Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 30, 2023

Wow! Bets is one happy girl. I wonder if Gunther will feel the same way?

Puppeteer

Ack! I’ve got whiplash from trying to follow this strip!

Peace in our time?

Inside she meets Al! Then what?

OK Bets. Now don’t go outing Irma on your social media feed.

Well….. Didn’t I prognosticate this very result yesterday, n’est-ce pas?

she is diplomatic, I will give her that…

How do I wean myself off of following this strip?

I think Gunnie is getting pushed out of the nest, and he doesn’t even know it yet.

Poor girl thinks she going on a summer road trip when in fact Irma is telling her to leave.

If this van is a rockin’…….

Nope – this is tied up in to too neat a package. I guess the other shoe will drop tomorrow.

On the one hand this is sweet.. on the other hand i’ts also deeply messed up she can’t just.. talk to her husband about this. For once I feel it’s intentional, that it is supposed to be just a bit off that she defers to her new husband this much, especailly when Gunther is you know.. her child. Her mostly adult child, but still more her area than his.

Summer road trip? Yeah, like that’s cheap.

Dang! I wanted to see Bets at the manse in a swimsuit.

Another way of sayin ‘Take Gunter with you’

Erma almost got rid of him in Peru, now here’s another chance.

They just park out back of Steph’s mansion

California!, time to hit the beaches?

Ah—now Irma’s true colors emerge!!

Bets, just go on that road trip, WITH Gunther, and never come back (she can still get college credits online)!!

So, Irma, you can go and lie to your husband with a clear conscience. You did right by Gunther and Bets and by Al in a gray area…how proper considering his last name is Gray. Not sure if Irma took his name or remains Berger.

just one frame of them under the covers would do it, or at least a passionate episode of some kind. i feel that this is clueless bets about to get the door, and in her own signature selfish way just won’t “get” it. gunther, and everyone else, has had enough.

I still think Irma is pouring her dreams into Bets and that’s not a good thing. But it’s so nice to see Bets hugging her happy, convinced that she was finally accepted by her. A last minute road trip with no plans seems to me like something with lots of mishaps and that will fill Gunther with anxiety. It’s not yet clear whether or not they will do it, but Bets is no longer apathetic now. I don’t think she needs to go to Tiffany’s anymore to relax, but she could do it to tell her friend everything about that with a happy smile. Finding her locked in her bedroom and spying on Kip like there’s no tomorrow…

Now we have an opportunity to find out just how devious and determined Bets can be. She has just acted exuberant about Irma’s suggestion, but we must remember that both she and Gunther enjoy “cosplay”. Now, what sort of scenario should they invent and play out to get the greatest effect upon Al & Irma? What lesson would they like to teach? Should they play the runaway couple getting married in Vegas? Should they throw in the spectre of pregnancy on top of it? Or should they play the desperate destitute trailer trash “in a camper van down by the river”? Should their desperation leave clues for A&I that they’ve turned their son into a budding unibomber who wants to blow up the guesthouse/gulag? That could be tricky because it would probably attract the attention of law enforcement types who would not appreciate that it is merely innocent cosplay. This is also an opportunity for Bets to vlog a sort of docudrama. Meanwhile she & Guns could be enjoying the summer at Tiff’s and helping to run test drills on the improved security system.

I am uncertain… Is Gunthers mother a hypocrite manipulating Bets or is she helping them and being discreet?

Tomorrow, Gunther will say no!

Not sure Bets is actually “happy”. I think she is putting a happy-like spin to try to get Irma thinking.

Shouldn’t somebody ask Gunther if he wants to go on a summer road trip? And who’s buying the camper, the gas, the food, and the insurance?

T W T, ALWAYS, Does !

Quite a polite caring, rule-following young woman, Bets turns about to be even though unreasonable Bets hatred still rearsl its ugly face, occassionally; Irma turning out to be like Tony Blinken in shrewd diplomacy. Yes I belive she accomplished getting the live-in Gulag rebellion settled while giving these two characters a wonderful opportunity to explore while getting to know each other better. I think the questions about how they can afford it, or whether it’s traveling fornication are equally silly. Bon voyage! Of course I always await a patented misdirection.

I think this will be the end of the relationship. Gunther won’t go for this. hes comfortable where he is.

