Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 18, 2019

Oh, this is starting to go just fine.

Ugh.

Good move, Gunny!

That went well. Tiff is amazed Gun has a girlfriend; Bets is relieved Tiff is a real person and not Giselle Bundchen’s understudy; and Gun has the right idea.

I love Monty Python. Not the same context, of course, but the words “Say no more” just have heft.

And Bets actually used the word Gfriend! She didn’t actually use the full word, so it COULD still just be Guntherfriend, but WOW. Better than just a Thing (asterisk). The Word also carries heft.

(Asterisk): Apologies to Doug.

Mmmm, good beginning.

BTW, notice Gunther takes command?

Why am I hearing the theme to “Three’s Company” playing in the background? ✨

Ooooh, BROTHER! The daggers and the Dirty Looks are FLYING between these two lovely ladies! And Note How Bets Immediately CLAIMS HER Man, Gunther!

Bets – “YOU Are Tiffany and You’re a (Snort) Model? SERIOUSLY???”

Love it, Love it, Loooooooove IT!

And Gunther and Bets haven’t even got to the part when they are going to CHARGE Tiffany 50% of the proceeds to post her stuff to eBay yet! I NOW have very serious doubts about Bets and Tiffany ever being friends unless a miracle happens. And I can’t figure out if Tiffany is Shocked by the fact that Gunny has a new HOT girlfriend or ENRAGED that Bets doesn’t seem to think she’s “model material.”

It’s a GOOD thing Gunther is encouraging them not to say another word. Because if they do, he going to WISH he WASN’T standing in between them in panel 4. THAT would be like standing between King Kong and Godzilla when they meet for the first time!

All in All, Good Times! And I’ll will savor the moment depicted in panel 4 for a long, LONG, time!

That is, until (GAG) Les, shows up……..,

Bets is possessive – notice how she has to put her hand on him at the door. “Mine!”.

Is it 4:20 yet?, time to get this gig rollin’

Sorry to see that Bets has to say “GFriend” – Gunther only has “Um.” Seems like Gunth wants to keep Tiff as a prospect and is not declaring he has a girlfriend. This is how to wind up with neither.

Gunther: Hi, Tiffany! Meet Bets. She’s…um…

Bets: Gun’s G-friend!

Tiffany: You are?

Bets: Yes. And you’re Tiffany? The Model?

Tiffany: Yes. …What are you saying?

Bets: Nothing. What are YOU saying?

Tiffany: Nothing.

Gunther: Great! I say we say no more!

Tiffany: Is, uh,…Is your G-friend a goer, eh? Know whatahmean, know whatahmean, nudge nudge, know whatahmean, say no more?

Gunther:I, uh, I beg your pardon?

Tiffany: Your, uh, your G-friend, does she go, eh, does she go, eh?

Bets: Well, I sometimes “go”, yes.

Tiffany: Aaaaaaaah bet she does, I bet she does, say no more, say no more, knowwhatahmean, nudge nudge?

Gunther:I’m afraid I don’t quite follow you.

Tiffany: Follow me. Follow me. That’s good, that’s good! A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind bat!

Bets: Are you, uh,…are you selling something?

Tiffany: SELLING! Very good, very good! Ay? Ay? Ay?

Bets: Oooh! Ya wicked Ay! Wicked Ay! Oooh hooh! Say No MORE!

Gunther:Well, I, uh….

Tiffany: Is, your uh, is your G-friend a Trekkie, ay?

Bets: Um, I like Star Trek, yes!

Tiffany: I bet she does, I bet she does!

Bets: As a matter of fact I am very fond of Star Trek.

Tiffany: ‘Oo isn’t? Likes sci fi, eh? Knew she would. Likes sci fi, eh? She’s been around a bit, been around?

Bets: I has traveled, yes. I am from Pitts.

Gunther:SAY NO MORE!!

Tiffany: I wasn’t going to!

Gunther is like the bologna in the sandwich.

So what are they going to name the mannequin?

That went awkwardly smooth…….Like roller skates on a cobblestone road.

