Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 19, 2014

And the Nightmare begins… =-O

Uh… okay… more larnins’ goin’ on…. – That’s either “G randma A gnes’ S pecial P eppers”… or “G astronomic A dditives W ithout K etchup” ….And without a lot of other stuff… – And I don’t think she represents “the Lollipop Guild”… – Yup… They ain’t in Kansas, anymore! Oh, wait….

Cah-reepy Ms. Viper is!

“Babes Not In Toyland”“Faster Times At Moony Uni”“The Bigger The Water, The Deeper The Swim” “Janes’ Getting Serious” (♫)“It’s A Different World, Than Where You Come From” (♫)“..To Explore Strange New Worlds…”or“A Very Brady Introduction”

I’m getting bad vibes about this roommate!

Bernice, peek in the bag. If it looks suspicious, call campus security IMMEDIATELY!!!

I’ve seen worse, if you can believe it, at a major urban university which I attended once upon a time… =-O

I’d rather to play with a skunk! ;)

To be honest, looks can be deceiving. A person who doesn’t look like.. what most people would refer to as normal… doesn’t necessarily translate into being some “lowlife”.. or “deviant”… – But on the other side of the coin, ducks do quack… – It’s a tricky proposition to keep from “writing someone off”… – It’s also important to be open without being “easy prey”, and to be “accepting”, without being compromising…

My first guess is some sort of drug, but it will probably be something benign… ;)

See?I told you Crystal couldn’t have been the only goth in town.

That bag thing, however, is.. offputting … to say the least. – I would not want to personally accept responsibility for “safeguarding” a bag, until the recipient’s return. You can tell that Bern has been caught off guard….

Super-Goths (not like Crystal at all…Worse!); women in the sex trade who dressed that way, heavy make-up, slinky clothes, etc.; the ubiquitous bright-blue or bright-neon pink spiked hair with costumes to match…just a few that I can think of… ;)

’Nite! ;)

She surely does! ;)

College is a whole ’nother world. Sometimes I wish I never left it.

I live in a city with both. As far as “thugs”, you can’t very easily tell them, except if you know you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. – But other than that, the fashion styles of today make it so that some kids who are pretty good in school and are trying to make their way, or some adults who just go about their own business will look just like the “stereotypes” portrayed in videos, etc. because of the “fashion dictates” of today. It used to be that there was that clear dividing line. But a lot has changed….

“Let us draw the conclusion that the worst possible thing is in that bag”^The worst thing is a boy band DVD or a Justin Bieber Documentary…

I’m guessing the story for this week, will either be that it is something in the bag…. - or Bern will worry about it for weeks, and this will be an ongoing “mystery” of what is going on… – or Bern will find it wasn’t something bad, get caught “peeking” and mess up her chance to get off on the good foot with her new roomie…

Oop? Eep! This is going to be really something…

As a long time fan of the strip (first comment ever in this forum, by the way), I have to say that I welcome the change of direction that has come in the past year. Is Luann getting a bit Nolanized? Perhaps, but no more than say “Archie” or “For Better or For Worse.”

I don’t know what’s in the bag, or what Greg & Co. have planned for the readers down the road, but I suspect that it is going to be really good.

And an aside: I really appreciate the civil comments of the regulars who populate the space below the comics. The sense of community and constructive observation (often laced with wry humor) has been a pleasure to follow after enjoying the main attraction which is Luann the comic strip.

Cheers!

From yesterday:-I seriously doubt that there’s a college that would put boys and girls in the same dorm, much less the same room.--We had just that at UCLA, ~1964: Men on floors 1-6 women on floors 7-10. Visits to each others’ rooms was only on sunday afternoons, with the doors open. That all changed when the law decreed 18+ people were adults. Then men and women shared floors, and, I suppose, couples roomed together despite the official room roster.-**************************************************************-Also from yesterday:-Bring on the roommate from HELL! The typical college first year experience.-My R from H was in my 2nd year.

I’ve been on my computer for Hours!…but I did manage to find one of my old high-school friends using “whitepages!” (However, I was Appalled to see how much information about Me was on that website! =-O So much for “hiding” behind a USPS Post Box!). Anyway, I need to give it a rest (!)…both me and my computer! (Of course, that also includes IS Katie!). ’Nite all! ;)-——————————————————————————“Books, like men their authors, have no more than one way of coming into the world, but there are ten thousand to go out of it, and return no more.”(Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745)

Cute little twinkie, cute little room, not quite military basic training’s rude awakening.

Viper: Looks like one angry bitch with a very toxic ’tude !!

Viper has to get back to roller derby practice.

