Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 03, 2017

shocking

I hope not. If Luann actually took up with Jack for real, I’d get very turned off to this strip. So far, I’m okay with it all.

In other words, doing nothing at all is “doing it right”. Bernice gives voice to the strip’s mission statement!

Luann’s request is for behavior they both can apply, although Luann is doing it to let Bernice know that she, Bernice, should apply what she said about “going with the flow” and that she. “Luann” is doing it right with how she relating to Jack the Jock, but the irony is that, as I said, this advice applies to both of them, and that is the true irony.

As Genie said, “Just be yourself~!!”

I know some girls prefer cave men. But I really like Luann and wanted to see her with somebody I relate to.

Wait, Bern. YOU are asking for “Romantic Advice” from Luann? SERIOUSLY??

Luann is going to record Bernice saying “She’s doing it right”, so that she can pop up in Stuart Smalley’s mirror, and help him with his “daily affirmations”….

So, Luann – just tell Bernice to get a leash and take Piro for a walk.

How can you tell Luan is getting older and more mature? Because she had to reach all the way back to her purse to get her phone. A modern teenager would have already had it in her hands.

Greg is not a football wide receiver……..he never “goes deep”. So, just enjoy Luann and Co. at face value. They’re still just kids, worried about life, worried about themselves, feeling their hormones, confused, but staying out of serious trouble. And, if anything did happen, Greg won’t tell you about it. Gunther will not sleep with Tiffany and Bernice will not “experiment” with Pru.

" ‘90 Proof’ Proof"

“Evidence…Like No One’s Watching”

“For A Rainy Day”

“Prose And Confirmations”

“Relax-ative”

“Say It Again, Sam!…I Mean, Bernice…”

“Half Past Tense”

“Almost Nothing To Strain, And Nearly Everything Too Loose”

“The Drama Club”

“A Boiling Pot And A Whistling Kettle”

“A Mistaken Case Of Identity”

“Method To Her Madness?”

or

“Everyday, She Writes The Book” (♫)

I like the strip very much today. What I actually love is the silent second panel. Luann steadily fixes her gaze on Bernice, as if half expecting that she is imagining this conversation, and especially Bernice saying “you’re right, I was wrong.” Without shifting her posture at all, she reaches backward for the phone, not even looking toward her purse. So simple, so freighted with meaning.

Today’s strip answers the question many have asked over the past few years: is Luann oblivious to Bernice’s frequent fits of “snark”?

As an aside – I notice I get spam pop-ups (You’ve won XYZ! You’ve been selected forXYZ! etc.) more frequently when I’m on gocomics than any other website… in fact, I seem to get them only on gocomics. Has anyone else experienced this? I know how to dodge them, but it’s still annoying.

I had to go back and re-read Bernice’s last remark… At first I thought she said “You’re doing it, right Luann?”

Is Bernice aware that Luann only initially went out with Jack to spite Tiffany?

None of them are “doing it”,let alone “right”.

The strip today just highlights how unsure of themselves these girls really are. Still immature in a lot of ways and have a lot to learn about themselves and about guys and relationships. Luann wanting confirmation from Bernice that she is ‘doing it right’ is funny. She surely must not think so in her own mind. There is actually a lot of self-revelation packed into these 3 frames.

A Riddle For You all:

What do Luann, Bernice, Rosa, and Tiffany have in Common?

Answer: Gunther KISSSED ALL Four Ladies, and made ALL Four Ladies SWOON!

And Yet, Luann is stuck with a “Dog Walking Caveman,” Bern FRETS over an Unshaven Vagabond that She has ABSOLUTELY No Feelings for, Rosa is STILL picking up sticks somewhere in Peru and Tiffany is cowering in Her Room wondering if She’s going to get caught for letting Star Head sleep over.

And Gunther? He’s stuck in His Mom’s basement awaiting the next Plot Development that will doubt, have Him being FORCED to “Be Buddies” with one Les Knox, the Guy that Beat the Crap outta Him in High School.

And You Folks are Worried about North Korea???

“Like you and Jack.” Did I miss something, somewhere? Last I heard, it was a dog park meeting…nothing since.

7

Wow, Bernice suggests that Luann is “doing it right”! Now, let us compare Bernice’s understanding with Luann’s behind-the -scene reality:

1. Bernice – She sees the Luann/Jack casual dating as a good thing for Luann, and thinks Luann has deliberatly chosen this path. Luann – While she is sort-of, semi-dating Jack on a somewhat casual-ish basis, Luann, in her own mind is just as disheveled about the situation she is in with Jack as is Bernice with Piro. In part, Luann only is going out with Jack because Tiffany went out with Jack. Luann also feels a little usurped by Tiffany (as usual).