When Bets was first introduced, I really didn’t like her, but she’s grown on me. I think this arch has been Irma finding a way to say, “I understand” and helping them find a solution with actually making it look like she had a hand in it. There’s a lot of speculation about if Irma is not standing up to Al about Gun and Bets living together, maybe she has, maybe it has led to discontent between them.

Irma forgot to wink in the 2nd panel.

Irma lacks communication skills. Telling Betts that she had to leave was not my take on her camper gift. If Irma was trying to buy off Betts to free her son of Betts, she missed the mark.

Very nicely done.

Hmmm….. I think Gunther’s mom and Bets are thinking two different things about a ‘road trip’.

Mom is over-protective, and wants Bets to have nothing to do with Gunther, and Bets is thinking they can take a trip together.

So many of the commentors have no sense of adventure.

See?

I told you.

The “decision” has been made FOR Gunther with absolutely NO input FROM Gunther, ONCE AGAIN. That is why he wasn’t invited.

Well, at least mom isn’t going along to “chaperone,” but JEEZE! Mom has given away her son like an old unwanted sofa.

Now. What going to mess this trip up?

Long time fans remember the disastrous road trip Brad and Old Smiley took to Vegas years ago. Or the “Squirrel Camping Trip” taken by Luann, Dez and Bernice. Or the flat tire suffered by Jack and Luann.

So what will happen here?

A third party going along? I vote Les and it would Al’s “idea.” Worse case scenario, they pick up a hitcher named Ann Eiffel.

Problems with the camper? Count on it.

Getting Lost. Still possible. Even with Siri.

Oh well. Maybe after the trip is over, Gunny will see the light and start to stand up, FOR HIMSELF. (Yeah, Right)

Bets just doesn’t get it.

A little disappointed Irma couldn’t be more upfront about it, but at least Bets came to the right conclusion. =)

Oh wow. Irma is telling Bets to “GO AWAY”… permanently.

Is Gunther’s mom schizophrenic? Giving me the creeps.

Betts is singing “Me and you, and, a dog named Boo…” And, wonders where, why, and, how that song came into her head. (1971, Lobo. 52 years, and, I can still repeat most of the chorus!?)

Oh, Gunther’s mom is gooood!

Hopefully, they won’t wind up creating a human that needs care and attention for the next 18 years.

How much does her vlog pay, that she can afford a camper van?

The truth is that the Bergers did take a road trip. Gunther was car sick and throwing up the whole time. He has also always had a week bladder, so they were constantly making pit stops. Ever since then he has had an aversion to long car rides. When Bets arrives in her new van and announces they are going on a road trip, it might just be the breaking point for Gunther.

With all her shortcomings, Bets is still the best thing that could happen to Gunther- get him out of range of Mommy!

I’ve got to hire Gunther’s mother in my office. She’s perfect at plausible deniability.

I like it. Bets understands and is enthused. Momma Irma keeps the peace. Now we may see how Gunther feels about living and traveling in a camper for the summer. What happens in the Fall when classes start again? =;-o

If Gunther doesn’t give Bets the heave ho, he’ll he become a henpecked simp.

Now we’ll just to wait a few weeks to hear about the horrible accident…

Where will they get the money to buy the camper?

There’s a lot more to mom than anyone realizes.

I thought Bets was hugging Gunther in the first panel, until I looked closer.

I hope Irma does not communicate with Gunther like this. Engineering types like clear, concise communication. Not confusing speech like Irma is using.

Irma implied it but didn’t explicitly say. But why did she have to turn unfriendly all of a sudden after previous conversation about the camper van?

Bets should actually have a place to move into before she moves out. The van is not bought yet and we don’t know who is paying for it, or if Gunther wants to join Bets in living there.

Don’t forget the Bets & Gun vehicle wrap.

“Yay! You trust me! After all I did to give you no reason to trust me and actively tried to lie to you, disobey you, and undermine a civil relationship! You really ARE a gullible, wishy-washy dingbat, Ms. Irma!”

“Thank you, dear! Here have $50!”

