Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 09, 2015

In panel 2 the warehouse windows make the building look like a church, and behold! A multitude of angels cometh:) Fun!

T.J. Meets his match.

What about the basic inspection before things get installed? Too much too fast. Almost like this is a comic strip…

Mr. Gray sure knows how to flabbergast.

Mrs/G doesn’t have a chance!

This also shows that Mr. Gray isn’t TJ’s father. Which brings me an opportunity to thank Greg Evans, on behalf of all of us multiracials, for including more characters like us than any other comic strip I know of, in TJ, Dev, and Mr. Zebo. It’s very heartening in a world where there’s more of us all the time, and yet large segments of the population still think we should never have been born.

Are you sure it is not Ty Pennington and his crew?

Is that Mr. Jock on the work crew?

I remember the splash I made in a D&D crowd, ’way back in the 70s, when I showed up with figgies painted as non-European characters. This white boy got some serious cred among D&D nerds, of all things!

Dungeons and Dragons. I thought everybody knew that!

Now, that’s efficiency! This guy, Mr. Gray, definitely knows how to get things done. He is well-connected (take that how you will)….

Just like in Goodfellas!

I think Mr. Gray was part of the Reservoir Dogs crew.

Frank totally is in over his head – it was clear from the outset that these amateurs had no idea about the actual costs of this project or how to make it happen. In “real life” these novices would lose their life savings, but of course in “Luann” those characters whom the cartoonist deems to be the heroes will always emerge triumphant, so they were never in any real jeopardy. If rescuing them from themselves requires the intervention of a miracle worker like Mr. Gray who will just show up, then that’s what will happen. The DeGroots lead a charmed life, make no mistake about it.

All good that Mr Grey is helping/speeding up the process. BUT…MOST good things come with a price! I wonder who is going to pay the cost when everything is said and done??

“And he left a silver… business card.”

Vegas club manager. Gets things done by making a few calls. <Marlon Brando Voice>Or by calling in a few markers.</Marlon Brando Voice>

I have a multi-racial granddaughter. But someone above mentioned Mr. Zebo. How is he multi-racial? Looks white to me.

Hey DeGroot Saps. You might Really wanna “Redbox” the movie Godfellas and pay Close Attention to the scene where the Mob “Helps” this Resturant Owner OUT of His Resturant…,

PS: Hit the Road Smiley.Because “GRAY Is the NEW TJ.”

Frank is making mistakes, but they aren’t foolish, just naive. He doesn’t have the money or the experience to plan for the unexpected, so this weeks rapid succession of delays and sudden demands threatens to overwhelm him. I have faith that Mr. Gray, like Rosa before him, will settle into the cast of supporting characters and present some very fun opportunities for the characters to interact with.

“Cause And Effective”“The Gray Matter”“A Resourceful Source”“Know How?…No…How?”“The Excellence Of Execution”“He’s A Good Manager, Charlie Brown!”“Gray’s Up And -At -Em,Eh?”“D.I.Y. Not?”“I Know A Guy….”“Pizza, The Action”or“I Haven’t The Vegas Idea”

Mr. Gray is handling this as if he doesn’t want himself or Frank to have to face the other project manager in a losing effort in the “board room”. – Just as long as Omorosa isn’t standing under any plaster…

“Some day, Mr DeGroot, and that day may never come, I may ask you to do something for me…”

Mr. Gray reminds me (visually) of Hubert Humphrey.

(Tom Lehrer:) Lol, as long as it’s not “Tom Snyder”…

Gee, I always thought TJ had mob connections through his dad…now I have to wonder where Gunther’s mom works, since she met Mr. Gray at work.

You’re in Mr. Gray’s wheelhouse now!

Mr Gray: Came out of nowhere + ran a club in Las Vegas + can make things happen instantly with a few phone calls = mobbed up? Hmmmm.

Lol, the comments are almost as entertaining as the strip!!!

Construction crew is all white men? C’mon, Mr. Gray, no socially responsible crew looks like something out of the 1950s.

Hope it is just his name, and not his character.

What ? someone who’s actually competent ? That’s something new.