2. Bernice – She sees Luann as being “relaxed” about her current dating regime. Luann – While she may appear calm and reasoned on the outside that Bernice sees, she is conflicted in a variety of ways with her current situation. She initially attempted to push Jack aside until Tiffany showed interest. Even after the “dog park” date, Luann seemed to still be conflicted about whether to go out again with Jack or to even hang out with him beyond seeing him in class.

So, I think Greg has brilliantly drawn today a comic that highlights, and compares & contrasts the very real differences between external perceptions and internal realities. Luann is for the most part, equally as conflicted as Bernice is concerning her social life (at least the dating aspect of her social life), but Bernice is unaware of Luann’s inner struggle while being overwhelmed with her own similar (but more obviously felt) inner struggle.

The “gotcha” moment at the end (Luann wanting to record a positive statement from Bernice.) is also classic. I have done similar things with friends who traditionally do not offer much in the way of affirmation generally.

This has been on my mind: We have asked why Piro would risk going to jail to protect Bernice from a minor curfew infraction. Perhaps not. Perhaps he risked jail to protect 213 from a litany of charges.

Perhaps Bernice felt nothing during Piro’s kiss because his kiss was intended to divert her questions about why he confessed (see 4-26-17). Bern felt nothing because there was nothing to feel from a passionless mechanical gesture.

I have always liked Piro. I have never seen him as a creepy villainous sort, so my head-scratching here is not the product of any preconceived bias against him. Many of us here, I suppose, can relate to Bernice’s condition as we ourselves are overanalyzing the situation.

What guys have ever been interested in you, Bernice? LOL

“You’re doing it right, Luann.”

.

Reminds me of the Spike Lee film, Do the Right Thing. At the end – NO ONE is doing the right thing.

No they’re both doing it wrong, because this strip is so poorly written.

Do any of the archivists here remember (or can ferret out) when Piro’s character was first introduced to the strip? I’d like to go back and refresh my memory on what tone he was initially presented. Which is not to suggest that at the time of his introduction the Evanes already planned to build his character into the current arc.

I promise not to rub this in your face during future conversations.

This is a bit of growth on Bernice’s part, but until i see more i will worry that her quest for control, even to the point of self-delusionment, may sadly override it after a while. I hope i am wrong!

I also hope she gives Piro another chance. He actually invited her into his world and introduced her to silent films, was the only one besides Pru to provide info to help with the NYC trip, and was willing to risk himself to try to protect Bernice. Yeah, instead of being the unattainable swash-buckling pirate she envisioned he is instead a decent guy who looks a tad rough on the outside, and, yeah, with the kiss he took control instead of Bernice and he did not need her to save him, but i think those and the lack of tingle and steam are not sufficient reasons to write him off, and that he deserves another chance. I do not know if Bernice has grown to the point where she will know that.

That is not to say that i want Bernice to be serious w Piro now. I would like the main characters to do casual dating, complete with the joy of trying on new experiences which their dates enjoy.

There are several male characters now who have mysteries attached and have rough edges. (It happens in any grouping but right now in the strip just in some males.)

I still think they should order some food.

I guess having a meaningless relationship is supposed to be doing it right, according to Bernice. She really is a fount of wisdom

I do feel sad for the character, Tiffany, as portrayed by Greg. She does wear heavy makeup and has provocative clothes, but that is so she will be noticed. She craves to be in the spotlight, but does not trust a real relationship where she might be dumped as her father dumped her. One glimmer of light is that she trusts Gunther. They are comfortable, if not compatible, with each other. They should just hang out and if a romantic moment happens, that’s okay, that’s good, no strings attached. Maybe some day those strings will develop on their own. And, somehow, Gunther has to man up or he may have to turn to another man to feel safe. If he takes that fork in the road, he has passed the point of no return and will be committed to a life style he never expected.

A Dick Tracy fan, I’m still stewing over the broken vending machine and the occupant(s) of room 213. Lacking other evidence, I take the scarf as damning evidence that perhaps Dez is the thief. I really would like this solved; whoever it is, I got the impression that both Bernice and Piro were trying to protect her.

As for Bernice, over-analytical and a control freak, to me, there is great irony in that she chose to be a psych major: Just what she needs, more to analyze and more people to control. Hint, hint: Bernice is not my favorite character.

Bernice wasn’t always like this. Like with Zane & Gunther, e.g. http://www.gocomics.com/luann/2003/07/25 and around then.

So what will Bernice’s next move be vis-a-vis Piro ?

For the record?

May be held against you in a court of law, Luann!

Spoiler Alert: Naked and stripping!