Lynn Johnston

Lynn Johnston (born May 28, 1947) is a Canadian cartoonist and author, best known for her long-running newspaper comic strip *For Better or For Worse*. She made history as the first woman and first Canadian to win the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award. Johnston's path into comics began in her youth, and she gained early attention with the book *David, We're Pregnant!*, which led to the syndication of her strip in 1979. Her signature work is a family chronicle that ages its characters in real time, a then-innovative approach that gave the strip a rare emotional depth. She collaborated closely with her editors and, at times, her family for inspiration, but remained the sole writer and artist for decades. Among her notable co-creations are the beloved Patterson family—John, Elly, Michael, Elizabeth, and the dog Farley—whose everyday lives resonated with millions of readers. Johnston retired the daily strip in 2007 but continued with reruns and new Sunday strips. Her later life includes compiling the complete library of her work and receiving multiple Reuben nominations. She remains a pioneering figure in newspaper comics, celebrated for bringing a warm, authentic, and often humorous female perspective to the medium.