For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for July 06, 2017

Watch out guys, it’s gonna turn into Spiderman!

It looks like Gordon is looking for bugs with a pair of tweezers. Apparently in spite of his desire to do disgusting things to the spider, he doesn’t actually want to soil his dainty hands by touching the bug.

Of course the real question is: Why is Gordon carrying tweezers around in the first place? That implies a certain preparation for bug-catching and torturing on a regular basis and not just when there is an available microwave. Such mania goes along very nicely with demented muppet head Gordon has in the final panel.

I wonder which one of the Patterson children is going to grow a backbone and put an end to this nonsense.

how about get a life! It’s a comic strip!

Isn’t this the guy Lizzie ends up marrying?

will Lizzie save the spider? Stay tuned.

No, not Charlotte!!

This is not funny.

Well this is kind of the modern day version of frying ants with a magnifying glass.

Lynn’sComment

The outrage continued as the second comment appeared. There was no internet, so I heard from my editors at the syndicate (who knew the ending to the story) and from newspaper editors who were fielding complaints from readers who were phoning in.

I knew a hunter that when a tick got on one of his dogs, would get out a pair of pliers – well, let’s just say they don’t hold up well under pressure!

Good way to leave infected sores on your dog. You have to tug them out slowly and carefully to get them out intact. Then you can squish them. Or, when I was a kid, toss them in a tin can where I had built a small fire.

Several here have presumed that this sort of behavior was “ok” back in the “old day” origins of this comic (1980s). I can assure you that even though there WERE some kids who would do these things (just like today)…. that the majority of kids (and the vast majority of adults) both in the 1980s and today would find the behavior very wrong, and would not be happy with Gordon or his ideas.

As I remember this arc, please be patient and wait to see the good ending.

Wrong on so many levels

http://www.gocomics.com/forbetterorforworse/2013/10/17

I do believe I have found Gordon’s inspiration!

Unfortunately this is just young child attitude. I can remember frying ants with a magnifying glass along with friends, or blowing up bug nests with fire crackers. If a child is totally fascinated by these things then that is the point to step in and stop it.

I have a feeling tha Lizzy will not permit this to go on.

However burning the red Amazon ants was okay as they stil are an alien species brought here in the 1930-40’s and have been spreading west hit Texas then onward .