Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 30, 2020

Well, and now for something different!

so we’re going to see the final farewell of Prudence?

Well here is a big change. Pru moves on and Tiffany will be moving in. What will that be like. Tiff and Luann sisters?

!. She’s boxing up her stuff.

2. She’s leaving.

3. Her girlfriend proposed.

4. She’s going home to New York.

5. She’s getting married.

6. She’s starting a family.

I only counted 6. What did I leave out?

Well, I suppose G&K would have to let her go with a flourish. She was on the goner short list for awhile.

Who’s the new roomer?

Who’s the new waitress?

How do you play Blacklight Blackjack!?!?

This is just as well. Pru seemed to be there to create some Luann jealousy mistaking Pru as a rival for Quill and to make a bad pun with her name. Once that was accomplished, it didn’t seem like Evans knew what to do with her. I was surprised she did not leave when Quill did.

I wish Pru and her spouse all the happiness in the world!

IT’S THE START OF SOMETHING NEW!!

Yup Pru is getting written out. She’s outlived her usefulness or her purpose. Clever transition from the Gunther/Bets arc cliffhanger to this news flash.

Moving to NYC may not be the optimal strategy right now!

And people gripe at ME for mentioning pregnancy!

She should wait until most of them are through dying to go start that new life.

Start spreading the news. Pru’s leaving today.

This is probably the smartest decision made by a character in the last six months (well, other than Tiffany deciding that the private suite was no longer a viable option.) Good for Pru for not wasting any more time in Pittsville.

For those “folks” who were wondering “why” Pru was still in Pitts and still in the Strip, well. Here’s your answer.

Darn shame, though. Pru was one of the few young people in the Strip with any sort of real common sense. And not only is she leaving a room vacant, but a bartending job at the Fuse.

As for “who” will fill the soon to be empty room, many betting Tiffany. But it could be Tara. Or Bets. Or some completely new female character. (Jack’s dog park friend Kaylie)

Or some new GUY. Your basic handsome stranger and future love interest for Lu (And others). Or maybe It’s Jack.

Or maybe (Start clutching the pearls) it’s Quill…….,

Doesn’t Pru have a bunch to do with the cafe?

Pru in love.

Good luck Pru, and much happiness!!

Well this is a story I’d rather spend weeks on instead of the other one.

Every new beginning is some other new beginning’s end.

.

BTW, bad time to go to NYC, Pru…

.

Although I am assuming that she is driving as she mentioned when she first came to the strip that she did not like to fly and drove to Pitts from New York.

Alas! One less character not caught in a perpetual teenage time warp.

This something totally new, totally interesting. Those who say the strip is boring, yet keep coming back, I wonder how they are going to react.

Meanwhile, Luann is just Luann. Time to get life in motion, girl! It’s passing you bye, and time passing accelerates over time (at least it feels that way).

Seems like we got everything we will ever get to know about Pru. I kinda would have liked to see Pru involved with somebody in Pitsville – an interesting potential arc. But G & K decided not to go there. So yeah – it’s not about Pru anymore – it’s about who gets her room.

Good luck Pru. it is time.

Oooh new story arc? I hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of her though.

Man, I think they only used Pru like two or three times for a story, and I still know barely anything about her. Wasn’t she just used as someone Luann was jealous of at first?

When Pru first appeared she was the outrageously dressed Zebo stepchild. See:

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2015/11/19

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2015/12/26 and on the 28th

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2016/2/25

And look at her today. Sigh. A mere ghost of her former self. Acting asperations at the Fuse crushed. Beaten down in Pittsville. Poor thing.

I wonder if she’s going to marry “Tats, Killer, Ecstasy, Muncher, or Romeo?” See: https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2016/4/6

Maybe “Romeo” from April 7th and 11th of that same arc?

Even though Pru was not a big part of the strip (and now she is being written out), I want this arc of her departure to have a lasting transformative effect on Luann, even if it is just a small spark of change at first. And I want that spark to be visible, not just words. I do not want this arc to just to be capped by the usual bedside (or sidewalk) introspective talk between Luann and Bernice (with Bernice closing with a sarcastic remark at Luann’s expense). Surprise me, Mr. Evans.

Family. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

8. No-one ever calls her “Lu”.

I’m guessing this was written before the plague…

Well I guess Pru is going to join Delta, wherever she is… I wish her well. And yeah, not a good idea to go to NYC right now.

Everybody stay safe. Practice social distancing! Wash your hands, etc. etc.!

I’m keen to learn why someone would want to marry, and start a family, with a girlfriend who moved away so she could live in Brad’s old bedroom. For years. Hee! At any rate, I’m glad Pru’s getting her life back.

Pru hasn’t been a significant character in a long time. This is just a way to write her out and perhaps clear the way for a new character and new arc. She’s going the way of Delta, Knute and Aaron Hill. I still think it would make an interesting arc to have Aaron reappear….

Actually, it’s FOUR bombs, bumped up to FIVE isn’t it?!?

