Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 02, 2012

All’s well that ends well! I hope that they don’t scold Shannon. I’m sure it was not her intent to cause anyone angst!

Being first and 5 bucks will get you a coffee at Stardrek!

OK now I expect about 100 “I told you so’s”.

@DaJellyBelly – I hope not too as it was the adults who spazzed out and failed to search for her. She did nothing wrong.,

Orion

Ok TJ time to use some of that money that you said you have all the time and put the house back together.

Did Brad’s eyes just turn green, or are they just reflecting Brads shirt?!!?

Take it easy Brad! There will be plenty of kisses for you as well.

Toni’s relief is understandable, but as a guy, I keep thinking of all that destruction. Hello…isn’t it time for Tiffany’s movie to come out?

Look at the smile on TJ’s face! Joyful Happiness!!

I like TJ’s smile in the last panel. Normally, TJ kind of has a sly, car-salesman grin. It looks more genuine than it normally does- I think it’s the way Greg drew the eyebrows.

They are probably lucky that Shannon was asleep al the time that they were searching for her. Imagine what type of complications it would have caused if Shannon had come back to the living room, found everyone gone, and called the police to come help her search for Brad and Toni.

Brad, stop that………. you can thank him and kiss him too LOL

and Shannon looks like such a sweet angel in the basket

Why read it?

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Why comment?

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Why go on your computer at all?

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Why not do something useful like train blind monkeys to de-worm orphans in Third World countries?

Something good has come out of this. Now when Brad and Toni want some alone time, they can just put some sheets in a laundry basket and turn on the dryer. The extra-spin cycle would work nicely.

Wow… now we just have to deal with the busted wall.

I called it. She slept in (on) a pile of clothes. Now Brad must be feeling stupid – he did not check all rooms after all. And he gotta go and fix all the demo he and TJ did. If I were Brad, I would make TJ do the repairs – he was the one who insisted Shannon was in the wall. Such a moronic suggestion. I am not sure who was more moronic…TJ or Brad for listening to him and not thinking how moronic it was. TJ the Pied Piper. People just fall into step and follow him.

And it’s the first time EVER have I seen Shannon look vulnerable and sweet. Looks so peaceful like a baby.

An obvious problem in this relationship: Naturally, Brad doesn’t love Shannon as much as Toni does. He gets angry because of the disturbance. She is relieved the child is OK.If/when they marry, and Shannon (more or less) moves in with them, … I see many more wonderful storylines coming up!

And magically, the washer turns 90 degrees from one panel to the next...(Dirk?)

Well, this is new. Never heard of sleeping by or near laundry…

Jeebers, those three are truly idiotic. “Let’s first tear the walls apart before we look in all the rooms!” Ingenious!

And the basket it green/yellow … How ’bout that.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Brad’s eyes are green with envy .

“Wellllllllll, Toni? Shannon? I CAN’T Remember when I’ve had More “FUN”. But its getting LATE and its TIME for You two to GO HOME!" -- Said Brad as he FRANTICALLY searched for his prono tapes….,

Check Shannon for a pulse. She could still be dead!

I’m glad Shannon is safe and comfy and actually enjoying a nap. But why didn’t Brad notice her when he alleged he had checked every room in the house (25 April)?Toni rewards TJ because his recollection of his own childhood turned out to be applicable in Shannon’s case, too.

Allow me to point out a few things. 1. Brad only did a CURSORY search of the rooms. 2. Note in the last panel that the laundry basket is tucked partialy behind the dryer/washer set. When Brad looked into that room, he couldn’t see Shannon’s head. He only saw the lower portion of her body. Also, the light is not on in the room. That is why he missed seeing her. 3. When Brad mentioned to them about having the dryer running. TJ remembered his own childhood experience and asked them to check the laundry room again. 4. Because of TJ’s suggestion they found Shannon. Otherwise they would have all been running around outside in the storm. That is why Toni rewarded TJ with a kiss!

No accounting for what you do during emotional stress – sometimes you regret it afterward.

Isn’t anyone else here a Three Stooges Fan? Did they have any episode where they didn’t destroy the set?Maybe it’s a Guy Thing.

This was a “dumb” storyline, glad it’s over.

Wonder if Toni will start having doubts about Greg and his strong desire to marry and we see Toni go for TJ (at least for a while).

