Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for January 09, 2021

then again…

Is this storyline finally going to move forward?

Perhaps the biggest cliffhanger here is, is this a cliffhanger? Or does this continue next week?

Not that it really matters.

Bernice. Luann’s right. You should go out and do something with Jack. Now whatever that may be is entirely up to you. But get out there and grab ahold of him before some other girl will..

Didn’t get a chance to put my two cents in yesterday early, including comments on the irony of puerile comments on allegedly puerile arc topic in the current arc, but I will let this copy and paste from yesterday which to me is even more evident today speak for me on both days:This story arc is as faithful to how I anticipated it to be as has any I’ve followed over the years in Luann. It is about sexual maturity, development of desire, and the effect that has on the subject, Bernice, as mediated through her friend, the title character Luann. Whether Jack is merely a plot device, or will be a willing romantic partner with Bernice, or even surprise, Luann, or none remains to be seen IMHO. But what I have been saying as a way to approach sexual maturity and more adult relationships is clear to me in this arc. Plus hilarity ensues!

Luann should have known something was up when Bernie started playing “The Great Pretender” by The Platters.

.

C’mon Bernie – he’s in your dreams, he’s in your conscious thoughts sweating over your bed. You’ve got it bad…

Bernice dreams of a Jack who is sweaty, but still does not have sweat stains on his clothing. The idea man.

I suppose it depends on how you get sweaty. Some ways are definitely more pleasant than others

Do something together.

First, go to a Goodwill store and get a skateboard, a jump rope, and a roll of duct tape.

You can now take your goldfish for walkies.

Bern Luann is right.

Don’t goldfish sleep or something? And, that poor little guy has nothing. Shouldn’t he have little castles and plastic seaweed or at least a window treatment to give him some privacy? Fish are supposed to be relaxing for people……not for fish. So, Bernice sit up and watch the teeny tiny fish poop as it sinks slowly to the bottom.Then go back to sleep and create your own tsunami with Aquaman Jack.

She’s really jacked!

Well now.

Luann didn’t have to tell Bern that Jack had asked about her, but she did.

That pretty much puts a “pin” in any immediate Jack/Luann relationship.

Not to mention deep sixes the always PREDICTABLE “Love Triangle” scenario.

It would seem to indicate that Luann has NO interest in Jack other than just a friend.

And it’s just as well.

So the ”Fuse’ metaphorically speaking, has been lit.

Let’s see if there’ll be a ”Bang.”

Speaking of the “Fuse……..,” ;)

It’s time to move forward!

Bernice, get over yourself. Admit you like jack, tell him and see where it goes. You might find out he likes you too.

I think a romantic story between Bernice and Jack would be interesting … if it ever happens.

It is unusual to see Bernice act so….prepubescent. She is in an arrested sexual maturity. She is gagaga over Jack but from afar. Like some in here pointed out, she was a lot more sexually mature way back in the early years of high school when she was gaga over Zane. Was her experience with Zane so traumatic that she regressed and been sexually repressed since? What a shame.

Geez. Sweat drops jumping off like lemmings. That’s so—OMG her fish’s eyes are closed

Keep your hands above the Mason-Dixon line, or you’ll be getting sweaty in a different way.

♫ I couldn’t sleep at all last night

Just a-thinkin’ of you

Baby, things weren’t right

Well, I was tossin’ and turnin’

Turnin’ and tossin’

Tossin’ and turnin’ all night ♫

Maybe Bern will start going to the gym with Jack and pumping iron, and turn into an Olympics-worthy athlete!

Is Bernice dreaming of getting “sweaty” with Jack in a different type of “exercise”? Inquiring dirty minds want to know.

I think Bern’s hesitation to any kind of romantic interest in Jack is her fear of loss of her perceived control. I knew a young woman in high school that was a lot like Bernice, prim and very judgmental. I met her again a few years later in college and she had fully embraced an uninhibited lifestyle, the full sex, drugs and rock and roll trip. When I expressed my surprise to her she told me she felt totally liberated from her old self. But later she confessed to feeling that by leaving her old personality behind, as it were, she had lost part of who she was and it might hurt her eventually.

Face it, Bernice. You love that man and you want to do things with him. Things I can’t say because kids are reading.

Sweaty bodies slide against each other better!

I’m still betting Jack doesn’t fancy girls.

…Schwety….Thank you Alec.

Why doesn’t Bernice just start stalking Jack like any other sexual deviant wacko would do? She could have all kinds of fun hiding behind trashcans etc. Or.. she could go to the library and find all kinds of self-help books that would explain the feelings she’s having. It’s obvious she can’t intelligently discuss her problem. Maybe we can have another fascinating arc where she psycho-analyzes herself to deal with the situation. What would the breathing exercise and affirmation mantras be for this one?

Bernice is as interesting as a bowl of overcooked pasta.

This note is Specifically to kind Airman who often posts on Luann.

