Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 07, 2024

Road trip!!!!!!!

Luann in Italy. Well, there goes the country!!

Circus Arts in Italy? Nancy & Frank will go for that? And foot the bill?

I’m going to take a break from this strip. I no longer find it amusing. :-(

I mean, Luan Loud is a clown; I don’t see why Luann DeGroot can’t be one either.

If Luann takes up welding she can share the class with Knute.

But I wonder if Tara is going to talk her into taking Circus Arts. Why would Luann want to be shot out of a cannon if she didn’t want to skydive?

Luann you wear your new shirt so well. After all you’re full of it. You’re only excusing yourself and giving yourself permission to wander indecisively.

If you’re going to learn welding go to a tech college.

Luanne could major in accounting and minor in circus arts. Juggling the books, alternatively called cooking the books, is a big thing with dodgy corrupt businessmen.

So Luann everything that Bets and Tiff did to you went straight to your head, Tara is showing you Circus Arts Luann you always wanted to fly.

Does Karen hate her alter ego that much, when she makes Luann look so bad.

I can’t believe they’re really going to have Luann go to Italy. They’d have to imagine a new circus-arts world and characters there and take her out of interacting with existing characters for weeks. This strip does go a ways toward explaining what the rebranding arc was all about, though…Luann makes a big change to prove to critical readers that she can. It should take at least a couple of weeks to get her to Italy if they do decide to go that way…but it’s more likely to end up the way skydiving did.

Well, it’s too bad Lu didn’t choose weldng.

If she had, she might have run into Crystal and Knute who are (supposedly) into that endeavor big time.

Now, I fear their bios and portraits may one day disappear from the “Meet the Characters” section. Mores the Pity!

Besides, there’s always need for decent welders in the world.

As for the circus? Not the same since “activists” made ‘em take the animals out of it. ;-(

[DUCKS]

So Luann will go to Italy to study Circus Arts? That might be interesting.

She may even find romance over there.. as long as she doesn’t wear the BS shirt. ;)

And the best part is she gets a break from being around Bernice.

Good thinking, Tara. Luann would be perfect as a circus clown!

“Be a clown! Be a clown! All the world loves a clown!”

I would honestly prefer a strip about a girl studying circus arts in Italy to this strip, provided it was written by someone who had ever been to Italy to study circus arts.

She’d make far more money as a welder, than almost any college graduate, and certainly ANY of those with their useless four year degree in some worthless field of study.Now, with the advent of AI in the food service industry, where will those who have those totally worthless degrees, find a place to work?

“College is the perfect time to not know what you’re doing.” Luann DeGroot. Cool – but that didn’t work well for me…

Make it stop!!!

Luann going to Italy could be an interesting arc.

You can buy clown shoes without leaving home.

Mebbe Luann’ll buy a Ford Torino

I hope she doesn’t bring her “puppets”.

Okay, so the brand thing is going on a while longer.

So while we’re waiting—and waiting—and waiting—to see who’s going to date whom, or if they ever date at all—celibate college kids (not counting Kip and Stefani) seems a bit dated, but never mind that now.

If you suddenly found yourself in the Luannverse, and were college age again (I get the vey distinct feeling nobody on this comments section is anywhere near that young—like you read comic strips—hey, anybody seen The Yellow Kid, Barney Google, or Moon Mullins lately? Getting worried.)—just a question. Who would you want to date?

Right now, kinda liking Tara. Probably because she never gets her own storyline. Side characters are always more fun. ;)

You’re in community college, Luann. It’s only supposed to last two years not two decades.

“Circus Arts” would be far too much excitement for this comic.

Going to Italy would be going down the rabbit hole.

Do the welding and you can have a backup career, or add that skill to Circus Arts. They need welding workers.

Tara is more apt and adventurous to study circus arts in Italy than Luan would be. However, with Lu’s so-suspected “experience” with skydiving, she could do trapeze. Better, yet, a clown.

Well, she’s kind of got the right idea. . .

I can hear Luann now, “I fly through the air, with the greatest of EEEEEEEEEE!”

At least with welding Luann can make over $100,000 a year

A circus sounds pretty fitting for someone like Luann.

Sure, it’s the perfect time to waste a bunch of money on classes you don’t need to actually take, as long as Frank and Nancy are footing the bill and it’s not YOUR money.

…why in Torino?

And therein lies the rub. Luann is questioned about majoring in welding, probably because she is a girl, when it would probably provide a better income than the fields of study most of her counterparts are taking.

Of course, there’s the ever popular “Seduction for Fun and Profit” course taught by our Hero and Ideal Ann❤️Eiffel. Fill your slate and your plate at the same time. No wonder we all ❤️ Ann❤️Eiffel.

Like skydiving! She could wimp out on welding the same way! That’s Luann’s brand.