Aww, that’s cool. Glad that ended well, and TJ has redeemed himself.

I’ve always had a feeling old con man T.J. was going to do a bit of interloping. Looks like a big set up to me. Brad still acting like a goofball.

Way to go, fireboy. Like I would trust you to go into a burning building and rescue people now.

Next time they go looking for somebody, they will actually LOOK. They remind me of my daughter. She will stand in the middle of her room and turn completely around. Then she will come to me telling me she looked everywhere but can’t find it.

Why kiss TJ? Shannon was never lost. They were.

One of my dogs likes to curl up in a warm basket of towels fresh out of the dryer. She actually figures out a way to get under the top towel in the basket. However, both Brad and Toni as firefighters should have done a more thorough search within the confines of the house.

I hope it twists the other way, actually (i.e. that Toni realizes her mistake and wants make it up to Brad “real good!” :)

Just a lesson for them.In times like those, keep you head and stick to logic.Glad she’s safe..Brad’s reaction is because he’s just coming down from the emotional ride and he didn’t get any appreciation from Toni.At least not yet. An besides, it’s a funny reaction..For those who are complaining about the arc, stop reading the strip.

I never would have thought to guess laundry basket.

Patience, Brad, you’ll get your reward for caring later. TJ did find her.

Generally, prior to entering a burning building, the power has been cut off. Either intentionally or due to fire damage.

Shannon looks like Nancy Ritz in today’s strip!!

To the FINDER go the spois.. or is it victors, keepers…? whatever.

I have to agree with you there, I can see a kid creeping under the house or an attic. But alas this is the comicstrip world.

I was responding to the thought that a firefighter would be trained to turn on a light switch during a search. Not so.

I’ll be your huckleberry.

time for some remodeling

Okay, 2 stars for this arc. Not great – not flat. They can’t all be winners. Could get some depth if Toni & Brad now evaluate how emotionally ready they are for marriage.

There’s still 3 more days in the week. Could be kisses for Brad and exploration of the Toni/Brad relationship—but I’m a little suspicious of TJ. He grabbed that hammer awfully fast—no one could have stopped him from knocking down that wall. Could he have had a new remodeling scheme in mind? They all went along with the crazy “tear up the floor” idea, but TJ was the only one with a sledge hammer—which isn’t usually just lying around in the living room!

He might get kisses, but only because he made it possible for Toni to get back she had been hoping to do with Brad.

tj’s first heterosexual kiss!!!!

Congrats to all those who said she was in the laundry room.

Gregg is jealous.

MMmmmmm. Warm towels sound really good right now.

It’s just a comic strip folks. I’m the First to say that today.

Why didn’t you think of this before busting the walls.

How could three supposed adults miss a child sleeping in the laundry room in a open basket??? Unfotunately, I think this is just something to start pointing the story line to Brad and Toni possibly breaking up.

I’ve been in bed for the last 7 or 8 hours.

Not only would Bernice not have crowds of boys around her in real life, having her “steal” a boy from Tiffany who would be left fuming is just a copycat of the Luann/Quill/Tiffany situation. Some people should definitely keep their day jobs.

One does not need a fireman’s uniform to be a hero…

I told you so. TJ and Tony are going to be an item and Brad will be left out in the rain.

You and MJ are ganging up on me – I give up.

I thought Brad said he searched every room. He has no one to blame but himself.

In revenge for Luann coming between her and her newfound brother, Ben? Because Bernice is “kinder and more considerate than most the other charaters”? Because Quill is unable to show that he wants to be with Luann, not Bernice – no matter what Bernice “decides”? Sorry, I still think you should keep your day job..I also think you should let Greg come up with his own plots, or else write your own strip with your own characters. There’s nothing wrong with criticizing or not being thrilled with what he comes up with, it’s another thing entirely to try to piggyback on his efforts. Rewriting his strip and and redesigning his characters for him is just as disrespectful as “helpfully” redrawing them for him (just to make some of them more attractive, of course) would be.

“Oh, Brad. You are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”

- Luke 15:31 loosely paraphrased

I guess everybody on board today is either retired, keeping an eye out for the boss, or should be out looking for a job.

Next 3 days:Wake up Shannon,Kiss Brad Goodbye,Brad & TJ discuss house repair.Annnnnd on to the next segment – finally Luann again.