Five holes and two hands. Great odds!

à demain!

Whoah! Him not “Bieberifying” anymore is one thing… but that? That’s like taking a sledgehammer to drive in a thumbtack… – I remember seeing clips of him as a “promising” up and coming artist, who actually played guitar to pop songs…. with some real promise…. – But, somehow, he missed the memo, or a couple of steps…

HAW, good job! I bet it will be innocent, too.

“Just learned only yesterday from mabrnt”^Thanks! Forgot about the “b” for bold….– That’s also what I get for not “delving into” “One Big Happy” or “Jump Start”…

I usually use the “*” for my bolds, which is why I had forgotten about the b tag…..

And caught in those bull rings in her ears…..

I don’t think Viper is going to be a main character. However I’m very interested to see Dez…

I’m thinking “Fifty” will be a quantity of something – not $50. A bag of pot is too obvious … Maybe 50 pushups – discipline…

I like Dez already. She kept the room clean. And her friend isn’t rude. Those are good signs.

The chicks comment makes me think Dez is much older than the typical freshman.

C’mon guys, get a grip on it. Luann and Bernice will probably spend the whole week agonizing over what’s in the bag, and when Dez gets there, they’ll find out what a pastrami on rye sandwich costs from the college deli.

You cannot always tell by looks. Some of the “gothiest”-looking people I knew in college turned out to be as nearly normal as you could imagine. On the other hand, in this case we have not only the Look but also the (nick)name, Viper. So, unless she is a Mixed Martial Arts pro or semi-pro, I’d not want to be left holding that bag which could contain contraband just as easily as anything innocent. Welcome to college life, Bernice! Think fast, act smart, call your RA!

Bern gets a tat…and the strip takes on entirely new dimensions.

First of all, no one in the last fifty years has sold/bought a lunch size brown bag of pot for fifty bucks….so thanks for the teaser…but it ain’t drugs

Speaking from personal experience (Berkeley, ‘75-78), I find it extremely unlikely that Viper just left a bag of drugs, or any illicit substance. Think about it. You don’t hand illegal substances to a pair of total strangers and take off with nothing more than a verbal IOU. There are unwritten rules about such things, and this simply wouldn’t happen.

I realize this is the Luanniverse, and Greg has to tell a story in three or four panels each day, but this just makes me convinced things are a lot less creepy than we’re supposed to believe. I’m taking this with a great big grain of salt. It’s a false alarm. Gotta be.

That’s one costly PB&J.

Piffle! Viper is hardly different from Crystal. She has shorter hair and ear gauges.

Okay HOLD the Phone.

This “Viper” Hoo-Doo Breaks Into Bern and Her Roomie’s Tiny Dorm, But is Unaware that this “Dez” Person is NOT there, Until the Newly arrived Luann and Company TELLS Her???

And “She” could Care LESS Who Bern Is, and Hands Her a Bag, Issues Instructions and Leaves???

Where the Heck Is “Dez” anyway? Out Looting?

Bernie? Ask, No, DEMAND a CHANGE In Dorm Rooms.

Just My 2 cents…..,

hmmm and the assumptions begin.

Might want to watch your mouth on that one. You comment got me to register just to reply to you.

That “ugly” chick, as per my experience, has developed more personality in both her pinky fingers at the age she’s supposed to be at than most of the “LET’S GET WASTED EVERY OTHER DAY” college population. Not to mention that living with someone of the alternative culture, however short-lived, would be farrrrrrrr more educational to one’s psyche than it would be just living with another average human.

Do things differently, build character. The world needs more strong people. Quite honestly, you’re a freaking bore and I sincerely hope you’re not nearly as conservative a person as you come off as.

Just learned only yesterday from mabrnt that if you use the < b > – < /b > symbols around your letters you wish to bold you can have the word together, as it should be. No spaces:

There’s actually a short cut for that, which is the " * " asterisk character. It does the same thing as the “< b >”. Just put what you want to bold between two asterisks.

The dash character “-” causes a strikeout feature. Underscore “_” causes italics.

The big one that everyone should remember is this “< p >” (without spaces). This causes a “line feed.” so you don’t need to separate paragraphs with “^” or other characters like that.

As for this strip, I will not judge anything just yet. But I do agree that Bernice should not be left “holding the bag.” Not a swift move, no matter what’s in it. I learned that lesson many times in my EMT days, as people who know they’re going to be interviewed/searched by the cops will try to get you to “hold this for them” while they’re in the back of the ambulance. We never accepted those “little gifts” from them, and we made sure there were plenty of witnesses around if they tried to push it on us.