I hope she does take the Circus Arts course in Italy. If not in Italy, then a good one in the USA. Clowning is a terrific skill set for a teacher to have. It teaches you to think on your feet and adapt to your audience when things go sideways. Add in improv and you have many of the class control skills needed by an early childhood educator. If she goes for librarianship, she will get a top-notch job as a YA or children’s librarian. True, shell have to get her MLS, but she can work her way through school as a library aid.

College is a scam…..Go STEM or be a welder.

Piedmont has very good wines and is the home of Lavazza coffee production…

…mmmmmmmm…….Lavazzaaaaaaa………..

“College is the perfect time to not know what you’re doing.” Very well said.

Art History should get you there. Not!

I’m all for her becoming a welder. It pays well and it is an honorable trade.

She’d make a pretty good balloon person or clown.

The sign is perfect since LuAnn is a clown. She doesn’t even need to go to Italy – just be herself.

So the rebranding got Luann thinking about her future possibilities and motivated her to explore new experiences… success!

It’s hilarious that Tara is the one trying to calm Luann down, but without even trying very hard. I think Tara wants to see how far Luann can go and if it’s possible that Luann can do what she says. Yesterday looking at Luann’s t-shirt I thought of Knute and now the welding course, which he attends, is mentioned. I hope these are signs that he may return. But what moved me the most was the poster of the FLIC of Torino. I attended the “Royal Gymnastics Society of Turin” (It’s just an old gym in an old big palace, lots of history but it’s not expensive or fancy) when they decided to host the circus school. Before and after the sport I did, I always stopped to watch those students learning to do incredible acrobatics. I would be really happy if Luann starts traveling the world. Here in Turin or wherever her heart takes her, with Tara or alone but she has to travel.

I looked at this more clearly last night and it’s the same plot, but a different narrative. It’s still annoying

Cirque de Soliel? I can see Luann in sequined tights swirling on a ribbon suspended thirty feet in the air! Yeah, right.

Her sweatshirt about sums it up.

Seriously, you need to pick something you can put a lot of effort into, because you love it or find the effort worthwhile, and stick to that, do the best you can at that one thing. Even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll have picked up a lot of valuable qualities and knowledge. Bopping around randomly with different “fun stuff” is going to leave you hurting in the long run.

She’s going to end up with one of those useless majors that will guarantee she’ll be working at a coffee shop for the rest of her life.

I have to admit… I really like the idea of LuAnn majoring in clown arts. That would definitely create a lot of different story arcs!

Tara. Isn’t Luann’s life enough of a circus already, without her taking classes about it?

Circus Arts??? Imagine the doctoral thesis!

I think it is time for Frank and Nancy to start getting fed up with Luann and her I have no idea what I want to do with my life attitude. This branding arc has been a dud in my opinion.

Well this will be a welcome change for Luann. After all, she loves humor and music and kids and animals. Clown school will be perfect for her!

just waiting for the basket weaving joke

I guess I’m the odd one out here that I like the move the strip is taking to finally give Luann some engagement in her future – even if it’s exploring her options. She just seemed stagnant before, with no interest or purpose in her own future. At least now, she’s open to new possibilities.

Luann can star as The Amazing Blanko

No circus.

A message to all the kids thinking about college: you have to work for a living. Let me say that again: YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR A LIVING! And “work” means you have to bust your hump, day in and day out, with no let-up. Think about what you want to do for a living, and then choose your major. Don’t choose a major that was your favorite subject in high school. In fact, you might not need to go to college at all. Choose your education based on what work you want to do for a living. Then go after it with all you’ve got.

Maybe Luann will run into Anne Eiffel in Italy.

Clown school would finally be a way to rival Tiffany in her supply of makeup.

Her shirt in the last panel summarizes it well!

Oh, she’s a clown alright.

Go on tour with the Cirque, come back all cultured and fit, with your own bougie sense of style all while being the gregarious sweet kid you’ve always been Lu, live!

Like I said before, no matter what you decide is right for you there will always be someone who thinks they can make you over into their ideal. Be you! (◠‿◠✿)

Well, well…. even though I was not a fan of this arc continuing….. I think this “spin off” of the arc COULD BE awfully d@mn fun! Luann doing some sort of “study abroad” experience could be WONDERFUL!!!!! I hope this comes to fruition.

The caveat though would be it would need to be with the right group of folks. Possibilities I feel would be positive include:

1. All new folks we do not know.

2. Nil and Jack

3. Tara

4. Piro

and even though it may be a bit of stretch because they are at Moony, not PittCC:

5. Bernice

6. Gunther

7. Roz

Folks I would rather NOT have accompany Luann in this “study abroad” would include:

1. Tiffany

2. Steph

3. Bets

4. Quill (fortunately (hopefully) nearly impossible)

Remember when Marcia Brady signed up for every extracurricular activity?