Dear Airman,

Please, allow me to express my sympathies. Never would I have expected a member of the Air Force to abandon her vow to the Constitution and choose treasonous insurgence over the honor that has historically been the pride of the Air Force. I am sure it is especially painful for you, very possibly more so than it is for just anyone who considers honor and respect for the Constitution that makes our form of government, a democratic republic, possible. I am ashamed that this seditious action happened in our nation, and I send sympathy to you for the dishonor she created for the Air Force. The constructive and lawful actions of others in the military will hopefully soon show our nation and the world that such destructive and treasonous individuals are an aberration. So, please, hold your head high and know that while you openly support our Constitution people will realize that although a small violent minority can do great damage, they are not representative.

The true meaning of sweaty (day)dreams… Brava Luann! Her suggestion was the right one and it was done in the most friendly way possible. Now Bernice is starting to consider the possibility. It would be a huge step forward for her AND for Jack♡♡♡.Sleeping Monstro is so cute!

Bernice is such a negative person. A normal response to hearing that Jack ask about her would be “What did he say?”. Not “So?” I don’t know why Luann stays friends with this sour, bitter person.

Monstro is next to her pillow as she sleeps as is the image of Jack.

Sweat can be very sexy……

Will the end of this arc be a revelation that Jack is asexual, or gay? Because from what I remember, Bernice never had much luck in the romance department.

Luann the Wingwoman.

Ok, now that Luann has planted the seeds in Bernice’s brain, and the dreams return, what will she do about it, if anything. Will this be long, drawn out like the brother resolution? Or do we jump to another arc? Can’t believe it’s Saturday already! ;-)

Eyes wide open!

Monday well be off somewhere else. (Please not Shannon.)

This little cliffhanger will stew for a couple of weeks before returning!

And in Panel 3 we’re back to

What so may commenters miss is that when Bernice tumbles for a guy it’s every bit as bad as when Luann does.

Luann: Aaron Hill, Stuart the married Lifeguard, Quill…

Bernice: Zane, Piro, now Jack…

There is something about Jack that causes both commentators and even characters like Luann to play matchmaker. I don’t recall this kind of universal reaction about many other characters, particularly the good looking ones. Usually nature is left to take its course.

@Schrodinger’s Dog Put me on to a great idea for Bernice’s next dream sequence. *Tarzan and Jane." The original costumes from Tarzan The Ape Man (1932). Setting up a great panel of Luann being awakened by a Tarzan yell in the middle of the night!

I can see it now. I be smilinnnn… 8^ )

There’s sweaty and there’s sweaty with your sweety .

Either the fish tank keeps moving around the room or Bernice is spinning the bed around between panels. Compare the first panel of yesterday’s strip with the last panel of today’s.

Something is fishy about today’s cartoon.

That’s some massive sexual frustration there…

Has anyone else getting concerned that this comic features only a token amount of visible ethnic minorities? Is Suburban America this segregated in reality?

Why do the moderators seems to take the weekends off?

200 Comments about a comic!!!! I do admit that they are entertaining, though.

Bingo

Methinks the Bernice doth Protest, but her Subconscious is voting against her.

Depends on how you’re getting sweaty…

Oh for chrissakes. Buy a pair of Nikes…and just do it.

Sleep it off, Bernie, But if you get night sweats, then maybe you should go and throw yourself at Jack. (You might miss, or he might fumble the reception, but at least you will have ended this silliness.)

6

Overall a nice ending to the week’s arc.

1. We can very clearly see how Bernice does have a lot of interest in Jack.

2. At least as it currently stands, Luann really IS NOT not seeing Jack in a romantic way for her, and she also IS NOT currently starting to reconsider this option for her. I am rather surprised… but also glad, as I am not fond of Luann “re-liking” a person she has passed over…. usually only because someone else starts to show interest in him.

So, will the story continue on Monday? I am tending to think NO. I suspect we will have this just be simmering under the radar for a while until perhaps 5-6 weeks pass perhaps and Greg brings Bernice and Jack back into the forefront again.

What may the next arc be? And my preferences:

1. College classroom arc? (Unlikely, but I would very much like it to be.)

2. An arc with Tara or Nil or Piro or Dez? (VERY Unlikely, but I would very much like it to be.)

3. Tiffany at “home” or at “The Fuse”? (Possibly…. I would enjoy that.)

4. Gunther & Bets (not at the Gulag)? (Possibly…. I would enjoy that.)

5. Gunther & Bets & Les (at the Gulag)? (Possibly…. I would NOT like that.)

6. Brad, Toni, Shannon (with or without TJ)? (Possibly…. I would be OK with that.)

7. Brad & Toni…. no Shannon, no TJ? (Possibly… I would NOT like that.)

8. Tiffany & Les…. and Eifel? (Doubtful… could be interesting… or could be awful.)

9. DeGroot only arc? (VERY Unlikely….. indifferent.)

Talking about sex, wait until you’ll see Sunday.

Luann didn’t have to let Bern know that he asked about her. And Bern’s response was bratty and harsh. Not even mild curiosity. No one needs snark like this.

Good night Bernice … sweet dreams.

¿Pero qué tal si sus sueños la hacen sudar?

Lessee….do daydreams count as dreams?

No matter what happens, Jack is a good fellow.