Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 20, 2024

Well said, Brad! You have to take things as they come. It will all work out!

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On a side note.. would like to say R.I.P. to Phil Donohue. He was a legend in the talk show industry. He was married to Marlo Thomas and passed at age 88. He will be missed.

Is she raising her pinky as she kisses him?

Prelude to a new family addition…

Okay.

Giving Shannon sugar is YOUR fault, Brad.

And speaking of “sugar,” I suspect that kiss on the lips is the ONLY “sugar” you’re going to get tonight, Brad-O. ;-)

Starting a family, in 3… 2…

OK preparation’s over.

Now, she is ready.

♫Tonight’s the night.. ♪

Yep I called it he changed his tune on starting family ASAP. Now let’s see what Toni says after the kiss.

You’ve got eight months, Brad.

Brown chicken brown cow.

She’s ready. Phil Donohue was one of the first talk show hosts I knew of, besides Sally Jesse Raphael.

Translation: we had better start a family right away, while your Mom is still young enough to raise our children, since you can’t.

Uh-oh! I hope the message from that kiss isn’t, “Brad, I’m pregnant.”!!

Oh no. This is how I got tricked into it!

“Oh, Dirk, I love you… uhm, Brad, I mean…!”

And so it begins.

I think we should start a naming contest for Brad and Toni’s baby. A boy and girl name. Maybe G&K will use one of them like they did for the wedding dress.

This dose of reality hit Brad pretty solidly….

Brad. Don’t be hard on yourself! Shannon had 6 years of poor parenting at home!

I suspected as much. Reality has kicked Brad in the butt and now he realizes that his ideas about parenthood aren’t grounded in fact, and now he wants to wait to have a family.

Tune in tomorrow when Toni tells Brad that she’s pregnant.

So this was Toni’s plan all along! She never wanted kids but she had to find some way to get Brad on the same page. Toni has been working with Jonah all along by having Shannon visit so much. Toni thought that would deter Brad from wanting kids, but when that didn’t work she decided they would have to take Shannon for a very long time. Jonah is happy to go along with Toni’s plan because he enjoys the break from his child. Ingenious plan! But now that Brad doesn’t want kids there will be no reason for Toni to ever take care of Shannon again. Jonah won’t get any more breaks.

Aaaaand … they’re ready.

I said 2 weeks ago when this stated, it would end with toni giving him the good news.

It’s time.

Spoiler: The rabbit died.

One thing this arc has done, I think, is to reaffirm my thoughts that Brad and Toni *really• don’t have Shannon quite as often as some people on the comments think they do. My feeling is that we see Shannon maybe 6 -7 times a year, and given the fact that a weeklong arc in comics land may actually just be a day or two in the Luanneverse, I think it likely that B &T only have her 15 or so days a years, usually for one day and occasionally for a sleepover. It’s obvious from this arc that neither Shannon nor Brad are used to extended stays.

Don’t firemen get to keep kids they rescue from burning buildings?

Dude …….. you’re never prepared. Just remember what you do affects them and try to say yes as often as possible.

Then don’t give her sugar, Oreo-eater Bwad.

Do I see some ‘creation’ practice in Brad’s immediate future?

And now, Toni to the rescue!

Phil Donahue, who became a talk show icon while his show was based at WGN-TV Chicago, before the days of the “superstation,” was one of “Chicago’s Very Own.” RIP.

Well Brad, I think you somehow just knocked her up.

You’re never quite ready to start a family. Most people don’t read the instructions first. ;-p

Don’t worry, Brad. It will happen when it happens; when it does, you and Toni will be great parents.

Brad needs to remember Shannon’s upbringing so far. A child of their own will have a very different early life, and that makes the difference. With them as parents, I doubt they’ll ever have a Shannon type child. It’s just too bad Shannon has had to live like she has so far.

The last panel is open to many possible interpretations. We’ll just have to wait and see.

I suspected that this story line would probably push Brad “I want a baby!” and Toni “Let’s wait!” in different directions.

Toni really loves Brad’s sincerity. Maybe seeing him like this has taken away all her doubts about having children and now she’s sure she wants them.

Hmm…I think Toni has news of her own. This may have been a warmup for Brad.

You did great, Brad. Knowing when and how to ask for help is probably the most important skill of all.

Brad’s a good man. How’d Luann get to be such a doofus?!?

Sometimes the most important skill we have is knowing when and whom to call for help.

Are most kids with a stable home like Shannon? She seems kinda messed up but what do I know?

So, when will they come to the realization that bringing one more brat kid into this world is a BIG mistake?

Well, ALL kids aren’t brats like Shannon! Bring them up right, from the beginning, and they will be a joy!

I’m thinking about thirty years.

I knew this was how it was gonna turn out. Shannon was gonna inadvertantly open Brad’s eyes to the difficulty of actually raising children. Maybe one day Toni and Brad will be ready to start a family, or maybe they won’t. It’s not a bad thing either way.

I knew Marlo and my estimation of Phil raised greatly when they got married. On the moon, I may be getting pulled around by the nose, but I think pregnancy news is about to be announced..

Yeah baby, cue the saxophones ! ;-)

So the question is why the interrupted kiss from Toni? Is it because he is willing to hold off on starting a family, or for other reasons?

I don’t mean to be crass, but BOW CHICKA WOW WOW…

Cue the disco lights and put on Barry White!

I’m guessing Toni is not pregnant. Too obvious.

ruh roh

Shannon turns out to be an effective contraceptive. Jonah should rent her out to newlyweds struggling with similar decisions.

is it weird for everyone else that she’s got lips and he doesn’t when they kiss?

Clement of Alexandria argued that sex without procreation was a Great Big Huge Sin. Clement was nerts.

I’ve seen this happen time and time again: the bloke is mad keen to have kids, the woman less so; then they have a kid, the chap realises what hard work they are and runs for the hills.

Hmm…I wonder is she expecting?

Well said Brad, Brad you do not give a child pizza for breskfest, Toni saying shut up and kiss me Brad.

Just so we all know. Dad Brad is going to be fine. He’s going to have tough and hard days and easy and good days. But at the end of the day, Brad is going to be a good dad. Not necessarily because he learned from Frank and Nancy because yes he did but because he’s accepted that sometimes he has no idea what he’s doing and what to do. Even more so he’s open and honest to asking and seeking help. I think Toni will be a good mom but anyone that has doubts about Brad at a parent at this point really should stop talking. Guys going to do just fine and in parenting sometimes fine is enough.

…..and it’s too late

NO! STOP!! DON’T!!!

It takes a village.

Having your OWN kid is different. They wouldn’t be missing an absentee dad, and you could raise them to not be a brat like Shannon…

Toni appreciates that Brad has learned such an important lesson: we all need help sometimes, single parenting can be hard as hell, it’s OK to call in the reinforcements sometimes, and Brad’s a lucky duck to have that option. Also, Toni appreciates that Brad is humble and honest enough to ’fess up.

She’s more impressed that he didn’t try to tough it out alone.

Most macho blockheads would have

Bringing out the best in all.