A rather quick plot development, there. I might’ve gotten whiplash.

This is a nice break from immature drama. Go Pru!

I’m done. Goodbye.

Love in the time of COVID 19.

What’s with the provocative pose, Luann? Making a play before she gets away?!

Maybe it’s my past… But this girlfriend is so “background” that she’s not been in the picture since Pru came to town, which has been quite a while. So to suddenly pack up and say “My fiancee proposed, we’re getting married and having a family” is a REALLY big jump.

Will Quill and LuAnn both go to the wedding?? Could be an interesting reunion.

Welcome back to your comic strip, Luann. I have been thinking that Tiffany will move in and that Pru would leave. I am looking forward to seeing what happens.

Susie?

Ah, another unnecessary character departing…

ok pru hasn’t seen her girlfriend in a while, moved out to where ever L lives because of g/f trouble and now this?

So Greg sends another rarely used character to the great shredder in the sky.

Not a moment too soon.

I’m sad that Prudence is going away. She is so positive and supportive for Luann. They are like sisters. Now I really hope the Degroots (or al least Luann) will go to NY for the marriage. That would be awesome and important.

I’ll miss Pru. I liked her a lot and she always seemed to ground Luann and give her good advice. But clearly they ran out of story for her. I like that they are giving her a good send off and a happy ever after ending. Now I have onset of Luann and her parents will be invited to the wedding. Or if Luann herself may be part of the wedding party? After all, Pru considers them the family she never had and she has said Luann is like a little sister to her. Or is Pru just going to sail off into the sunset?

Typical Greg Evans. Never finishes an arc, always leaves you hanging.

Why would she start packing before she even told her hosts she was leaving?

Not New York City, I hope

for anyone keeping track, I counted 5. Leaveing 1, girlfriend 2 Proposed 3 married 4, Starting a family is 5. I guess her being new york might be 6?

I always wondered what happened to her girl friend,like the new story line

Wish it was true. Not these days.

Sad storyline culminates sadly.

Well, so much for Lu x Pru.

she packs without telling Luann what’s going on? You would think she would give her the news and then pack. Wow

“Waiit, you’re GAY!?”

Annnd a character we barely got to know; the only LGBTQ rep is gone. sigh

Greg Evans never seemed to know what to do with the Pru character. Now it looks like he’s writing her out of the strip.

Bye, Pru! Nice “knowing” you!

See you next week.

Been wondering what’s been happening with Pru. Gonna miss her.

Pru has also developed the ability to completely turn her head around without moving her body.

Anyone ever heard of two weeks notice? I doubt we’ll get more than a week’s worth of this sendoff.

I really doubt Pru’s going to stick around long. G&K don’t really seem to be interested in her. She’s been literally living with Luann for about three years and hasn’t had a serious arc in the past two. Except for that one time where Les asked her out, which has really more about him, and when Luann was unsure about going after Jack, which was definitely more about her, Pru has basically faded into the background. This move is most likely going to write her out of the strip because now they don’t ave any obligation to feature her outside the Fuse.

That being said, who else would you like to see appear who hasn’t in a while. I’d personally love to see Fay again. She’s sweet, one of the few characters that doesn’t annoy me n some way, and she has lots of growing to do so there’s definitely potential for arcs.

When Pru first appeared in the strip I predicted they’d never let her have a romantic life on “screen” so to speak, probably due to not wanting to offend the older, conservative newspaper comics reading (and buying) demographic. In a way all of this tell not show exposition about a marriage proposal from her girl friend across the country (who Pru inexplicably moved three thousand miles away from to work in a cafe in a small college town) makes Pru’s initial choice to move to Pitts even more inexplicable. If Greg had actually written an arc that gave some background about Pru’s relationship and a credible explanation for their original separation (as well as Pru’s instant decision to move back and get married to someone she has barely seen in, what, two years strip time?) Maybe the girl friend, whose name we don’t even know (?), could have come to Pitts to ask Pru to come back and we could have seen them actually talk to each other about why Pru left in the first place.

Anyway, I agree with others that Greg never really knew what to do with the character as her original purpose was for Luann to mistakenly think she was dating Quilll (and boy that close friendship between Pru and Quill disappeared for no apparent reason) and so her name could be used as a pun a couple of times (I think Dez foresaw some interaction with “Prudence”?).

If Pru’s disappearance means that her room is going to be given to another character I really, really hope it isn’t Tiffany or we probably never will get another arc just about Luann. It probably will be Tiffany, though. (If they have to move in a familiar character, Tara would be a good one to raise some havoc in the de Groot household…)

It’s about time. I frankly never got why someone with Pru’s experience, ambitions, and credentials was sticking around in Luann’s town. I like her, but staying in the strip as she did seemed like a betrayal of her as a character. Would anyone else read a strip based on her adventures in the New York theatre scene? I would.

NOT the best time to be heading to NY!

We’ll miss her whoever she is.

