OK, here we go! This is the Foob trivia quiz with questions by True Fable and ChattyGenes, for the amazing Foob DVD prize. Contest rules are listed below. Please post your answers in the comments of this thread, and be sure to number them.

If you have a question about the contest or any quiz item, post it in a comment or mail it to me at bio@jfruh.com. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, and post any clarifications of general interest under “Updates” at the bottom of this post. You may want to check there from time to time.

Enjoy, and good luck!

For Better or For Worse Trivia Contest

1. April stole a bag of candy hearts from a store, and later paid the owner back. Who was the owner?
2. Kortney goofed off on this Web site instead of working at the bookstore. What was the site’s full name?
3. Paul gave something to Liz when they first met face to face. What was it?
4. To be closer to Liz, Paul asked to be transferred to this place. What is the exact spelling of its name?
5. Michael took over as editor of a magazine. Whom did he replace (first and last names)?
6. Rebekkah went “roadside” with this Senior boy. What was his name (first and last)?
7. Paul left Liz for her. What was her name (first and last)?
8. Liz has a “spirit name.” What is it (in English)?
9. Shawna-Marie married him. What’s his first name?
10. Elizabeth attended Anthony’s wedding with an escort who played a sport. What was his first name, and what was his sport?

And don’t forget to keep your eyes on the prize:

This is the two-DVD box set of the For Better or For Worse Family Album, ©2000, with eight half-hour episodes from Season 1 and another eight from Season 2. Every episode has an introduction by Lynn Johnston, and stories from “The Early Years” (before April), “The Growing Years” (April as a baby), and “The Later Years” (Mike/Dee, Liz/Anthony). The stories are well-produced, true to the strip, and really very charming.

Here’s the plan:

Did I miss anything? Post questions below; I’ll answer them up here. Invite all those fanatics from binky_betsy your friends! Have fun, and good luck!

— Uncle Lumpy

Updates:

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Daily continuity strips have to fiddle with time to tell their stories. And anybody with an idle hour, a links page or utility and a refreshing beverage can figure out how they manage it. Let’s give it a go!

Judge Parker, 6/19/2008

It’s morning in Judge Parker! This strip moves so slowly, characters could sit on the porch and watch continents drift by. Here’s the chronology since the last appearance of the Esteemed Eponym himself — on November 28, 2006:

1/1/2007 — Goodbye, Abbey and Neddy!
2/5/2007 — Off to school, Neddy!
6/18/2007 — Off to California, Sophie and Sam!
8/6/2007 — Mornin’, Trudi!
10/29/2007 — ‘Bye, Rusty!
1/7/2008 — Mornin’ Abbey!
3/24/2008 — Off to work, Steve!
6/16/2008 — Elvira in the news!

Did I miss any? Let me know at bio@jfruh.com. At a little over two months per day, those evenings with Abbey (or Trudi, or Rusty, or — God help us — Rachel) come waaaaay too far apart — but they last a good long time. Not that any of that makes the slightest difference to Sam.

Mary Worth, 7/5/2006

To measure glaciers’ progress, climatologists poke sticks in them, then return to see a pile of wet sticks on the ground. how far they’ve moved. But to meter the agonizing peristalsis of Mary Worth, we must employ prunes.

Above, Mary prunes in a scene of regularity and contentment. Her life is as it has always been: quiet, refined, her presumptuous intrusions into the lives of others unchallenged, out of her victims’ stark terror. A new conquest waits in the shadows, but like a spider she bides her time.

Mary Worth, 6/19/2008

Less than two years later, as a second prune struggles its way to the light, so much has changed. As evidenced by her distress in the right panel, Mary’s life has become irregular, pinched, beset with ructions! Her disastrous rejection of Aldo’s simple affection, her meddling outshone by Ella Byrd’s clairvoyance, her contributions reduced to improving the lot of stray dogs, the public humiliation of her long-time partner — Mary’s life is falling apart. She stands at the brink, and only the tissue of her self-deception keeps her from the abyss.

Karen Moy! Give her a nudge, won’t you? Just a little one? For us? We love you, you know! And we’re quite sure you’ll feel much better afterwards!

Funky Winkerbean, 6/19/2008

OK, Tom Batiuk’s time management skills lead this pack. He slow-paces a set of characters (high-schoolers, young adults) until he outgrows them, then “leaps” — or rather, sheds the time discrepancy that’s built up. Except that this most recent leap has been a muddle — characters age inconsistently, and sad-sack author-proxy Les, here, seems hell-bent on living in multiple pasts: his nightmare adolescence, his absurdly, hilariously tragic marriage. Get it together, pal — one more leap and you’re Crankshaft.

For Better or For Worse, 6/19/2008

I throw up my hands (and oh, so much else) trying to figure out what this strip is trying to do. Last year, they announced and then utterly botched a “freeze” (sort of the antithesis of Batiuk’s leaps). This year, they’re mixing messages about hybrids, weddings, August, September. I would stop paying attention except for the nagging suspicion that despite the near-undetectable pulse of this strip, it’s going to outlive us all.

Maman, may I have my cup of tea now? And one of those little shell cookies? S’il-vous plaît?

— Uncle Lumpy

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Mary Worth, 6/17/08

Wow, check out Doc Corey in panel two! No longer the doughy doofus of yore, he’s confidently asserting his right to be cowed by the opinions of total strangers — and even sporting an adorable little wisp of chest hair! Faithful reader Daily Comics Reviewer thinks he’s been enmanlied by hate. It could be even simpler: since they went on their “break”, Jeff’s no longer scarfing down the estrogen supplements Mary sneaks into his Cialis bottle.

The Better Half, 6/17/08

Yeah, be careful what you wish for, Stanley.

Family Circus, 6/17/08

Hey Jeff, take a tip from Billy here — want some sweet treats from your white-haired, salmon-clad inamorata? When confrontation fails, try misdirection and deceit.

For Better or For Worse, 6/17/08

Ah, the Patterson women, passing family traditions and simple wisdom across the generations like a beautiful antique wedding gown. Except of course, for April, who just gets screwed.

— Uncle Lumpy