Estrellita…M’am, the thought of Shannon with an entire cop shop at her beck, call, and command is ALSO very priceless…

Well, at least they NOW know where she’s been this whole time. Whew!

Dull ending, but this is not Friday or Saturday, .Can’t be the end of the arc. Or can it? Ho hum. .So now do they chat aimlessly about the walls, etc.

You mean all this time I’ve been bantering with a ROBOT? Hey – that’s not fair. Why don’t you just get lost …

If I was living on inherited wealth i sure wouldn’t be HERE blogging on silly comic strips.

Soooo why was the door open?

Leviticus – you got that right. There is NO way any professional strip cartoonist is going to let the readership drive the story telling, unless it is a planned promotional gimmick (see family vaction plans in Pooch Cafe) and even there the cartoonist will still follow his/her own heart. The online interactive experience is only a small part of Greg’s overall time with Luann. The tools and display devices may change, but his habits have been set for a long time.

And if that’s me being “High Priest Mordecai” so be it. I’m the closest to his profession so I will say something about the behind-the-scenes details it takes to produce a comic strip.

Stick that on your dorsal fin, Sharky.

I suggest you might want to read through the archives again, with an eye to the main character and how old she is. Having an unrequited crush on one boy all through grade and high school doesn’t mean you’re not going to respond when a hottie who likes you tries to romance you – it’s called being a teenage girl. Miguel went after anything in a skirt, and he had the moves and the desire to spread his love around – like manure. Luann fell for Stuart and misinterpreted his attention as romantic intent, and was crushed to find out how wrong she was. She was drawn to an older Ben who liked her back, but she didn’t go off the deep end and want to marry him, the way Bernice did with an older Zane – and Bern was the one who helpfully pointed out to Luann the age gap problem with college-age Ben. .And yes, after having Gunther worship her for years, having him switch his attentions to Bernice and take her to the dance made her jealous – that’s actually pretty predicable as far as human nature goes. Adults who are flattered by the long-term attentions of an admirer that they’re not romantically interested, and take for granted, feel resentful when that admiration finds another target – so don’t expect a teenager girl to be more mature. .And as for “going after every male she sees” because “he belongs to them and no one else”, Luann doesn’t have the confidence to assume that every boy she likes returns her affections – that’s Tiffany’s brand of Teflon delusion. Luann is all too aware that she struck out with Aaron, Stuart, Miquel and Ben – she’s always hopeful, of course, but she certainly can’t labor too far under any assumptions with Bernice around. She grounds Luann by popping her ego or fantasy bubble when it gets too big so that she doesn’t turn into Tiffany. The fact that you think she “could show her she’s not [the only fish in the sea]” indicates you don’t appreciate the leavening role Bern already plays as Luann’s friend. She doesn’t have to try and take Quill from Luann to serve that purpose – the only purpose that would redundant move would serve is a particularly mean-spirited one. Greg actually likes his main character, just as it’s clear that you do not..Revisit the Quill arc – she liked his looks and was as curious as Bernice and Delta, but didn’t pursue him because he was with Tiffany. She decided to treat him just as a friend, and much to Tiffany’s annoyance, he did the chasing, not she. And as for Elwood’s renting the park to propose – how is that relevant or somehow count as a horrible character defect on her part? She certainly didn’t encourage him. But even if she did – so what? Luann isn’t the hard-hearted heartbreaker of men’s hearts – if that’s your concept, I think you’re waaay off. .Bern can be kind – just as Luann can be. But she’s also sharp and ascerbic, and if you think that her being smarter than Knute might be open to debate, you have a much poorer grasp of the cast than I already think you have. .Whether Greg reads the posts or not is irrelevant – poking fun is one thing, but IMHO to rewrite or redraw anyone’s work in your own image on their forum is still disrespectful – I thin you should get your own comic before you indulge your burning need to retool someone else’s efforts.

Good God. Literally tearing up the house is the dumbest and most implausible part of a overall pretty lame storyline. I figured she went back to WW as she never got dinner, though idk how far that actually is.

Watch out, brad! We don’t want to become Dirk, do we?

