Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 30, 2017

Oh, Tara, you’re a hoot with the TNT. (Brdshtt from yesterday, what I meant was Luann watched her tongue when she said “steal” corrected it to “Starr” in a split second.)

Variant on “You Light Up My Life”?

Luann has learned she is no longer the “fun girl” anymore. Tara Starr has come to town. Luann better claim a stake on Jack before he meets Tara Starr seeing that he is a fun guy who likes fun girls. He’d love Tara’s dynamite joke.

Poor Luann looks as if she might shake apart.

Wow, this is going to be a real blast!

Tara has a shady history, but is saucy, outgoing, and a joker. Compared to others in this strip, Ann Eiffel comes to mind. And possibly TJ since he’s often a joker.

Something really stupid with some “dumb” friends. Sounds like something many of us are guilty of. Either she was hanging with some bad folk, or maybe participated in a poorly-thought-out scavenger hunt?

I’m not putting high odds on this… but it’s a logical possibility that comes to mind:

Tara comes on strongly to Luann for a while. Then Luann says she’s not into that, but she has a nice roommate and coworker who might be interested.

(Oh… here’s the first sexual comment for the day. I wouldn’t want to disappoint those few who like to carp about such things.)

Kinda dissapointed it turned out to be an out of control scavenger hunt and not something more serious. “Friends” could be Pyro + roommate + who knows.

Yet Tara is smiling while saying she got kicked out.

So forward. A joke is one thing, but a joke with a back slap it a bit more.

Continuing the tradition of going way out on a limb, could we have the strip’s first underage alchoholic?

Tara, Tara, Tara, someone adventurous, mysterious, extremely cute, serious about college, possibly made a mistake that young people can make, and I bet that she and Luann will become good friends eventually. I buy her statement that she made a dumb mistake, and the dynamite joke is just a crazy sense of humor. This is not an Ann Eiffel. Ann has some major social and psychological issues, and clearly a problem with her son, now that we know Les is her son, and her brother, now that we know Mr. Gray is her older brother. There is some developed history with them, and the fun part of Tara is the history to develop with her. I personally like her as a new character, and look forward to seeing what mayhem and/or fun her entry in Luannverse will cause. Tara Starr. Luann this is not Kansas anymore. I bet you will end up liking this young woman in spite of yourself. Bernice, well that is another question. A very interesting one, if Luann ends up liking Tara as a friend. We know how judgmental Bernice happens to be.

With Tara’s last comment, I’m wondering if she is related to the fellow who was the manager of the book store where Bernice worked?

Another lefty. And this is the only thing that can be said with certainty for today.

Tara is just dynamite. I think she has an explosive personality. She will be a bang-up good friend to Luann. I can’t wait to see them both at the Fuze together, lighting things up. I hope she sticks around. Instead of Tiffany who gives us the T ‘n’ A, Tara gives us the TNT.

Can’t wait until she meets TJ.

And Shannon!

Dynamite jokes: she’ll love the Fuze.

Luann already knew where Tara came from. After Luann’s first boo-boo, Luann should have thought of something less confrontational to say that soon. Nevertheless – although Tara looked reserved and classy when she walked into the room, Tara is thick skinned and ready for whatever you got. Luann would have normally laughed at the dynamite instruction – but Luann’s on edge – having waded in deeper than she was prepared for. I hope that Tara next says something to put Luann at ease – reflecting intelligence. However Gunther better stay away from Tara – his clockwork would go kablooie if she decided to toy with him.

Wow. She seems pretty chipper for someone who’s just been kicked out of a university.

Tara says, “Be careful who you hang with, right?” That is the heart of this arc right now. Is it reaching out or is it a warning? Will Tara be a fun friend or turn out to be just a user of people? Luann should take any advice from Bernice with a grain of salt – as Bern usually has her thumb on the scale. What a great new character! Real suspense coming out of simple interactions – it’s called THEATER!

Now that I see her up close, she look like a Dick Tracy character from just a few years ago.

Tara found some dynamite

Couldn’t understand it quite

Curiosity seldom pays

It rained Tara seven days.

With apologies to Little Willie.

Is it possible that Tara’s telling the truth? Maybe she truly was with “friends” and she was dumb enough to let them stash everything in her room but not the primary culprit. That would explain why she’s not in jail.

What ever happened to the plot line about her parents business and the possibility of a scam?

Yeah, Tara….you’re really proving your point to Luann, with that dumb joke… (Snerk! Oh, Tara…“dynamite”…Ha! Ha!)

Luann should just admit that she knows Bernice and is aware that Tara was expelled for stealing. It doesn’t have to be judgmental or anything, just a way to let Tara know that Luann is aware of what happened so Luann doesn’t have to keep this pretense going for the whole semester.

Cast of characters has expanded so much that several past favorites are fading away often without some of the “issues” or scenarios being resolved. With that, Greg and Karen should simply make every episode two weeks long in order to close out some cases.

This a BIO lab or a CHEM lab? I see beakers and bottles but no dead frog.

At this point Luann should not push for more from Tara or she may get suspicious. Bern may be able to fill in a few of the blanks.

Oh Lighten Up, Lu.

It’s Not like “YOU’VE” Never been talked into doing something “Stupid by some Dumb Friends.”

Heh, Heh. Say, Remember the the time Delta and Bernice Goaded You into running to the corner mailbox in the Cold Dark Night wearing nothing but a bikini and Aaron Hill saw You, But He didn’t seem the Least Bit Impressed? Good Times!

