Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 07, 2016

what a worry wort of a brother Jonah is in the final panel (I hope he takes his responsibilities with Shannon more seriously from now on)

Actors have to recognize cues in order to be successful, Jonah…

I’ve only been a member of a wedding party once, and anxiety has blotted most of those memories out.

Timing is everything, Jonah. Back to painting sets, I guess…

So there, all you people who had been saying that Jonah was too unreliable for Toni to choose him as the person to give the bride away! Actually, this whole story arc (for most of the 21st century) has been the evolution of Brad from a total schlub to… Ok, still pretty much a schlub, but at least one with a sense of responsibility. Now team Evans is doing the same for Jonah. You go, guy, and be the best brother and father ever!

The guy actually got there. And on time, and dressed for his part. Color me astonished.

Okay so he does walk her down the aisle, and as to his promise, we’ll see. But that is terrific that he is doing this, and they look great.

If that’s how he reacts to cues, I can see why Jonah never gets a gig.

Yesterday someone posted that Shannon is a self-absorbed brat.

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Some people just have no idea and then they tell us it so confidently.

At first I thought that was his cell phone going off with an audition notice, but it’s only Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, once traditionally played as the recessional at weddings. The wedding will proceed, hopefully as planned.

Yesterday someone posted that Shannon is a self-absorbed brat.Shannon, for me, is the best part of the strip.^^^I feel the same way

Hopefully, after the wedding, Jonah gets an acting job overseas, Shannon moves in with Brad and Toni and Jonah is swallowed by a whale, never to be seen again

I’m really surprised that Toni would ask her worthless brother to walk her down the aisle after all the grief he’s caused her. If it weren’t for Shannon he probably wouldn’t have even rated an invitation.

Jonah does the best he can

It just isn’t much

(besides, we would miss Shannon if that happened.)

Wait a minute – they’re both firefighters, right? Shouldn’t there be a bagpiper for this? (They’re around for enough funerals…)

“The Arrival Of A Flake, In December”

“A Meatier Apology”

“A Change In The Weather….Or Not…”

“That One Blue Moon”

“High Pressure For The Winds Of Change”

“A Clearing In The Clouded Judgement”

“A March, In December”

“The Scrape And Nick Of Time”

“See You…In December….” (♫♪)

“Parsley, Sage, Rosemary…And Just In Time” (♪)

“An Actor Takes On The Challenge Of A New Role”

“One Of These Days” (♫)

“Wants And Needs”

“The Best Present Is To Be Present”

“Minding Your Peace…And Cues”

“They Do The Walk Of Life” (♪)

“500 Paces For The Daytonas”

or

“One Step, At A Time”

Whoa! I’m beginning to feel this moment! I mean Toni’s wedding, not Jonah’s comment.the more I see the dress, the better I like it. thank you, Mr. Gust.

“Yesterday someone posted that Shannon is a self-absorbed brat.

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Shannon, for me, is the best part of the strip."

^

This excerpt from this week’s interview (which can be found at http://thecelebritycafe.com/2016/11/interview-greg-evans-creator-of-comic-strip-luann/ ) Might be of some interest, in seeing Greg’s own insights into his creating the characters of “Shannon” and “Jonah”, (and, too, as an interesting side note, the use of the terms “impish” and “impudent)”:

“TCC: Please tell me about Shannon? Why is her storyline so important?

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GE: Shannon is the impish, impudent daughter of Toni’s brother, Jonah. When Toni and Jonah were kids, their parents died and they were raised by an aunt. Jonah was a wild teen and got a girl pregnant. The girl split, leaving Jonah with Shannon. Unfortunately, Jonah is an absent dad and so Shannon ends up with Toni and Brad a lot. Will Toni and Brad adopt her? Stay ‘tooned."

And for more insights into this current wedding arc, as well as details on past and future plans for the major characters, go to the link provided here, or click on the “Brad & Toni banner” at the top, then go to the “Sneak Preview” icon.

Cues. Scripted movements. You would think that this is one thing an actor would do well.

In the second panel it looks like Jonah has the same face as Shannon just with different hair.

Of course Shannon is self absorbed. She’s a kid! They tend to see everything in terms of them and what they need to do. And, her dad is not known for thinking of others… Chill out, people.

As for Jonah, it took TJ telling him it was his turn to step up. I’m glad to see he did, but I don’t expect it to stay that way.

Jonah Daytona? Sounds like a bad luck thing at a major speedway.

I thought the music was actually coming from his cell phone and he was going to say “Hold on, I gotta take this.” lol

Thought that Jonah would miss the wedding and Toni would ask Frank DeGroot at the last minute to walk her down the aisle.

Note the trick in the middle panel of calling extra attention to a statement by using mirror imaging of a feature (the forehead lock). This may be a panel to remember.

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Given that Jonah has been described before as being very unskilled at acting, dancing, and singing there is a parallel with Bernice trying to fit herself into a role for which she shows little ability. Will either work hard, understand their shortcomings and improve sufficiently, or will one or both discover better fits in life perhaps due to their environs (including theatre in general for Johan and its needs, and other classes taken by Bernice that might excite her interest)?

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Will accepting responsibilty in one way cause Jonah to have to surrender responsibilities in another way due to time limits? If so, which responsibility will he favor and why?

