Wednesday, 30 June 2010: Vacation 1981, Day One
In today's strip, Mike boasts Lawrence about the great summer vacation he's supposed to have. If he only knew that the Pattersons will never had a vacation that was not from Hell.
(Strip Number 145, Original Publication Date, 1 July 1981)
Panel 1: We leave Connie and Elly behind today and switch our focus to Mike and Lawrence who are in the back yard. As Lawrence pushes a toy truck, he asks Mike where he's going for his holidays.
Panel 2: Not-Dainty-Doll-Boy Mike enthusiastically states that a friend of Dad's is loanin' them his cabin; there's a lake an' boat's an' fish an' everything.
Panel 3: He then asks Lawrence what he's gonna do.
Panel 4: Lawrence says that he thinks that his mom is gonna let him make a tent in the back yard.
Summary: First off, we get another reminder that Poor Needy Connie can't go on vacations because she doesn't have a man in her life. Second, we get to scratch 'bad grammar' off the bingo card. Third, and most importantly, this is the first extended plot line involving the family so we should probably pay close attention to it; the central plot point is that John, who's in a tearing rush to leave in order to beat traffic, leaves Ted's directions behind and proceeds to head to the wrong cabin where they have an awful time and argue about it for months afterward. The great thing about Elly is that she'd be just as angry with John if he'd asked for directions and went to the right place; that's because it's probably better than the Pattermanse so chilling in Ted's superior accommodations would be an unfair act of oppression.
(Strip Number 145, Original Publication Date, 1 July 1981)
Panel 1: We leave Connie and Elly behind today and switch our focus to Mike and Lawrence who are in the back yard. As Lawrence pushes a toy truck, he asks Mike where he's going for his holidays.
Panel 2: Not-Dainty-Doll-Boy Mike enthusiastically states that a friend of Dad's is loanin' them his cabin; there's a lake an' boat's an' fish an' everything.
Panel 3: He then asks Lawrence what he's gonna do.
Panel 4: Lawrence says that he thinks that his mom is gonna let him make a tent in the back yard.
Summary: First off, we get another reminder that Poor Needy Connie can't go on vacations because she doesn't have a man in her life. Second, we get to scratch 'bad grammar' off the bingo card. Third, and most importantly, this is the first extended plot line involving the family so we should probably pay close attention to it; the central plot point is that John, who's in a tearing rush to leave in order to beat traffic, leaves Ted's directions behind and proceeds to head to the wrong cabin where they have an awful time and argue about it for months afterward. The great thing about Elly is that she'd be just as angry with John if he'd asked for directions and went to the right place; that's because it's probably better than the Pattermanse so chilling in Ted's superior accommodations would be an unfair act of oppression.