Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for September 17, 2014

Don’t tell me Shannon has already forgotten T.J.‘s going to help buy Luann’s birthday present.

Wow! Shannon is a mini “Co- young- bo”….. – I can see TJ at an “encouraging seminar”: “You’ve got potential!” And you’ve got poten- uhhhh…oh, boy…."

The only part of the them park that this grifter is interested in is Fantasyland.

“Lying In A Made-Up Bed”“Ready, Fabled And Willing”“Whazup, Aesop?”“Liar, Liar, Truck’s On Fire”“Pinnochio Pulls The Strings”“A Few Stories Off The Ground”“The Cat’s In The Cradle, With A Good Excuse” (♫)“It Never Rains In Southern Disneyland, California” (♫)“Veruca’s Salt Mine”or“Fairy Tales Fractured Even Further”

Somebody needs to teach Shannon that, at times, TJ is just full of hot air… Now, just for that, he ought to pay for Shannon to visit Disneyland! ;)

Brdshtt: Gosh, what a difference! Who would have thought someone would grab a water bottle and not the phone! But, then, phones can’t quench one’s thirst… ;)

Why is Brad skeptical about TJ’s story? Didn’t the Fire Marshall in Brad’s department do an official investigation (which is quite separate from the insurance settlement), or are “fire aftermaths” something to add to the list of things that Greg Evans doesn’t portray right?

Got it! ;)

(about Schultz:) I said the same thing last week, about Luann when they got together with Delta over skype…

AAnnnnnnnnnndddd here is ORM’s Pick for the Day!: “‘Liar, Liar, Trucks On Fire’” Hands down!!! ;)

“A Matter Of Trust”, Billy Joel“Little Lies”, Fleetwood Mac"“Liar”, 3 Dog Night“Would I Lie To You/?” Eurythmics“Private Eyes”, Hall and Oates“Electric Stories”, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons “Lies”, Linda Ronstadt version

Left you one, as well….

Except in the CEO’s bank account… – And maybe Mickey’s….

Re: Disneyland. I can still remember my awe at Finally being there. Everything looked magical to me. I had a lot of fun…especially liked the Spook House! Guess I’ll turn in for the night…IS Katie has fallen asleep next to me, and I am hoping she’ll wake up when I turn my computer off! No Way can I carry her up the stairs LOL as she weighs 58 pounds! =-O ’Nite all!-—————————————————————————“Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations…entangling alliances with none.”(President Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826)

Wasn’t there a loan to buy the truck? And what about paying the suppliers of the stuff that was toasted?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/380636695061?lpid=82

It was just the one where I Laughed at the “tables turned” and also an explanation for why the other one “disappeared”….

I tried to “explain” my “explanation” but I think I only “compounded” it, LOL!-

No worries, though- it’s late in the day, and time to turn to a new page and “clear away the cobwebs of yesterday”…

So, Brad better watch the cynicism, or there will be a bad parting of the ways. Do I think he’d have to turn TJ in? Not sure. Anyway, the stage is being set for his departure, one way or another.

So have the Disney people stopped by yet to warn Greg about his wanton and profligate use of their trademark?

In the 3rd panel, little Shannon gives us a lovely visual homage to the drawing skills of the late, great Charles Schulz, who loved those giant mouth and nose visuals for his Peanuts characters-^^Well, to be accurate, while Shulz did indeed use that expression to show over-enthusiasm, the technique was being used long before that, especially by Elzie Segar, the creator of Popeye, in his comics.

I don’t think TJ meant to blow up his truck, but, it looks like his past of lying to Brad might come back to seriously hurt their friendship. (Whether that is a good , or bad thing, I don’t know.)

I do not know of insurance that makes you money. At best, they give you the $ to replace what was lost, if you pay extra for that coverage. So at best, he is back to where he was before he started the business.

Click on thumbnail to enlarge….

Has anyone ever suggested that TJ might be Tiffany’s older brother, but adopted out because of scandal being a product of an affair? Daddy Bigbucks keeping things quiet?

