PIERCEd- Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

***A quick short little post today as I have had to send my beloved laptop away for repair. :( I will now be forced to sneak in some time on my gamer son's computer.....***

~ A Zits Close Up~

Zits is my favourite comic strip. It details the life and times of teenager Jeremy Duncan, his parents and his friends. This compilation deals with his friend Pierce, who loves his piercings, tattoos, his pet rat and not conforming. But looks can be deceiving. To quote the authors " Beneath that face of silver lies a heart of gold.

Borgman and Scott have brought the joy and angst of raising a teenage boy to the public for over ten years now, appearing in over 1500 newspapers. There are many, many strips I've cut out and laid at my son's place at the table. Learning to drive, being cool (or not), girls, a band, embarrassing parents, messy rooms and lots more capture real life with a humourous twist.

Haven't heard of it? You can read it or get your daily strip online.

Jeremy and Mom - Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

---A Zits Retrospective You Should Definitely Buy For Your Mom ---

I hope you've had a chance to enjoy this wonderful comic strip. It's one I faithfully read every day and it never fails to give me a chuckle. I've been cutting out the ones that really strike a chord and leaving them on my teenage son's placemat for years.

Scott and Bergman perfectly capture the joys and tribulations of raising an adolescent male - messy bedrooms, sneakers and clothes everywhere, a seemingly bottomless pit of an appetite, learning to drive and so many more.

I borrowed this from the library. The fun part - I caught my son reading it and chuckling as well!

Zits appears in 1600 newspapers, 45 countries and 15 languages. You can follow it online here.

Home Sweat Home - Lynn Johnston

A For Better or Worse Collection

Okay okay I know - it's a collection of cartoon strips. But Lynn Johnston's strip is one I have read faithfully for almost twenty years. Home Sweat Home is the 35th collection.

Johnston is a Canadian cartoonist. The strip has followed the lives of the Patterson family. Their lives actually progress in real time. Johnston bases many strips on that of her actual family. Elly and John and their family have become a part of many family's days. The strip is not always after a quick gag or joke. Instead it deals with the everyday problems of life with a view to finding the lighter side. That is not to say that more difficult topics have not been dealt with. The coming out of one character who is gay caused many newspapers to boycott the publication of Johnston's cartoon. However For Better or Worse is carried by over 2000 newspapers around the world!

Sadly that is coming to an end. After 30 years, Johnston is looking to retire. In 2008 she has been blending past strips with new panels and will wind up existing story lines in the near future.

You can always follow the daily strip online here. Or go back to 2003 online and read forward to present day.

I've had fun over the years following the lives of the Pattersons and their family and friends. Many of the situations rang so true to life, from the death of a beloved pet to a child heading off to University.

This reader will mourn the demise of this comic strip.