Everyone can relate to having a family member with an unusual hobby or habit. The Fox clan is no different. The youngest Fox is Jason, whose best friend is an iguana named Quincy. His sister, Paige, is a shopaholic. The oldest Fox sibling is Peter, whose stomach is a bottomless pit. But perhaps the most unusual of all is level-headed mom and official family mediator, Andy, who is working through her obsession with the movie Titanic. A slave to her emotions, she is brought to tears at a mere hint of the soundtrack and attends multiple movie screenings each day. This leaves well-meaning husband, Roger, struggling to live up to her new romantic expectations. All of this is par for the course in the hilarious but hectic Fox household.

  What makes the Fox clan so entertaining? They're just like us—only funnier—with no sappy sentimentality. Readers can't help but recognize a little bit of themselves in this family strip with its good-hearted, if not eccentric, characters. The Foxes deal with everything from sibling rivalry to marital disagreements over golfing habits to sharing time on the computer, always making us laugh in the process.

FoxTrot has amassed a colossal audience of fans of all ages who eagerly turn to this hilarious strip, whether in newspapers or on the Web. New fans and loyal readers alike will enjoy I'm Flying, Jack . . . I Mean, Roger, a FoxTrot collection. Together, the Fox family provides a witty window on the realities of home life today.

  Whether working through the daily disorders of home, school, or office, the Fox family manages to put its special spin on the rigors of the world. Setting the comic tone are mom Andy, whose heroic efforts to make tofu into the fifth food group are legend, and dad Roger, who is a human hazard on the golf course and a threat to the workings of all technologically driven devices. Filling out the cast are the younger Foxes: the eldest and football star wanna-be Peter, shopping guru Paige, and last-but never least-Jason, the family brain trust and his trusty iguana friend, Quincy. Each sports his or her own eccentricities, from Jason's Internet stock, Jasonzonbayhoo dot com, to Peter's teeth-chattering coffee addiction to Paige's harrowing adventures in baby-sitting.

For years and years, Lynn Johnston has entertained, enlightened, and educated the world about the delights and disappointments of family life. Her strip is poignant and funny--and very often, universal. She captures a mother's frustration at an unruly teenager, a father's surprise in a growing daughter, and kids' various views about their future as they grow up.

In It's the Thought That Counts, For Better or For Worse looks back on many of the series' high points through Lynn's hand-picked selection of color Sundays: the unexpected birth of baby April in 1991; the daring revelation that teenage family friend Lawrence was gay; the fear that comes with aging parents. The collection also includes those quietly funny moments in families: a father and his kids romping with abandon; a closet full of clothes that no longer span a middle-aged girth; a teenage son's first experience with a crush.

Lynn Johnston fashioned the Patterson family after her own lively brood. Her real life experiences--divorce, childbirth, pets, and parents--show through in her work in the most wise and wonderful ways. Even better, this anniversary book contains Johnston's comments about some of her favorite strips in an amusing and informative narrative.

It was a bleak day when the Patterson's faithful 14-year-old sheep dog, Farley, died while saving young April from a raging river. Across the country, fans who read For Better or For Worse in some 1,600 daily newspapers, reacted with surprise and grief. Since 1979, Johnston has created an affectionate family whose members face real problems with grace and humor. Readers have accompanied Elly and John Patterson through the ears, watching them raise their children, Michael, Elizabeth, and April; commiserating when they dealt with aging parents; wondering how they'd handle a friend's homosexuality. In Remembering Farley, Lynn Johnston shares her favorite selection from the heroic sheep dog's life. This retrospective includes strips from Farley's puppy days to his dying day, scenes that capture the essence of raising and loving a pet. Remembering Farley also contains some new illustrations and quotes from some of the letters sent by his many fans. Remembering Farley is a tender tribute to a dog that many of us felt was our own devoted friend.

  Elly and John Patterson, along with their children Michael, Elizabeth, and April, make up one of the most beloved families in America. The clan from For Better or For Worse is not only recognized, their lives are studied, identified with, and, most of all, treasured for the amusing reflections they provide.

  Perhaps it's seeing part of ourselves in this familial five—something that makes them so endearing. Maybe it's the good old-fashioned values they display. No matter what her secret, creator Lynn Johnston excels, once again, with this collection, Love Just Screws Everything Up, that gives us a chance to grow even closer to the Pattersons and their devoted dog, Edgar.

  This collection of heartwarming and humorous vignettes traces the Pattersons as they toil and traipse through their daily existence—lives much like our own, amplified by Johnson's insightful take on the extraordinarily funny things that happen to ordinary people. For example, we watch as Elly, seemingly stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, uses her cell-phone to call the office—while actually waiting to give her drive-up donut order. Or there's John scolding his girls during a fishing trip for wasting the live bait, only to have a gull grab his next cast in mid-air.

  No matter what their situation, no matter what their challenges, the Pattersons always come through with smiles—at least on their readers' faces. This creative collection, Love Just Screws Everything Up, is sure to captivate all fans of cartooning's first family.

For Better or For Worse reflects universal family feelings so well it's translated from English into eight languages. What makes creator Lynn Johnston's portrayal of the Patterson family and friends so beloved shines once again in The Big 5-0. This book follows the blooming romance of son Michael and his girlfriend, Deanna, daughter Elizabeth's last year in high school, and John, the father, turning 50. The book overflows with the heartwarming and realistic family exchanges that have become For Better or For Worse trademarks.

These characters' eyes bug out--and whose wouldn't! In the world that's Close to Home, amazing things usually happen. Like the Zalcon Pest Control man who finds beaver dams in his client's bathtub. "That explains the missing legs to your coffee table," the expert says. Or the surprised couple who watches as a bus unloads in their front yard with a banner blazing "The Relatives of Ed & Sue Vosburg Totally Unannounced Tour."

In this Close to Home collection, Home: The Final Frontier, cartoonist John McPherson draws a side of life that's way out there, revealing his bizarre take on wild and wacky situations that just might happen in a parallel universe. His quirky style alone makes fans double over, but McPherson's sly observations keep them laughing long afterwards.

  In this Adam collection, cartoonist Brian Basset features his endearingly funny characters who epitomize—in their own unique ways—the joys and challenges of contemporary family life. From baby-food-stained evening wear to fear of finances, from long family walks to computer-generated friendships, Adam portrays the humorous realities of raising a family while juggling commitments, careers, and community. Through it all, Adam and Laura keep a sense of perspective and a giant dose of family-oriented fun.

 Welcome to the new way to office. Follow this hilarious yet true-to-life work-at-home dad, Adam, as he deals with job deadlines, minivan support groups, sibling arguments. and marital bliss while chasing down overnight delivery trucks and searching for the perfect latte to appease his caffeine addiction.

Life Begins at 6:40, is a riotous compilation that continues to examine the trials and tribulations familiar to every parent. Adam, a classic stay-at-home dad, tends to his three unruly kids while his wife Laura escapes to the office. Adam upends the traditional roles of men and women with liberal doses of humor and irony. Cartoonist Brian Basset clearly knows about the all-too-real frustrations of parenting, and Adam functions as an exasperated parent's best friend.

Adam fans will greatly enjoy Life Begins at 6:40