At first, I was also thinking “biker gang” when I saw the mask, and fhen first saw Viper. The San Diego area does have a bit of a reputation for organized biker gangs (has anyone seen the “Devil’s Ride” TV show on Discovery?)… They use name handles like “Viper, Dez, etc.” But what threw me off with our Viper here was the “ear ring” bling…. That’s different. I’ve seen it (of course) in Kenya, but not much beyond.

I’m just gonna sit this one out and see. Whatever it is, it’s going to require quite the adjustment for Bernice. Hopefully, not an “emergency adjustment” (i.e. change of room), but if needed….

If Zonker shows up, she’s in trouble.

Please explain about bold a letter. Thanks.

Vipers last name is Unemployable.

And Viper is rooming with Tiff! At mid-term, they trade roomies and Bern is actually GLAD to be rooming with Tiffany.

Those ear lobes can be rented out as coat hanger space.

Shouldn’t Viper have a dragon tattoo?

Yes, I have seen bags like that. I researched the Sacramento County area well to find the best neighborhood I could afford to raise my sons. Well, that very nice, low crime neighborhood had drug dealers catty corner to me. A few years later I had drug dealers next door and prostitues across the street. What is in that lunch sack is drugs. I’ve seen it before, and so has Berniece long ago in early Luann time. Fortunately those homes of illegal activity were rentals, and those types don’t stay in the same home for very long.

In real life Viper would be a fool to leave the bag with anyone but Dez. She appears to be more experienced than that. What I see in the future though is a raid and Dez claiming the drugs belong to Berniece. Berniece will be the one arrested. I’ve see that happen, too. Druggies are really slick people.

I would agree. Her look doesn’t say Goth to me at all. More like a bit of Punk. And she doesn’t look like a student unless there is no dress code at Moony U.

Well, she (Viper) does have the black lip stick down. But that seems to be the only common feature. I assume (for now) that she is revealing her natural skin tone. One would think if she were “Goth,” she’d be a lot more pale (i.e. powder it up a bit)… The buzz cut does seem a bit more punk than Goth, though. Frankly, I don’t know what to do with the “ear bling…”

Whatever you do girls, don’t open that bag; best to maintain plausible deniability

Probably 50 push – ups.

Well… considering the proximity to MCRD San Diego….. ;-PPPPP

what would cost 50 and fit in that bag?

“I am Viper…I am here to Vipe yur vindows klean !!!”……..

This doesn’t look good.

Herbs or veggies for Dez? Will have to wait and see.

DRUG DEALERS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!

So very happy that Gunther, Rosa and Delta are (hopefully) gone, one can wish would disappear forever. College life and characters can be very interesting.

Left out Tiffany the one disappearing.

This Viper introduced herself and just handed a bag to give to Dez. WHAT’S THE HORROR IN THAT??And she isn’t pretty. So what. Unless the contents of the bag are illegal, I don’t see anything “horrible”……………..yet?

I hope this story is about not judging people based on looks.

Nope, has nothing to do with “looks.” It has to do with “actions.” If any stranger (no matter how they look) comes up to me unsolicited and asks, “can you hold this for me a minute…I’ll be right back…” of course, I’d be suspicious and refuse. I might even refuse people I know, given the situation. I sat in the back of an ambulance all the time while patients, high on whatever, tried to dump/get rid of their “whatever” before the ambulance arrived at the hospital, since the know they’d be searched by the cops. We always had 2-3 people in the back. While 1 or 2 treated, the other watches us as a witness to ensure we weren’t compromised.

How is it unsupervised? Bernice and Luann are there

But they (Lu/Bernice) weren’t there prior to Viper’s arrival, and Dez isn’t there, now. Hence, Viper was in the dorm room “unsupervised” until Bernice and Lu arrived.

All roommates do this, in one form or another. However, if Bernice immediately confronts Dez assuming she does drugs then there ARE going to be problems.

Better to have problems now, than have bigger problems. later. Again I’m not saying this is about drugs, I don’t know. I’m talking about ground rules in re: who gets to be in the dorm room without one of the two residents being there. That’s an issue for far greater reasons, other than drugs.

“Then again, we did the “Tiffany gives Bernice a makeover” story again, so I wouldn’t be surprised…”^Also, Greg has been known for “repeating” things as a way to give a “shout out” to the past doings, or as a way to “catch people up” in a “sneaky” way…… -And is sometimes a “creature of habit” (as we all are)…..

“More like a bit of Punk.”^Yeah, could be! There was even a "neo-punk’ movement that has sort of “blended in” with a few other styles, recently……

“See ya tamara.”^ Uh, you meant to post that to Tamara! (LOL!)