Talk about revisionist history….Every boy? Helllloooo – do you know any teenage girls? Greg sure does. Good thing it’s his strip, huh?.Aaron move to Hawaii to get away from Luann? Then she went there after him? Seriously? Wow, he has really sympathetic parents for them to pull stakes just to move him away from an unwanted admirer. And she somehow has access to a charge card to be able to hop a flight to follow him. Except it didn’t play that way, just as his somehow not living in fear of her attentions didn’t stop him dating Claudia in between. Pity Luann snapped and stabbed them both to death, huh? You gotta be careful with “delusional” people. Yes, indeed..I’d like a list of “boys Luann has up the gazoo”. Let’s see…there’s Gunther….and…there’s Gunther….Who Luann has treated like a friend and encouraged and helped in his pursuit of Rosa, because she knows she’ll never love him as he deserves. What a bone-selfish b!tch Luann is, to be sure. Oh, yeah, Elwood – who Luann has no interest in and didn’t encourage. Sorry, you can’t claim Luann is delusional and evil for mooning over Aaron Hill and then let Elwood off with a pass for doing the exact same thing to her. Either everyone deserves their stalker, or they don’t – no double standards.

Luann did not encourge Elwood, but it would have been okay to encourage him?

Since she didn’t, how do you think speculating on things she didn’t do is an indictment of her motives? What a lousy argument..Bern can “encourage” Quill all she likes, he’s made it clear who he prefers, and she’s shown no interest in him, either. If you’re gonna insist on rewriting this comic just so things play out the way you personally prefer them, please don’t be so freakin’ bad at it.

Ah, but why was the door open. Did Shannon hear a noise at the door and open it to find Dirk there? Did Dirk slip Shannon a sleeping pill and leave her in the laundry room. Will Dirk make the next move to reclaim Toni but go after TJ since he will see her kissing TJ? ???

Mea culpa, Dave!

Jeeeez…. there’s fried brain all over the place….

What about them? .Ben was too old for her. He went to Iraq, broke his leg and came home. And when Luann tried to set up a romantic dinner, he was out of town thet night. “Kind” Bernice knew – and didn’t tell her.Not on any “guys up the gazoo” list..Stuart was married. No one knew it, and when he took her to dinner, Luann realized it wasn’t the romantic event she thought it was, and that she’d misinterpreted everything. She was crushed and went home. Your point? Of course Greg made everything extra-ambiguous to help the plot along, but every girl has had this experience in one form or another. Also not on any “guys up the gazoo” list, either.Luann won a trip to Hawaii, went there with her mother and looked him up – big difference between that and “going to Hawaii after him”, just as “my dad got transferred, we’re moving to Hawaii” isn’t the same thing as “I’m moving to Hawaii to get away from you”. And I suppose the reason Aaron asked Luann for a “goodbye date” was to celebrate gettig away from her? Sheesh..Luann is a teenage girl, with all the failures, foibles, illusions and self-deceptions that adolescents of that age have. She’s not an adult, she’s still a kid on the way to becoming one. And she’s certainly not perfect – but it’s those very flaws that allow us to identify with her, and empathize with mistakes she makes, and appreciate it when she occasionally learns from those experiences. .You’re gonna have to do better than the above examples. Having your own opinions is one thing, making up your own facts to support them is another matter.

Too bad Brad and Toni missed out on that makeout time on the couch.

And they really searched the house well if they missed her when she was that obvious!

Want to see Luann’s first kiss?CLICK HERE

Too many posts to read all of them, but I like how her majesty is still wearing her crown.

I think I figured out the character, TJ: He is disruptive to lives (or causes social problems with his schemes), but there’s just enough redemptive qualities and amazing talents to keep him around. Maybe more than just enough.

Where did my computer slip into hyperspace – lose the Luann postings – slide into the Levi/Mojito debates? Is there a way back? Uh-oh black hole coming up on starboard. Aiiiii….

Interesting banter, kids. It was like a Cliffs Notes for Luann.

TJ knew she was in the laundry basket, and he knocked in the wall anyway? That does it. He’s officially an asshole. In my world, he should hook up with Tiffany. They deserve each other.

Yes, I want to see Bernice get some attention from Greg Evans. If he wants to do a story where some old self-styled occult philosopher wants her to work in the library of a secret society, I hope he draws me in a flattering way!

On another train of thought, I wonder how many readers would object to Ann being killed off. It might be grim for a comic strip, but a good story is a good story…

Nobody on this strip ever gets killed or has sex.