You looking at the strip after I woke up in the morning clearly big sister is the more mature one who pushes her insecure younger (baby). Can he handle life? What about the adoption hints in Greg’s interview. Remains to be seen, which is part of the greatness of Luann, its a developing story. Always a part you want to know the resolution of which is what stories are basically. RIght now though it’s great to see him walking her down the aisle, assuming he can get those feet to move.

I’ve waited a long time for this.

5

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Well, I am glad to see that Jonah has been successful in his responsibilities to his sister in this regard. It shows, IMO, that although he is a flake (self admitted now, BTW)…. that he definitely is not all bad.

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Even though I doubt it, perhaps this will be the beginning of a transformation for Jonah into a more responsible person/adult/father? Again, I do doubt it, for if Greg keeps him true to form, most “flakes” tend to stay flaky like dandruff…. even with the very best intentions. But, having the intentions is definitely a valuable thing even if they are only rarely successful. Until this point I have had the opinion that Jonah did not typically have the intention of doing the “right” things, but instead mostly was just doing whatever felt like “his own thing” at any moment. So, for me, my change in my perceptions of his intentions…. seems like growth and development for him.

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Shannon sounds like me at six. I was accused of being self centered because I said, “I know” to compliments. After I asked what I was supposed to say, I was told to say, “Thank you,” which I did from then on. You have to teach a child manners and be a role model to the child. They aren’t born knowing manners.

I also do like that it appears that all the males in the wedding party (other than Brad, the groom) are wearing black bow-ties. This makes IMO Brad’s blue bow-tie more special, and is in keeping with the blue theme expressed in the maid-of-honor dress, flower girl dress, and Toni’s accents on her dress. Very nice. Another tipping of my hat to the excellent coloring detail by Sheriff!

The music line that Greg has shown is interesting to me:

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I am not sure if Greg is representing a real musical introduction or interlude… or if he just randomly put down musical notes in some fashion.

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The fact that he has a low “G” (if this is treble cleft) suggests to me that this is a real introduction/interlude because it is a more purposeful sort of note (being below the staff) than random notes would usually be drawn.

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But, in sight reading of this line… it does not seem that it is a typical musical introduction/interlude…. at least not a typical one for most song types. It is instead mostly a simple scale progression with a few other notes thrown in. And, the two F# notes at the beginning would (in contrast to the F naturals elsewhere) give an atypically “eerie” sort of vibe to the line.

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So, I would be curious about what others think….. is the line something Greg purposefully wrote out in some fashion (with meaning that I am not aware of)… or is it simply a cluster of notes that Greg somewhat randomly put down?

Jonah and Toni are orphans? No father to give her away?

Hey, when I was in a 3rd grade Christmas pageant, I missed my cue to. As a consequence, like Jonah, I’ll never win an Oscar. (sigh)

Is it me, or are they lopsided today?

@ whitet3260 No, I think Jonah and Toni are still about the same height.

hat’s Mendelssohn’s Wedding March – don’t they usually play that for a recessional?

The music is Mendelssohn’s Wedding March. So they have good taste in music too.

I have been a groomsman twice. Both times I had to fill in last minute because not only was I close to the groom on both occasions but primarily because I already fit the rented tuxedos.

You HAVE to see the wedding officiant on the cover of album 34 in

http://luannfan.com/collections/

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And the one album with problems there has been repaired. Many thanks to the three people who saw to that happening after i mentioned it!

“Here COMES the Bride! No Place to HIDE! And some Guy named “Dirk” wants to SEE Brad Outsiiiiiiiiiiide!!!"

A mundane, but necessary bit for the story. Now, will we next see Shannon and Puddles make their entrance? Then a surprise or generic presider prepared to administer the vows? Maybe Tiffany and Crystal peeking around the corner?

Mr. Responsible now eh, at the risk of sounding repetitive, what could go wrong?

From the looks of the notes, I think it’s supposed to be Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” (what you normally hear when the wedding is over), but two of the notes near the end should be eighth notes instead of quarter notes. Doesn’t anyone use Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” (colloquially called “Here Comes the Bride” – in fact, the credits to “Monsters vs. Aliens” retcon the title and claim it’s “Traditional”) any more?

Maybe not the first time, but probably the last that Jonah gets to walk down the aisle with a lovely woman on his arm….

I too am glad to see Jonah in this important ceremonial role. The fact that he admits his flakiness is evidence that he is a thoughtful sensitive guy despite shortcomings and failure to reach aspirations. Greg has never painted Jonah as some kind of nasty person (i.e. like the snarling face on Leslie Knox). I look forward to seeing more of Jonah and his transformation, which I hope does not mean giving up Shannon.

Not to worry. When the wedding night comes around, we will see if Toni takes her responsibilities seriously. The real question is whether Dirk will show up at the wedding and ask for Toni to marry him.

Of course, in real life the bride and groom are free to use any music they want. Remember how the movie “Diner” ended with a wedding in which the bride marched down the aisle to the Baltimore Colts Fight Song?

Wedding tune from Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

I think expecting Jonah to become the best father ever would be a tall order. How about if he becomes a sufficiently good enough father that people stop calling for him to give up custody of his daughter?

Judging by the music excerpt, they are playing what is usually played for the Recessional.

Today is my 25th wedding anniversary!

SPOILER

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Something borrowed, something blue, some familiar faces and some that are new…