Is it just me or does this resolution feel completely disconnected and doesn’t flow naturally? And Irma is quick to forget that it was originally HER who called Bets moving into the gulag turning it into a “bawdyhouse.” She’s like, “Oh, but that was all AL. That poopyhead doesn’t like it! Not me though.” Then just the other day she scolded Bets for bringing up Tiffany living there as a sign of Irma’s hypocrisy…

How are they going to pay for the van? What does Bets do for money? (Wrong answers only). ;-)

Wow. I don’t see this working out. First, I don’t think it has ever been said how much Bets makes off her social media posts (if she makes anything)…so can she afford the trip? Second, would Gunther want to drop out of school to do some traveling? And how would he afford it? Third, aren’t they in college? Obviously Bets is willing to just drop out and throw away the money spent on the semester….but will Gunther be willing? This could be the break-up moment.

Ugggg another travel blog

Bets makes a lot of money with her social media, she’s mentioned it a few times in the past. Plus, you never see her stressing al all about money. She can cover all the costs, and frankly now that Gunther is a big part of her media, he does his part too for their cash (and he makes the costumes.) And they’ll be able to attend every comic-con across the country! This seems a win-win situation, no Bets under Al’s roof, and an adventure for Bets and Gunther. Come on people, let this be a happy situation for once!

Hey folks i believe Count Olaf is an AI driven message. Perhaps I am the last person to conclude that.

Sounds like an adventure to me.

Ok, I take back eeeeeeeeeeeeeverything I said about Gunther’s mom. Every last one! This was a power play against Al to keep the lovebirds together while respecting the rules; the ultimate loophole to end all loopholes! Rock on, Irma!! :D No doubt Gunther will also be happy not to room with Leslie anymore. Yeah, they get along now, but let’s be real: they see each other more as friends, not family.

She’s a harsh woman.

(he said with a nearly straight face)

For those scoring at home:

Irma never apologized for insulting Bets at dinner while applying a different standard to Tiff

Gunther is ignored by his own mom, as if he has no say in his own life

Garbage writing tells me Gregg is on vacation this week

Simply…and there you have it!

I think Irma told her to pack up and leave in as tactful a way as she could muster. She recognizes Bets as the manipulative, high-maintenance person that she is. Irma just sweetened what could have been an ugly confrontation. She still does not think that Bets is the right person for her son. That is my take.

I wish Gocomics had a Wow and Love button. I would hit them both. Brilliantly done G & K.

Mama’s with it {thumbs up}

Surprise twist, they will go look at the van, see it is a stick which neither can drive.

What is this, Normandy Beach??Everybody’s talking in code.

Chances of an upcoming road trip with Bets, Gunther, Tiff and Kip? Tiff doing all the driving because she knows how to drive a stick.

Go have a look at the camper before you get too excited. Might have 3 wheels with the steering wheel in the back seat.

If t his is anything like Luann’s camping trip,it’ll be funny.

She comes back covered in mud and bug bites yelling “We conquered Mother Nature!”, or some such.

Anyone else hoping the camper has faulty brakes that lead to Bets driving off out of the strip and not stopping until she’s neighbors with Rosa?

I kinda thought the kids would take the van and do a tell all trip and earn some cash. And generate some drama.

Like Gabby Petito and Brian Luandrie only with a better outcome. We’ll see.

Well … ain’t she happy to get something for free!! Something tells me that she thinks that fuel and maintenance costs will be provided by someone else, also.

she is the new hero of this strip

even the cloud is smiling

Maybe Gunny will relax the compulsive obsessions and have some fun.

Road Trip!

Not quite what Irma planned; but if it spares them Al Grey’s wrath . . .

Call me cynical, but, there was always something about Bets I didn’t like.. from her rather silly nickname for Gunther (“Gunnie” would have been okay), to her basically, telling him how to live.Has he ever made a decision for himself, in their relationship?

Well, whaddya know! It looks as though Irma’s Very Clever Ploy will work out to everyone’s satisfaction after all.

—Though in saying that, I remain conscious that so far we haven’t had Gunther’s reaction….

SEVEN ONE by Greg… I hear it’s an incredible read! ;)

Bets sure is excited. I’d think she’d want to check out the camper van before she gets ahead of herself.

Gunther doesn’t seem too thrilled about the prospect of a long road trip with Bets. I wonder if the camper van will actually start breaking the two of them up?

.

Hmmm… Is that a drop of sweat coming off the back of Gunther’s head or does Bets spit when she yells? lol

With this reaction, I don’t think Gunther’s Mom really sent the message she thought she was.