Once again, and I mean AGAIN , we see an episode of Gun(ther) and Bets interacting over her interest in her Snapchat posse and her interest in his interest in female friends. Only to have the episode cut off in mid transaction. Leaving everyone hanging!

Looks like Greg will keep this tension going for awhile. But it’s getting old!

We get to see Luann again and now it’s about one of her friends.

It is great that Pru has a GF she loves, BUT, they’ve been living far apart for at least 2 years in real time. No one should get married until they’ve spent time together for a while. Even if they knew each other well in NY, they both could have changed a lot in the last 2 years. I like Pru and I’m sad to see her go.

Pru has pretty much been forgotten for a long time. I liked her character, but if they’re not going to use her, they might as well finish up her story and have her leave. It bothered me that when Luann broke up with the Aussie (see, I can’t even remember his name), except for about 2 later strips, we never saw nor heard of him again. Remember, the theatre job he got that caused him to pass on NYC was only TEMPORARY. He had been living with Gunther, yet no mention from anyone as to when he left for good. Did he get a permanent theatre job and leave? Did he go back to Australia? What was Gunther’s reaction when he left? What was Luann’s response to his leaving as he was her first, genuine long-term boyfriend? A little wrap-up would have been nice as he was on the strip and a significant character for some years. I’m glad they’re not doing this to Pru, although her character was less important than Aussie boy. Again, really liked Pru, but if not using her than let her have a good wrap-up exit.

Hope you aren’t flying. If so bring a face mask.

I hope you finish your education, Pru. Your “family” will be better off for that.

With all these characters in the strip, I’m amazed Greg has kept them all going in their own storylines for so long. With only 6 days/wk, three panels each. He’d need to create a book to keep them ALL going at once. With Karen’s input, I’m sure some former characters will return if necessary or will fade away if not. Pru was an interesting addition, seemed good for Luann and tied some other characters together. I’m not sure she’ll be “written out” permanently. ;-)

Hey, which character has his/her own bio on the “characters” tab (implying “main cast”) and is in constant need of a place to sleep? PIRO!

He might not have enough dough to rent a dorm or an apartment, but maybe he can scrape together $100 a week to rent a room from the DeGroots? Maybe Bern can vouch for his character?

How can a She and a She start a family? Adoption?

wait, is Pru an upperclassman? Because that seems like kind of an extreme action for an 18 year old.

Sure, just leave Gunther in the middle of a huge argument to move to pru.

What if the girlfriend is Delta?

Well, I for one consider the Gunther and Bets story arc complete for now. Gun will have to talk with Tiffany about her betrayal, and it will be up to Tiffany to grow up or not.

My first reaction to today’s strip is that Luann needs to grow up too. People move on with their lives. I hope that’s where this strip is going in general.

Pru may be picking the wrong time to leave, go home to New York, get married and start a family.

Agreed. There are few possible themes I see this arc taking. (1) Luann is made to think harder about what direction she wants her studies and life to take. Will she complete a 4 year degree after finishing at Pitt? Will she focus on art? (2) Luann returns to agonizing about the lack of a serious boyfriend in her life and we get a re-run of that (I hope not). (3) Pru mentions that Quill has been in touch and the plot segues in that direction(?)…. doubtful. I hope it will be item #1.

I would hate for Luann to be stuck with Tiffany, but I think it would be better for Tiffany. Right now Tiff is stuck with Stef, who is certainly NOT good for her. Luann, at least, has her head screwed on a little better. But I can certainly see fireworks if Luann and Tiff live together. I’d rather see a new character. Maybe one WITH character who could get Gunther out of the clutches of The Evil One.

there’s only one condition..….she wants me to grow some eyebrows!

Maybe it is time for Spring cleaning. Good bye, Pru, love you but you need a good hair stylist and an eye brow transplant.

How do two women start a family?

I only counted 4 bombs in that sentence.

Unless “Home to New York” was also a surprise. That would make 5.

OK bye Pru, next arc please….or is there some drama to be had??

Well, that came right out of nowhere.

Tiffany leaving Moony University and becomes a bartender?

So wrong on so many levels.

By Pru, we hardly knew you.

Pru was underutilized as a supporting character. She has grace and charm, and Big City street smarts. Too bad her partner couldn’t have come to Pitts instead. I will miss her, as I miss Delta, too….

I always liked Pru as a minor character, they often used her as the voice of reason. I hope she doesn’t disappear.

Maybe the larger issue is who will fill her role at the Fuse.

What’s next? Someone already suggested Tiffany moving in. Could it mean the return of Delta? Or “GASP” Rosa? The latter would probably cause Gunther to return to Peru to escape the “drama” between Bets and her.

Same old story, the gays want to get married, and the straights just want to live together. Come on Pru, just babysit for Shannon. Not saying that it will scare you straight, but you sure will re-think this “start a family” delusion.

Good. End this boring character who has been used for nothing interesting. Sadly….

I know we’ll all be wondering the same thing: HOW WILL GUNTHER BE INVOLVED AND CAN I COMPLAIN ABOUT IT?