Shannon? Your Unca TJ is a Pathological LIAR who would STEAL Your Lollipops and Sell Them on the Black Market for Triple their Retail Price. And THOSE are His GOOD Points.

Now Go Out and Play, Honey…..,

Something still doesn’t look right. Telling a kid I have all this money and I can do anything I want with a big smile on his face. This is leading up to something very big.

> Speaking of Brad exiling TJ from his life, who would be his best man? >Dirk!

“Quill in the best man role is too ridiculous. "

With everything else that has happened with Quill I’d think that’d be the least ridiculous.

TJ didn’t “scam” anyone at Weeinie World, he up-sold them items they hadn’t originally considered. Happens all the time in fast food.The ubiquitous, “You want fries with that?” is up-selling.Besides, he was doing it to show up Ann E. so he could enact revenge for the way she treated his friends, not the least of which was Brad’s firing. The Luann characters are always happy to have TJ do things FOR them, but quick to throw him under the (food truck) when the moment arises..

TJ very much lives for and in the day. If he really thinks $65K is a lot of money, he’s far out of touch. He could barely afford to take Shannon to Overpricedland, much less buy it….

If Brad considers it inappropriate to have his father be his best man, he could always ask the Captain of his fire department to do it. The Captain might well be pleased to take part in the wedding of two people in the department.

You nailed it! Great find!

And Brad, his fiance, and her niece all threaten and do violence to other characters, are they any better?

I think that seismic-2 was being all inclusive.

Upon re-examination, I agree with you.

A) $65,000 is NOT a lot of money— especially if you have to pay off bills on the truck.*B) Brad’s easy skepticism makes me think it’s unwarranted— that TJ is actually telling the truth. After all, haven’t we all been joyful when we got out of a bad job?

MikeyJ – Welcome back! I’ve missed you & your art work something crazy!

He probably kissed the insurance guy, too.

Thx to those of you who’ve welcomed me back; my Dad’s death last fall hit me pretty hard and the “funnies” just weren’t any fun, for awhile; not to mention, all the time that drawing and writing my own web comic, has been taking out of my reading time.

Brad is still clearly quite skeptical. Wonder if he’s right.

Ya’ll want so baaaad for TJ to have committed a felony and to be punished, and here TORAD_07 shows Toni, Brad, AND Luann actually committing one, but their little schemes are forgiven.(Maybe Brad & Toni should self-report themselves for “officer unbecoming”, or something.)

In this one, too! http://www.gocomics.com/luann/2014/09/13

I think some drama may develop around TJ resenting Brad’s suspicions, but eventually Brad will read the fire inspection report and see that TJ was innocent of any wrongdoing and apologize.

In that case, hopefully, before TJ makes his move and is gone.

If that’s the case, that will pose some definite problems for Tiffany. She showed some interest in TJ, or at least had a bit of “welcoming” response to the “chemistry” that she made reference to between them, during the “firefighter meals” arc (though that has been left unspoken of, afterward)….

Yeah…shouldn’t the truck that blew up have some payments left on it? So much for the settlement, TJ….

The way Greg drew Shannon in the last panel today really looks “Charles Schultz-esque” Shannon’s upturned face harkened me back to a similar image of Lucy in that same pose. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Folks yesterday asked me if I thought the Fire Fighter Meal Scam was morally appropriate for TJ (I had made the argument that TJ typically engaged in hijinks and never was outwardly mean and spiteful):++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Thank you for posting the comics of the Fire Fighter Meal…. I had not seen that story arc, as it seems to have been earlier than when I again found Luann after my newspaper had dropped it. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++My opinion after reading that story arc is a bit changed than before seeing the Fire Fighter Meal. I guess now I see TJ as a schemer of course, and I still think that for THE MOST PART his intentions are NOT morally mean spirited. However, I do see (through the Fire FIghter Meal arc) that he can be very selfish at times. Fortunately, I suspect the way he has displayed selfishness is typically twarted by Gregg in each case, by him receiving some form of comeuppance for his transgression. Therefore, I still like the TJ character, and believe/hope Greg maintains him in the comic.