As stated yesterday, Shannon’s disappearance will either bring Brad & Toni closer together or drive them apart. Of course, whatever occurs will involve TJ. Like I keep saying, I don’t care what happens, just as long as something happens. The last thing I want is for this comic strip to get stale and stagnant. And I really appreciate the lively discussions and analytic scrutiny by the readers. I have not been into this type of fan interaction since the final years of the original version of “For Better Or For Worse!”

Probably, the introduction of sex and/or violence might result in newspapers dropping this comic strip… Good point!

Very astute observation! But, after some consideration, many newspapers would be too squeamish to present anything advocating “naked librarians.” Alas, it is all fantasy…

This discussion has gotten a little too serious (read acrimonious) for me. As I have said before, I prefer silly to serious.

Toni is HOT!!! –––

Stuart is older than Ben, but the age difference did not matter. She saw a male and wanted him. Only having a wife saved him.What saved Ben was going to war. What saved Aaron was moving to Hawaii.

“Saved” him? From what? Luann – or the Sherman tank you seem to have confused her with? Tiffany is the one who goes after what she wants and won’t take no for an answer , refusing to let go of the guy she thinks is hers by right, whereas Luann moons/obsesses over the object of her romantic dreams and then has to deal with harsh reality..I can also see that you completely missed the point that Luann would probably have drooled and worshipped Stuart in the same way as Aaron – but he appeared to flirt with her and encourage her interest in him. He also saved her life – definitely a situation that can ramp up romantic delusions, since many posters here think that Toni should marry Brad in return for saving hers. And he had to save it because she, selfish b!tch that she is, jumped in to save Tiffany. I actually think it’s one of the best arcs Greg ever did – he made it look like Stuart was on board with an actual date and then dropped the “didn’t you know I was married?” 16 ton weight. .And as far as demanding an adolescent Luann should somehow have the maturity and restraint to respect an age difference that neither Stuart or Ben seemed to recognize – do you know any teenage girls?Since it appears you don’t, maybe you should remember that intelligent, super-analytical Bernice fell head over heels in love with Zane, who was years older than she – and wanted to marry him right away. Tsk, what a man-hungry slut she was not to have respected their age differences! Since Luann’s parents already discussed Stuart’s age with her, and knew she was going on that date with him, you’ll have to do better than that – or else take the DeGroot and Halper parents to task..You can “repurpose” and rewrite things til the cows come home, but people will start to question what your agenda is if you keep on insisting in the face of the actual strips. .I like Bernice, as well, and think she’s under-utilized, but to achieve that by turning her into a mini-Tiffany just because you want her to see her put chocks to Luann, plays false with both characters.

Dirk, who has been inhaling Acetone, runs over Ann with his garbage truck right outside Weenie World. Oops!

Bedtime for this reader, who hopes to see a good three panel installment in the early morning hours.

I’m sitting here with a wireless keyboard and mouse plus a cable TV remote and a cordless phone. Sometimes I get confused about which device controls what. Anybody else have this problem?

HELP – Much of the time my the SUBMIT button doesn’t work and I have to reload the page before I can REPLY. Anybody else have this problem? Any advice?

Life is not always fair, but TJ deserves to be tossed out now

Thanks – Glad to hear I’m not alone. Misery loves company.

IT DID IT AGAIN !!!

I hate to switch browsers. I’ve tried most of them – I hate IE – Now using Chrome which I love – up to now.

STILL DOING IT – I’M GETTING PISSED

The SUBMIT button gets sensory overload if you use it too often, kinda like your ears get used to loud music in ear buds or you can pass out after your nose becomes desensitized to H2S. Some people have complained that their credit card heats up and shorts out if used too frequently. Moderation is the keyword!.No, seriously – I have the same problem at times & have to refresh the page. I always use Ctrl C on the text before I refresh so I don’t have to type it in again.

I’m calling it a night. IT’S A NIGHT!!!

Hey, wher’d you go Mojito? Now I see you – now I don’t.

212 comments! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha….oh now 221!!! This strip really gets everyone going.

Nah. Aaron LIKED Luann – he just did not want to be EXCLUSIVE with her – just like any other teenage boys. He liked to string her along. He knew perfectly well she was oh-so-love with him and he enjoyed it. The farewell date was just that – a date. Aaron liked Luann just fine and surely he went straight to see another girl after his farewell date with Luann and surely Luann knew that. Aaron being Aaron.

Check her clothes forst. Are they wet?