Tiffany is still selfish, siding with Bets here

It’s amazing what two words and an innuendo can do. The fabled first 15 seconds went south. Gunther tries, “Say no more,” however they have a task to accomplish. Is Gunther gonna have the ‘nads to tell Tiff that he and Bets need a cut out of the proceeds? Bets could explain it pretty well but she’ll be talking to an icicle. Tiff will likely grab her stuff and storm out. I hope at that point Gunther would give Bets a good hug – thank her for trying – and invite her for dessert somewhere. But alas Gunther might run out after Tiffany and Bets might get hard to find. I still haven’t forgiven Gunther for heating up Luann in his room and then totally dropping the ball out of worry that Les might think Gunther is doing something immoral. Gunther is always in Miami looking at a map of Greenland…

Watch out.. CAT FIGHT!!! LOL

I love the slightly sly expression on Bets’ face.IMHO – Round 1 goes to Bets.Stay tuned, boys and girls…

“Nothing, what are YOU saying? Nothing?” Panel 3. Quite a staking out claim meeting, not just who and what, but staking out positions. Tiffany is surprised and bit offended going by Panels 1 and 2, surprised at Bets—Ms. Hot, and Bets is taken by suprised that Tiff thinks herself a model (not what Bets expected either). But Bets makes her position clear in Panel 3. She is no pushover but she is willing for whatever happens, as long as she makes her position on Gun clear. Panel 4 is hilarity ensues, I actually laughed out loud. Gunther I didn’t know you had it in you. Progress.

GOOD to see Gunther be assertive! Grab control and guide the girls into the room and get started with their project before anything can escalate. I know Bets is thinking “She’s a model? She is short and chubby.” Tiffany is thinking, “Gunther has a girlfriend? He never talked about her before today. Exactly how long have they been BF/GF?”

The first ”You are? ” was bad manners. The response was appropriate.

They’ll be fighting like a couple of stray cats soon.

Is it me, or did the temperature drop so far it has to be measured on the Kelvin scale?

Wow if looks could kill gunther would be taking friendly fire right now. haha

Interesting that Gun was at a lost of words for what Bets is to him. Yep, the girl is a little too territorial for me.

I love how happy Gun is with both of them in his arms. Enjoy it while you can.

Bets owes Tiffany an apology. I don’t think Tiff’s reaction was inappropriate. After all, she and Gunther have been friends practically forever and she’s only just now heard of Bets, so I imagine she was surprised at hearing that. Bets is possessive and insecure and her response was intentionally insulting.

“Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.”

There’s nothing like a guy being “taken” to make the other girls notice. But I’m sure Bets knows that and will stand her ground.

Off to a great start already! Just wait for the sparks to fly…

Awwww. Bets and Tiffany already look like BFF ♡ … No, they don’t. They seem ready to start a competition and Gunther will be destroyed.

Better bail out of the window while you can, Gunther. It’s only going to go downhill from here.

Bets skin has become darker again.

Meow

Is it just me or is skinny nerd Gunther actually the same size as “fat” Tiffany

Girlfriend?

Plot will thicken. Bets may say she had a relative that sold lingerie (Ann).

Whooo! You can cut the disbelief with a spatula! Gunther gets his from SPATULA CITY!

Maybe Tiff and Bets will start an EBay business together.

And so it begins…

Hope Gunner picks Tiff,the other girl is way too pushy.

The more I see Bets, the more I like her. A great addition to the strip.

Love these side by side comparison scenes. Could we see it again with both ladies modeling the product?

And, Gunther. If you weren’t such a clueless, socially inept, bubble headed nerd you could have the envy of all the cartoon males in the town.

So much going on in today’s strip. To quote a “well-known” member, “Gonna be a doozy!”

Welcome to the Miss-perception, Meet Miss Reality Show. (Both ways.) Surprised looks are exchanged in panels 1 and 2.

Gunther hesitates and Bets fills in. Is he afraid to vocalize to Tiffany what he and Bets have come to a seeming “we’re a thing” agreement? Does he envision the oncoming “Sheilds Up” alert? In panel 4 he seems to respond with a “Captain to the Bridge!” maneuver. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist the Trek schtick.)

Bets fires the opening salvo. Staking out what (ugh) “Gun” failed to make clear. Tiff responds with (IMHO) a shock and awe comment. Whether it’s to the G-word or Bets’ appearance only GnK know. As some women are wont to do (Yeah, yeah, I’m a sexist. Sheesh.) Bets looks for a hidden message. She responds with something that cannot help but be taken in two ways. “The MODEL?” Note the emphasis.

Tiff responds to the overt statement at first. After a delay (note the ellipsis) and some thought, she responds to the covert message “Wait! What are you saying (meaning implying)?”

Sequence ends with a referee call for the girls to go to neutral corners (I know, another gut-thing sports analogy). At this point, the shields are definitely UP from the looks they’re giving each other. Time for Bets to channel her Uhura persona and open a hailing channel.

