Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 18, 2022

Luann.. I think that smell may have been the Howard Johnson leftovers on the floor. lol

Good ol’ Bernice, doing what she does best — insulting her so-called best friend.

good times, huh?

Must’ve been a jolt for Greg, revisiting that early art style. ✨

Well, he hasn’t forgotten to draw Luann version 1.

Making a mountain out of an Aaron Hill.

When will Aaron Hill make an appearance?

so much negativity…Luann, tell her to get her own strip!

1) i am so pumped for this!!!! this is fresh, yet not off the deep end. i. am. so. pumped.

2) the blending of the illustration style? it looks like drawing 13 year old Lu, uses less lines to accomplish than from the 80’s, but she still hasnt grown into her head. ha!

3) a legit Luann arc?!! ive missed “old school Luann” , in a way that re-reading them just hasnt been satisfying. :/ 3a) Adding: this has so much potential. I see an “existential crisis” , or Lu oversharing, stepping into Bets’ territory and instantly regretting. Maybe breaking the 4th wall with comments?

4) maybe Lu’ will grow as a character in ways that are [gasp]self aware?! some of the Sunday strips are beyond…annoying. i know its not my art, but im being honest. I’ve white knuckled through enough to last a lifetime.

5) Luann’s self awareness doesnt have to take away the jokes. In the same way that adults who are messy never (I should say rarely, but I genuinely think it’s never) completely change. But they DO recognize its not their mom’s job. eye roll SHEESH.

AND

I KNOW I HAVE NO DIRECT EVIDENCE.

6) So please correct me if I’m wrong. But I think I was the first one to comment that Luann’s old school tapes are very similar to current day youtube/tik tok/ social media over sharing.

6a Now I’m gonna call myself out, because I often complain, “i hate when comments affect the artist.”

But i feel like my very own fanfic just came true and i feel geeked and legitimate 30+ year old reminiscent joy. Today was worth refreshing the page at an ungodly hour.7) Please tell me someone else is dedicated and enjoys this “silly stuff” as much.

Bernice, stop. I mean she was a hypocrite back then but your talking about your friends past self. Granted I scream at repeats of comic strip so for once I do not have the high ground.

Perhaps that one might strike Bernie at the heart, being the one listening through Luann’s door with a drinking glass when Tara was sneaking in and out of Luann’s room. Bernie was thinking it was a guy sneaking in, staying the night, and sneaking out in the morning.

I still wonder if there is a connection at all between this arc and the previous one, where Luann was tutoring a student who was just stealing her ideas to write a diary of a famous artist as a homework assignment…

Go to Luann Againn and hit the << button to go back to the first strip. The fourth panel is exactly the same as today’s first panel, just inked with a brush instead of a pen.

Beautiful. From the difference between 13-year-old Luann, angry at the world, and from the humble and sincere smile she’s making now listening to her past self, you can see how much she has grown ♡. Bernice, on the other hand, is always ready to show her sarcasm. I hope the recording continues with Luann saying how Bernice is the best friend you can wish you had to make her cry.

So – Raiding the Luann Again pantry. I am sorry to see this young adult moving backward instead of forward.

Wouldn’t it be great if Bernice’s bubble of “superiority” burst??

For a time, it looked like that happened when she was forced out of her parents’ home by mooching relatives.

But then, big-hearted Frank and Nancy took her in, and…

I think it’s cute how both Bernice and Luann are smiling at this memory.

My question is, Is the first panel a redraw or is it a reuse?

13-year-old Luann crushing on a guy who isn’t interested in her and not liking a guy who is interested in her. . . Story of my life.

Luann wants now, what she wanted then; what she can’t have. She had lovesick feelings for a boy who didn’t know she existed, she wanted hill to figure out she was madly in love with him without her having to tell or show him in any way.

Luann has come a long way.

Amusing week so far. I’d like to see more of that retro artwork.

Nothing quite like adolescent teenage angst…

Smug alert, smug alert in middle panel

The creators have to be careful here. Reprising classic 13-year-old-Luann gag strips juxtaposed against 19- or 20-something-Luann may show why today’s gags aren’t working. Classic Luann’s relationship angst and BFF Bernice’s sarcasm were fresh and innocent. Today, Luann’s angst and Bernice’s sarcasm are stale and subject to derision by commenting fans.

So begins an arc that I have been calling for since I started commenting here. This is Luann starting to realize that Gunther is who she is meant to be with. Long way to go to the wedding tho’.

Ah, the musings of a 13 year old girl. Does hindsight bring new perspectives?

Nope, but lets argue on this Saturday TG when we see where this arc is going.

I love how they used the original 1985 design in the first panel…

Actually, hypocrisy might not be the best word to describe the difference in behavior in a 13-year old’s behavior; confusion and self-centered, self-awareness might be a more accurate way to look at it. The Brad smells panel is the joke pay-off. Probably true, Brad was kind of slovenly…the old Brad that is.

Brad’s smell — Hai Karate ?

What is this, retro week? What’s next, Bern and Zane? Toni, Dirk and Brad? Gunther and Rosa? Some more originality would be nice.

Fun to see the contrast of old Luann and current Luann.

Great to see that they haven’t forgotten what Luann used to look like. Also, Bernice is a smug little brat.

is this a way to re-integrate Aaron to the strip?

I don’t see how Luann was showing hypocrisy. She doesn’t need to give attention to a boy who likes her. She had no obligation to Gunther just because he liked her. Women are allowed to chose who they want to talk to.

Looks like Luann DID come to some realizations about the past. Berniece could have been more tactful, but it is on the nose.

LuAnn has grown. Physically at least. She’s still a shallow airhead.

Nope, Luann didn’t notice, she paused to yell at Brad

I can smell Bernice a mile away

Gotta wash them feet, Brad. Smells like a kennel in here.

what is the hypocrisy here? I’m not sure I know. Is it that boys are stupid? that she likes Gunther now but didn’t want him following her then?

Did Brad invent “Plumber’s Crack”,or was he just following the crowd??

And now a word from lifeboy soap………………….

Bernice you or no friend.

Explain to me the hypocrisy. I’m confused or slow.

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/1985/03/18 OMAGAW!!! Luann’s room WAS CLEAN!!!!!

Memories …………………

While I know there is a sizable number of folks here who vehemently dislike Bernice…. I still think your vehemence is not warranted. I have a best friend whom I have know since I was 7-8 years old and he was similarly “snarky/opinionated” like Bernice towards me. It did not bother me in the slightest. It was simply a part of his personality that lasted through young adultood (probably late 20s for him). He was/is a very true and loyal friend to this day. He was best man at my wedding and I was best man at his.

He has mellowed some with age (or perhaps his wife’s influence :) ) but regardless he has been and continues to be a great friend.

I think the dynamic between Luann and Bernice is VERY similar to what I experienced. Bernice’s “snark/opinionated” nature is mostly a facade of confidence in a good person who is very unsure of herself, and uses the “bravado” as a way to cope, IMO… because she is still young and trying to figure herself out. But…. the Luann & Bernice friendship is STRONG.

Now would be a good time for Bernice to keep her big mouth shut. Just sayin’, she’s got no right to judge.

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2021/01/26

Please, please NOT Aaron Hill again.

Brad, you ain’t nothing but a hound dog (of the Big Mama Thornton variety).

Saturday: Nancy sees the old cassette recorder lying around, and includes it in a yard sale. :-/

Too bad Luann hasn’t noticeably matured since that recording….

I could smell if my father had been home in the past 4 hours. He would have had a hard time sneaking up on anyone.

(I have noticed many like to talk with me from a distance at times.)