Just two by-the-ways4) I think any comic character drawn in a Peanuts pose by a child with a single horizontal stripe on the t-shirt can be considered a tribute to Mr. Schulz.59: I forget.

“When has TJ ever received any form of comeuppance?”^As the “priceless expressions” on his face show, he had serious moments of “What did I just do?” When he saw the repercussions of "encouraging " Toni to confront Ann, as he saw his two friends almost lose their relationship…. – That, in itself was a big one for him, as his well-intended but “poorly communicated/executed” plan did such… –

(My REPLY button’s not working)IamJayBluE:“That’s not true. He called it a scam before the Degroots et al confronted him.”-———————————Are you unable to recognize/spell the word “scheme” and know the difference between it and “scam”?The DeGroots (esp. Luann) are the ones who used the word “scam”.They’re like a bad rumor that gets worse in the telling.And danst we forget:It was Brad ’s idea.

It was a scheme to sell meals to the firefighters. It became a scam, when TJ got people to donate the food and do the cooking for free, thinking they were helping a good cause rather than contributing to an operation that was pure profit.

ReallyBad2…. perhaps “comeuppance” is not quite the right word. I suggest that in the one instance that TJ appears to be selfish that I am aware of (the Fire Fighter Meal) it appears that he is STOPPED (by Greg’s story) before it becomes reality. And, he also shows at least some form of remorse. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++To my manner of thinking, I would NOT LIKE TJ if his character succeeded in one of his plans that are SELFISH (like the Fire Fighter Meal). But, because it was NOT successful, it allows me to maintain my positive feelings for TJ…. because in general he is a good sort….. and he has never succeeded anytime his intentions may have been less than stellar. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++To me, because he does not succeed, he has received his comeuppance. Does this or the above make sense? In some ways it is hard to explain.

Too much work. Just let him move to Hawaii.

Not sure such a female could exist!!

T.J. has always enjoyed diddling Tiff — from the first days when he re-entered school in Brad’s class. .There is a certain chemistry there. A similarity..He sees her as a fellow schemer, but must show her that he is better at it.

Brdshtt….. your analogy about the car is understandable and logical…. and in that case, I would NOT feel he had a “comeuppance”. However, I see the stop point as different in all the cases I know about TJ. To use your car analogy, I see it as if TJ contemplates or even starts something that is truly bad, like thinking about or even beginning to “steal” a car…. the story that Greg would have occur would be that he would be thwarted in that endeavor BEFORE any actual damage or negative outcome would have occurred. In this way, TJ may have had a potentially bad intention, but he is stopped prior to anything happening and either learns how his action is wrong, or is at least told how his action would be wrong and that is in effect, the “comeuppance” I suggested. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Again, I am simply trying to reason out my own feelings about the TJ character. I am not trying to negate other’s feelings about the character.

ReallyBad2…. to my manner of thinking, up-selling the customer is basically what most if not all salespeople are tasked to do. TJ was very good at it. I do not think being “up-sold” is an offense that requires a “comeuppance”. The customers received the goods (food) that they agreed to buy. I am not sure of the time you suggest he lied to a customer. If you post it or point out which date of comic you mean, I will have a better idea of my take on that idea.

Brdshtt…. I am not sure if I would agree that the DeGroots paying the food bill is really a “collateral damage”. The DeGroots did not have to do this, nor were they really doing it (at least how it appears) FOR TJ. They were paying the food bill as a tribute to the Fire Fighters… and their intention still happened and was able to be that tribute to them. So, I tend to see their donation as being a side story that is not directly related to whether TJ is a good or a bad person (character).

I gotta quit reading this.

Nice example!

It’s just as Toni and Brad are telling Shannon in today’s strip, TJ makes up stories. That’s a polite way of saying, “He lies.”

Come back in twenty years and TJ is president of Disney’s Resort Division…