I so remember the ladies’ derby leagues that used to air on TV!

I am impressed….. In yesterday’s comic, a person (presumably Viper) which causes Luann (from her position relative to the mask in yesterday’s drawing) to turn towards the open dorm room door (that Bernice just opened). I like the continuity Greg has shown here. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++As for Viper, Dez appears to owe her $50 dollars, presumably for the contents of the bag. But, I suspect Greg is simply using our own stereotypical presumptions here for comic effect. He wants us to assume Viper is perhaps delivering drugs to Dez. However, I suspect (and hope) that the bag may contain something mundane (like lunch), and that perhaps Dez has either a) an extravagent budget, so $50 inconsequential, or b) the “tab” has been building for a few days to approach $50. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++My own speculations…. I suspect Viper is likely a nice (albeit abrupt) kid, who may simply have adopted as her own style cues a rather severe look. I predict she may be an art major, she may ride a motorcycle, and she may be Dez’s old room mate (perhaps Dez is a sophomore).

And Bernice could have refused, or asked what’s in the bag, but didn’t. Probably because it’s not THAT big of a deal. Drop it on Dez’s desk and let it go. If it turns out that Dez is a drug user, then Bernice can address that problem, but as of now there aren’t any issues here, just assumptions.

When you’re talking 10-15yrs mandatory as in some states, you can’t afford to make “assumptions…” especially if they turn out to be “wrong.”

Where exactly do you think Viper was hiding when they walked in? Wouldn’t they have seen her right away in this tiny room? She came in from the hallway. She wasn’t in the room unsupervised.

Look at yesterday’s strip. You will see that as Lu and Bernice enter, there is a closed door inside the room in the 1st panel. That is from where she (Viper) could have come. I took note of it because it seemed very weird for there to be any enclosure in such a “tiny” dorm room. I wouldn’t think it a “closet” because usually those are built out into the room’s space and have a simple curtain you use to keep things private. I thought it was either a 2nd bed area (with the door for privacy) or this is a “bedroom suite” with a living area attached and enclosed bedroom.

Still, it does seem that either scenario could have happened. The strips are a bit ambiguous. I trust as we see future drawings, we’ll find out.

Sure, but that issue hasn’t happened yet.

Maybe… maybe not…

“The Calm Before The Dorm”?^In that case, how about “Riders On The Dorm” (♫)? (LOL!)

I agree with howtheduck. I just can’t see Greg getting Bernice into drugs, no matter how innocently

Advice? Oh yeah. Get out NOW! Or she’s going to be left “holding the bag.”

“That better?”^Uh… OK… but just in case, I was joking about the line “See ya…” as if it were literally to Tamara, though I know you meant tamara as in “tomorrow”…. and I wasn’t referring to anything else beyond that….

Another thing to also consider is where “ear gauging” (stretching out) started , and how in some cases, it’s really “art that imitates life”….

“The big one that everyone should remember is this “< p >” (without spaces). This causes a “line feed.” so you don’t need to separate paragraphs with “^” or other characters like that .”

“Doesn’t have to be the “p,” pretty much any letter will work.” ^And for me, I just like to use the caret ( ^ ) as my own personal “style”, and what I have seen by some as a way used to indicate that the following text is a response to a previous quote….

Oh, the good ol’ days…… not too long ago, it used to be that 50 would get you 5 CDs…and now the price is up some. Heh, heh… it’s a good thing “nobody has CDs, anymore”…

Joel…. you state that we have “…already judged this girl as being bad evil…”++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I say… of COURSE we have…. that is (likely) Greg’s intent…. it is a rather common practice in comedy…. the person we presume is (whatever) will be totally different from our presumptions. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Now, that said… Greg sometimes (as we know) has serious stories instead of comedy. So, this could be more of a serious arc than a comedic. The jury is still out.

I’ve got it! It is a bag of beads! and she has to make 50 necklaces. Taking bets.

Ohhh $#&& no. I do not hold anything for anyone. No! no no. Especially when there is money involved. $#&& No!

If that mask was a clue to who Bern’s roommate is, the only one I can think of is Leslie’s girlfriend, if he has one. I think this is going to be a new character with no links to this strip in the past unless Chrystal has a hidden side. I doubt it.

I think the rattlesnake should sue for defamation to it’s family.

There is nothing in the bag that would get Bernice in trouble. She would tell the police what happened and Luann would be there to back her up as a witness. It’s not a crime to be handed something and go set it down if you have no idea what you’ve been handed.