But enough with the Pleasant Memories and ON to “Step 3!”

Now Which of You two Lovely Ladies is gonna go: “Kill the Frog?!!? EWWWWWWWWWW!”

O.k. I see we got ourselves a comedian!

I’m still waiting to see what Gunther & Tiffany have been up to in the interim. But a Tara/Bernice/Luann arc could spark some interest.

1) She didn’t lie. I would have.2) Who are these “friends”?

Hey – you’re a Looney Tunes fan, aren’t you Tara?

“Lesson Learned”

“Chemistry In Biology”

“Admission Statement”

“Of Mice And Amends”

“She Had Become… Comfortably Dumb” (♪)

“Stupid Is, As Stupid Was”

“On A Skeleton, Of 1 To 10…..”

“Awkwards And Forwards”

“Slate Expectations”

“Making Nervous Pudding”

“The Code Of Accessibility”

“Can’t Put A Square Peg Into A Round Hole…Without A Lot Of Adjustments…”

“7 Chinese Druthers, Swallowing Up The Notions”  (♪)

“For Whom The Nobel Tolled”

or

“Break The Ice With Dynamite”

I have a feeling that Tara and Pru will get along great (maybe too great?) once this mess with the stolen items gets cleared up.

not liking her hair color.

I like her!

“Meanwhile back at the ……..

Today’s strip blows up several theories – including some of mine, but the relationship is getting off to an explosive start.

Luann would have laughed had she not heard Bernice’s gossip.

Also ironic that she warns Luann to “be careful who you hang out with”. haha.

Tara’s not so nice “friends”? Perhaps Bernice’s roommate might be one of them?

Another new character with a weird name and an oddly-drawn jawline…

With Tara’s introduction (as a segue from past arc developments), I’m reminded of the character of “Dabnis Brickey”, Vanessa Huxtable’s ‘final love interest’ on “The Cosby Show”. His introduction to her parents was already ‘spotty and way below auspicious’. Then, to make matters worse, persons from the outside had gone around telling family members all sorts of crazy, convoluted stories, as if it were “sworn testimony”. Though, eventually, the facts were discovered!…after an awkward “rough mining” process, of course…

Okay, Tara MIGHT be telling the truth, but she seems awfully fast in passing the buck.

People who make excuses sometimes have gotten into that habit from a dangerous homelife as a child, but buck passing is different since it hurts others, so harm is inflicted on others twice (the original action then the falsely placed blame), especially if we later find it is chronic with her. People who constantly fail to shoulder their fair blame tend to continously and repeatedly take irresponsible actions because they figure they will sufficiently get away with dispicable actions. The only way to correct that behavior at any age is to require them to accept their own blame and suffer legal and just proportional consequences. Preferably that happens gradually beginning in childhood and more later, so well raised childen who are mentally healthy avoid this behavioral defect but spoiled children are far more likely to retain this dispicable characteristic and sometimes even try to give themselves credit for the work of others which adds to the highly defective social behavior.

Hopefully, she is telling the truth, but i am going to wait to see what happens because this could wind up fine or risky for Luann.

We should remember when Bernice first went to her college room expecting to meet “Dez,” her roommate. Various people showed up who were not Dez. “Viper” is almost certain to show up or at least get mentioned, as the saga of Tara moves forward.

Opinions are already formed about her… However, she stood up and admitted everything right up front – she took responsibility, and understood her failure.

“OK, you were just kidding about the whole dynamite thing! Why, how Nobel of you!”

RE; Luann1212-————————-I too immediately concluded that Tara was serious about college… at least serious about not losing time toward her goal. I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that Tara has her study goals figure out and that she may help Luann to get more focused on some of her own.

The operative question is……………… who was Tara hanging out with while at Mooney?

I like this girl!!! Chill, funny, cute!

It will be interesting if Luann & Tara chat about guys. I’m thinking Luann is 19 and hasn’t “got it done” yet. Tara seems to have been around more. Maybe the chat will go there. Both Tara and Luann would get a lot of attention walking into a bar if they were 21. Tara would light the flirtation fires and Luann would benefit from the heat…

OK, so my wishful-thinking option was too much – it was a long shot. BUT, taking what Tara said to Luann today as all truth:

- Someone else (or more) were involved to one degree or another, and,…

- They (so far) appear to have evaded the incidents (stolen TV and raided vending machine) unscathed.

At least it wasn’t the “It wuz ALIENS!! Ahh seen them!!” theory! (I’ll save that for later). :)

That “dynamite” joke would have been funny, in fifth grade.

The dynamite joke was only effective because Luann was on a hair trigger at the moment. Popping a paper bag would have really done it.

Why do I have the weird feeling that Tara is going to turn out to be related to Les Knox, Ann Eiffel and Mr. Grey?

step 1: steal underpants.

step 2:

step 3; profit !!

Why am I getting more and more convinced with each strip that she’s not the woman Bernice was thinking of?

So, which will it turn out to be? Is Tara Starr an Evil Character (like Annie Awful and Leslie) with a slick con line and glib tongue? Or, is she a Misunderstood Good Girl who just made a few mistakes in her life? —And who has an edgy sense of humor….

Luann-Mary Ann, just keep your eyes wide open while Ginger is around!

Love the canary eating grin in panel 2 – gotta watch out for Tara.