This arc wouldn’t be so stupid if we hadn’t already seen Luann be presented with an opportunity to try something new (skydiving in this case) only to back out of it. Trust me, Luann will never actually “fill her slate”, but rather will use the blank slate thing as her excuse for why she never gets around to doing anything in her life.

Ah, she’s going to major in majorology…..

College is the perfect time to get an idea of what you want to be doing. The BS on her shirt says it all. She needs to see a guidance counsellor for a career aptitude test, not a circus. We know what she is good at, teaching kids, theater, arts. Why doesn’t she? ;-)))

A guy in my dorm at college had 5 different majors in 3 years. I never did find out what (or if) he settled on.

Finally, Luann is coming into her own. She MAY be a a blank slate, but that may be a great place to build from. Too often people just do what others tell them too. Go Luann! Do your thing. Screw up learn love and figure stuff out as you go!

There is always a demand for good welders, at good pay.

College is better left until you have a goal, otherwise you end up with a worthless degree and no plan.

Does this mean it’s going to take another 28 years for her to finish a 4 year program?

Welding would be an excellent career. If she is any good she would have a very good income.

Don’t forget to try glassblowing

uh-oh…send in the clowns

I think Luann is going a little overboard in terms of filling her blank slate, i.e. trying out different courses, areas etc. I believe she was fine before e.g , teaching, writing, animals, art. With all this “fun stuff” (majors and classes etc) she may never find a path for herself.

What’s wrong with high school trying to show kids what’s out there and trying to see a future. They don’t really do that anymore.

Run off and join the circus.

Imaginative.

Welding – excellent idea. Learn a useful, well paying, skill in high demand. And if you are of an artistic bent, metal sculpture is an artform technology won’t ruin. You might even get to meet Tom hanks after he’s no longer Castaway.

A welder is a great career. They are in high demand and make $$$. Many trades are a great way to make a living (think plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, etc).

I knew a few students just like Luann. They enjoyed a variety of classes at their leisure—-jewelry making, theatre, sociology, and yes, even welding. Most wound up with a relatively useless degree in General Studies! But they had a good time exploring. The difference was that most of them came from families wealthy enough to support this journey.

For once I’m happy with this, actually. She’s 19, and was feeling like a failure, because the other 19-year olds “know” what they want to do with their life (like s* they actually do, at least most of them, but I digress). This is the first time that she seems to feel she is competent and can do stuff, and she is actually allowed to discover the world and find her “passion” to use the buzzword (to find a field she will actually feel mostly good working in, if we are being serious – yes, some people burn with passion about their life’s goals, but this is not what happens for most).

Being under stress and feeling like a failure isn’t the right mindset to choose a life path. The current mindset, although a bit overly optimistic, is a much better place to do attempt that. And yes, she should try out things. Trying out things is good. Learning different things is good – it opens one’s mind. It’s not like she’s spending huge amounts of money in a prestige university abroad. She’s 19 – other kids get a gap year.

I am rather annoyed at Tara’s suggestion though. If we look at it in-character, she’s kind of trolling Luann, and once again seems ready to push her into doing things for her own (Tara’s) entertainment. If we look at it outside the comic, this is something that I can imagine Luann being good at, and this is also something that will NOT happen, again going round in circles… seems like another nostoryline is about to begin… (parachute jumping anyone? Which, now I think about it, was the point when I started being annoyed at the comic)…

I got B.A.s in Chemistry and Physics. By getting B.A. degrees instead of B.S., I got to also study literature, writing, film, speech, philosophy, psychology, foreign languages and other subjects, which made me a more well-rounded person (and kept me out of graduate school).

She would fit right in.

It could be a clean new horizon to have Luann sign up for a foreign exchange college program in London, England to study stagecraft and run into Quill. In turn they would run into Crystal and Knute stopping by a woody old pub on their way to Peru having just received a message from Rosa asking for their help to escape political upheaval in that little bombshell of a backward nation. Knute does his Indiana Jones thing in leading the rescuers.

This is how the colleges get additional $$. Kids that can’t make up their mind are very valuable.

I told my mother I wanted to try Drama. She said ‘Interesting choice. You can pay for it.’ I said ‘Engineering looks good too.’ She paid for that.

I would add (to my previous post) that the perils of spreading oneself too thin are real. You basically don’t accomplish anything.

Judging by what’s going on at Columbia, a lot of college students are taking that first panel to heart…..

Welders start at over 6 figures.

Welding Engineering and Welding Engineering Technology can be lucrative fields.

So… waste $30,000 a year to try a bunch of stuff and have no discernible path towards any concept of success? It’s a completely idiotic idea. How many years does she think mom and pop will just pay for her to waste time? If you’re going to drop this kind of money for an education, have a GOAL!