There hasn’t been a better two-day opening strip in a loooong time.

Good short-term save G. Good luck for later.

Bets was surprised .. Tiffany’s look was more “shock”. IMO.

Okay, My Fellow Luannatics. Here’s what I think is gonna happen and I TRULY Hope I’m Wrong:

Tiffany will be so thoroughly outclassed by Bets that she won’t be able to STAND it. Bad enough losing your father to a gold digging WITCH, plus having your allowance cut in half and your credit card purchases monitored.But NOW, some unknown beautiful babe has come in and CLAIMED her (Tiffany’s) “spare tire,” Gunther. Gunny, The fall back guy. The Guy Tiff THOUGHT would always be there for HER. Gunther, the guy She and just about EVERY gal in the Strip once took for granted, is now the “property” of another woman. And gorgeous one at THAT!

And just about time the last straw is reached, when Bets tell Tiff, SHE, Er…, “They” are going to charge her HALF to post her stuff to eBay, Les will waltz in. Tiffany will play “I’ll show YOU,” and introduce Les to Bets as “HER boyfriend” not knowing at first, that He has dated Bets. Les will, of course be (GAG) delighted. Tiff will be doubly irritated when Bets reveals she once dated Les, (But wasn’t Impressed). Tiffany will wonder later in the “relationship,” “What have I done?” Gunther will still “try” to protect Tiffany from Les, but Bets won’t let him. Tiffany be stuck dating the “son” of her hated enemy just to say that She too, has “got someone.”

And ALL of this will come to a HEAD at the next Soul Destroying Berger/Gray family dinner, when the girls are invited by their new beaus.

Hilarity and BLOODSHED Ensues!!! ;)

PS: I wager Tiffany is not going the ONLY gal not happy that Gunther has got a girlfriend.

As Sam would say on Quantum Leap, “Ohhh, boy!”

BTW, if any of you here still has a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, please put them on today in memory of the just-departed Gloria Vanderbilt (February 20, 1924-June 17, 2019).

must sayI think bett is better looking!

this is going well

Justice for Gunther at last!

Bets is girl friend. Tiffany is friend friend. So far Bets isn’t being mean to Tiffany. She’s just asserting her position. The two could still become friends if they let themselves.

That’s awkward.

I wouldn’t call Bets “hot.” She looks like an attractive young woman but nothing extraordinary.

Gunther’s G Friend? I thought she was his thing.

catfight!

How nice that Gun has a G-friend. Must stand for Geek.

Tiffany is 15-20 pounds overweight, but that is the size that is usually used for Plus Size models. Is Bets implying that Tiffany could not be a model?

“UM’. It takes less than a second to say it, but so many of you act like he stuttered for 10 minutes and was unable to speak. They ONLY established their relationship to each other a couple of hours earlier. He is not used to even thinking it, less saying it. Can we stop assuming he cannot speak words?

Bets is the best girlfriend Gunther had in 30 years!

Smart man!

Gunther doesn’t realize he just put himself in the middle of this.

Right now Gunther is as lucky as a rat in a cheese factory, and he’ll get some basic training on interacting with women. Good luck!!!

Good move, Gunther.

Gunther the diplomat!!!

Finally, I noticed the almost-matching t-s!

Tiff thought Betsy would be a female Gunther (as horrifying as that was) but instead she’s a beautiful woman. Betsy, on the other hand, pictured a statuesque model…and Tiff has put on some pounds. Oh yes, Tiff is jealous.

The rest of this arc will be filled with sly, back-handed ‘compliments’ that women excel in giving. Poor Gunther.

Bets: “By the way, Miss Tiffany, G-friend doesn’t stand for girl, it stands for G-string. Isn’t that right, big Gun?”

Well this should be interesting

’nuf said!

P

If anyone had told me at this time last year that two women would be eyeing each other over Gunther today I would have laughed in their faces.

There’s nothing like having a girlfriend to give a guy some confidence. Gunther is no longer everyone’s ‘always available’ back-up. The look on Tiffany’s face is priceless, a (hard to define) mix of shock, disbelief and (dare I say) disappointment.

Oh, boy! I hope Gunther can maintain the peace, because without him as Mr. In Between, Tiff and Bets might devolve into a raging cat fight instantly….

Tiffany’s reaction to Bets may also be simply “wow, I thought it was nothing but damn he is COMPETITION!”

Gunth always has the perfect thing to say.

Diminishing expectations…