Heh heh… In my state, you can tell that to the LEO until you’re blue in the face, as s/he is slapping the cuffs on you. If that bag contains anything illegal, and you’re caught within a certain proximity of it, you’re going to jail, no matter to whom the bag belongs, or why it’s there. Prosecutors here can easily build enough of a case to take one to trial, even if there is no case at all. It’s all about the jury they select, and what they’re trying to get the jury to believe. I know this, because I served on a jury where the prosecutor did just that… it was a “2nd degree assault/possession of a deadly weapon” offense. A ton of evidence, yes…a lot of bloody clothes, a box cutter shank, a victim with a bunch of nasty scars that required a trauma center… a fight (ground struggle) between the victim and defendant. But nothing that tied the evidence to that defendant… not one bit of testimony or forensic evidence that the defendant ever possessed the deadly weapon, let alone use it against the victim. The fight was witnessed by 15-20 people live. Yet no one was called to testify that victim and defendant were isolated from the others… never testified that the victim was “injury free” at the onset, and yet arose from the fight with the injuries. In fact, the only eye witness called (other than the victim) testified that several people got involved trying to pull the two apart while they were still on the ground.

Needless to say, “acquitted” on all charges except simple assault (for the fight). And given the “mutual consent” we found, max. penalty was 30 days. That case should never have come to trial.

Point being, even if you’re innocent, you can still face charges if TPTB want to bring them.

If Viper was already there in the dorm waiting, why would she ask Bernice if Dez was there? She’s been in the place waiting so she would obviously know that Dez isn’t there.

OK… Now ya got me…. :-)… I fold on that point.

I just noticed. There’s an aura behind Viper’s head. Is that another clue? Foreshadowing?

Viper: family nickname acquired when her baby sister couldn’t pronounce Violet.

Inside the bag: a personalized knitted sachet. “Owes me fifty” refers to the number of copies of the item that Dez promised to make to hand out to Viper’s Bible-studies group.

Yeahhh! Righhht!. Don’t get caught holding the bag, Bernice.

Just a little “extra” so not to always have flat color fields. Time does not permit gradients to be applied to the figures themselves, so the solid areas get a little more attention. I thought Viper had an ominous presence, so I tried something unconventional.

“Let us draw the conclusion that the worst possible thing is in that bag:”*HTDuck – love your lists! Can’t wait for DEA to come pounding down the door!

I see two places for bungee cord hooks.

Viper is really an angelic person. We know this because of the aura of light around her. Body halo!

Reminds me of my first day. Freshmen were supposed to be there a few days early. First night my new roomie showed up at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. Said he’d gotten wasted at a party at Penn State and driven straight through to Asheville, and that he’d kept his dorm key from the prior year. We lasted together about two weeks.

Next question: will Bernice and Luann try to sneak a peek into the bag…….and get caught by the mysterious Dez?

Only much, much worse!

She’s mysterious and spooky. She’s all together ooky. You know the rest.

In that case, a well played “word play”, sir!

Bernice expelled from college!!!!!!!!!!!

Another point is that it may be only 50 cents, rather than dollars, as she may have simply gotten Dez lunch from the campus dining hall for all we know. Remember, she did not say 50 what.

That she didn’t. But I’m not sure what can be purchased for just 50cents, these days. :-)

Some of the hazing I have seen on the internet is X rated.

Yeah, that’s scary as all get out. The Internet did not exist during my school days. I though I was “hot stuff” having a terminal and a “300 baud” acoustic modem (for those who recall what that is…. :-))) ) to dial into the computer center and do my course work. Any such hazing had to be done “the old fashioned” way…

Like the (now fomer) Pitts HS gang, my niece is also leaving in a week or two to enter college (and, as it turns out, very near where @IamJayBlue lives. :-) I would hate to hear anything about any cyber bullying. Not that there wasn’t an opportunity for it in HS, and, actually, greater propensity for it there (consider the Lu and Tiff issue with the cell phone in the locker room). But yeah, that’s one thing that’s still difficult to control, since it’s not as visible, and not as “reported.”

I trust my niece knows what to do.

I MUST KNOW WHAT IS IN THE BAG.

I’m betting it’s a quarter of the finest .

Welcome to College!

Hi. No, I haven’t contacted my friend yet. Since we haven’t seen each other for years, I think I will wait until the Christmas Season. Thanks for the reference to Komado. Will check her out tomorrow! ;)

Sorry if this has already been posted…It was Peter who was crucified upside-down. He didn’t think he should die the same way Jesus did… ;)

WOW !!

Viper is Crystal on steroids !