3Unfortunately, the route this arc is taking, is getting me to agree with Implausable more and more about this being a case of “Deus Ex Machina” as he suggested the last few days. Instead of their being humor or drama about getting the warehouse “up to snuff”, the magical “Mr. Gray” gets everything done in the span of a few weekday panels. What had started out as an exciting week (my hopes were for getting some personal details about Mr. Gray, and having some drama or humor), has unfortunately for me gone flat. Do not get me wrong…. the is nothing inherently wrong with how this arc is going… the art is great as always, the major characters are staying pretty true to form. It is just disappointing to me at the moment… I had been hoping for more “realism” in the drama and humor this week. Oh well. I guess this will hopefully get us (quickly) to a new “starting point” of sorts for the family dynamic.

Frank’s an idiot from the get go; or haven’t you noticed?

OMG, Quill’s Dad is a part of the construction crew (see third from the left)

I wonder if Mr. Gray is connected.

I love Mr. Gray!

And look at it! All the chatter on the beltway he unleashes….

Picture Mr. Chruschtschew working at Google Search, the pushback could hardly be more worse ;)

The delicate balance between realism and a simple cartoon. Permits and structures for pizza ovens are realism (and boring). Knute’s nose is cartoon and humorous and not boring. And these attacks on Karen’s writing are stupid, insulting, and likewise boring. Her new material is just that – new. It is also edgy, sometimes going down the wrong road, but always fresh. New characters are hit and miss, as should be expected. I still have hopes for Sun, to reappear as an attractive Asian, just as the original Rosa changed. The characters don’t have to live up to anyone’s standards other than the artist’s. Love ‘em or leave ’em. I like Tiffany and don’t care for TJ…….so what? As they say, “It is what it is.”

Its easy if you throw money at the problem. If, on the other hand, you are trying to save some money, you don’t bring in an army of professionals — each getting in the other’s way…

@activist1234: It’s probably a discussion for another time, but I agree with you about Peter Jackson’s take on Tolkien’s material. I like much of what he did, but some things I thought were purely stupid, like his treatment of Radagast, and the casual assumption that of course everyone who mattered looked not just white, but British.

I realize he’s Kiwi, but I stand by my comment. There were no Maoris in evidence in any of six films.

In the last half hour, Frank has spent as much money as he had planned on spending all month. Are these people expecting to be paid at the end of the day? If so, those checks are likely to bounce!

I know it’s Frank we’re talking about, but somehow I don’t think Mr. Gray will have to worry about it, at all, from him. He may not be doing it for any gain, but I think he’ll be able to get a good deal, after this, even better in value (like running this place) than he may (or may not) have envisioned…if that’s what he would seek…

What’s scarier, he knows YOUR business !^Ha ha, so true! He’d be the first I’d think of, if they were casting for an “Equalizer (Edward Woodward variety)” reboot…though I’m not sure if he’d insist on doing his own stunts…

Why is Mr. Gray doing this? He just met the DeGroots for the first time ever, a moment ago. His “connection” to the family is that his girlfriend is the landlady of the boyfriend of the DeGroots’ daughter. Not exactly close ties…

And so the restructuring begins under the watchful eye of Mr Gray, not to mention his help & control of things!

Ask D.E.M. Gary!

-I assume you meant “D.E.M. Gray”, but typed it wrong 5 times?

I wonder how long Mr. Gray has lived in town? It is odd that he knows so many people, but none of the main characters have any idea who he is.

I hope they can afford him! Nothing was said about his fees, lol.

reminds me of the movie “mickey blue eyes” with James Caan as Mr Gray and Mr Degroot as Hugh Grant (perhaps)

Reminds me of Pullaros Pizza (1972)..The Pizza oven was do to arrive that day..we went away when it did not come..came back another time…Next day…The Pizza Oven was online..The master brought us back in the kitchen ..to see…the New Oven //he was witchen..We ordered our "Margherrita"{…and then we enjoyed our Pizza which was bitchen")

This arc is puzzling to me..The comments on this arc are even more puzzling to me.

I think the guy in the lavender shirt is carrying a porta-potty.

Who is that guy? Deus ex machina, that’s who.

Mr. Gray Area, seems like.