Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 05, 2014

Ha he never knew

Why am I not surprised?! ;)

See, Leslie, you played right into Crystal’s plan… ;)

But there were cameras in the hallway. In each cell phone

I would have chosen the “maximum” sentence…Anything to avoid a Math test! =-O (I use the word “sentence” in a light manner) ;)

I didn’t know that Dr. Bunsen Beaker ‘s last name was Hightower!… – He must have gotten correction through “eye” surgery… – Hmm… did Leslie mean to ask for a shortening of his days, so he could take his math test? The Mathletes must be counting on him for the “big one”! Ah, yes, Les- Principal Hightower knows how much that test means to you, Lol!!!… – (Leslie:) “Don’t bother, Sir… I know where you keep the ’board of education’ …. I’ll go get it!“…The smaller sized one, right?”….Heh heh, just testing!”..

A school official who’s unwilling to investigate WHY he’s giving a student a suspension?I guess it IS in the spirit of the “Zero-Tolerance” path-of-lest-thought.

“Head Games”“These Knutes Have Made For Talkin’”“Suspended Animation”“Fiction Is Stranger Than Truth”“We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Incriminent”or “Honesty Is The Best Potty…See?”

There really weren’t any cameras, tammypspeakslife, (as far as I know); that was just Crystal stretching the truth… ;)

Leslie IS in the top 10 in the class, right?

It’s only a comic strip…it’s only a comic strip…it’s only a comic strip…

Whee – Crystal says everthing’s on video, so Les just fesses up! Les took the bait, hook, line & sinker.

And thus, a pat END to the story that lets Knute and Crystal get away with their ever-so-cute hijinks.A round of sticky colas for everyone!

I can imagine Les’s killer math test:

1. 2+2=2. 2×2=3. 2-2=4 2 divided by 2=

Boy is he dumb. Crystal’s job st making him look a fool is too easy lol

Is this the first time we’ve ever seen the principal?

I don’t really know…maybe there’s some out there who do… ;)

“Sent to the Principal’s office” by…=Bucketts’….. “This week only, mega-sales on a family size Bucket O’Steam…. Get ’em before they disappear!!!”… – Battle of the Schoolwork Stars… "This week, Pee Wee Herman and Carol Channing lead the “Alge-brats against Charro, the Governator and the Trig-a-maniacs!…check your local ‘TV Lied’ ..” – And by…the series finale of Empty V… "Featuring the last episode, ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’…. "

here is his first appearance….

I AM finally feeling sorry for poor little Leslie.

It seems “Luanniverse” time has been synchronized, at least for now.. this year, everyone in Pitts must have gotten their 2014 calendars on time, this time.. as the calendar on the wall next to the door shows…

Or, as the P itts B roadcasting S ervice would say: =“And by commenters like you.”

Here’s my take on how it will play out:

Les finally figures it out. “The killer test.” means he is going to give some major payback at the next class he has together with Knute. By doing this, he plays right into Crystal’s trap. They create evidence they need of Knute being slugged by Les by setting up cameras ahead of time or simply whip out a cellphone. That’s why Crystal doesn’t want to tell Knute the plan because he needs to get beat up a second time.

I still find the comic a bit iffy that he would buy into Crystal’s story of hidden cameras. Most normal people would at least confer with others to confirm the validity of the story or at the very worst, if her story is true, the evidence cannot be used against him. If a principal tries to punish me and uses that video as evidence, I would call his bluff and probably inform the authorities of illegal usage of cameras in public school bathrooms.

That being said, it would not surprise me if they installed tiny cameras and microphones in the bathrooms of every single American school to immediately notifiy the police of a shooter going on a rampage. Furthermore, at that age, at least for me, they are kind of still at that naive stage where they still believe the teachers and obey the rules.

And suspended Knute too for hitting Leslie first.

Will he retaliate, and how will Crystal re-retaliate?

Dreary is the blatheskite. Pompous are the ukases.

Les Knox is “as usual” roasting himself for Principal Hightower. He may just get what he is asking for….

Is this the first time we actually see Principal Hightower?

Not our first time at the rodeo, eh Leslie?

Lands SAKE.

THIS Thug IS That Stupid!

Let’s HOPE You DON’T Decide to be an Arch Criminal for a Living Because YOUR Career is Gonna Be OVER Pretty Darn QUICK!

Look, “Needle-Brain”. You Know that Old Saying: “Confession is GOOD for the Soul”?

Its a LIE!!!!

The Luannverse consists of “good guys” who can do anything they want to the “bad guys” and get away with it, by exploiting the unintelligent (Ox, Leslie, and apparently Principal Hightower).

“Were you trying to use the men’s room again while a woman, who isn’t supposed to be in it, was using it ?”

“6. 2/0”.A co-worker asked me that one time and I gave the standard answers of “undefined” or “unbounded” or simply “infinity” but he set me straight with the REAL answer, “It’s a zillion.”

It would seem, also, that Crystal’s plan got a little assistance from Principal Hightower, himself. If, perhaps, he weren’t as jaded about Les than he seems to be, he might have investigated certain of Les’ statements a bit more thoroughly (i.e. “video cameras???”)???

Still, Les fell for it…. maybe… We’ll see what tomorrow’s strip brings.

You have a fascinating take on legal matters..You accuse nongovernmental personnel of breaking the law by entrapment when legally that isn’t possible..You say school officials are legally required to do a “full investigation” before punishing any infraction when there is no such general law and it would be impossible to enforce..The principal has much leeway on things he never witnessed and has no proof ever happened. He CERTAINLY doesn’t have to ASSUME every incident involved suspicion of rape based on the ramblings of the one accusing/defending himself..“But it sounds bad, as usual” sounds dead on the mark. Those worried about the Leslies of the world missing school due to punishment including suspension for their repeated misdeeds show commendable concern for perpetrators and little to no concern for their victims: the other kids who are scared to go to school out of fear of being beaten, robbed or otherwise harrassed by them.?Lawmakers and even the president have worried about those evil principals who suspend children for repeated misdeeds. They point out that these people are disproportionately represented in crimes later in life. They don’t seem to consider the possibility that the attitudes which got them suspended were the same attitudes involved in felonies later. Remember, around 90% of all crimes are committed by around 10% of all criminals.

SO Crystal is very convincing after all.

The principal hasn’t read the previous strips. For all he knows, Leslie might be there to attempt to get out of a math test.

“Do you get how stupid that sounds?”.Of course I do.That is why I haven’t said it and the principal hasn’t said it..YOU are the one who keeps picturing that turn of events. I have no reason to assume Leslie is going to be suspended.

Hmmmm. Interesting. He cares about a math test? Maybe Greg needs to delve deeper into this dude’s life.

And to be honest, if Leslie had a decent, caring mother, he would most likely love her and not do all the things he HAS already done because he would not want to embarrass her.

Luannverse, where the “bad” characters crave punishment , justified or not, and are worried about their education.

> … so????>I’m just pointing out that this is the premise of the “Luann” strip (which should replace the one that is listed on GocComics): “Luann and her friends get back at everyone else, with no repercussions to themselves, by exploiting unintelligent people to carry out their schemes of revenge for them.” That’s actually an OK premise for a comic strip – if you agree that this is in fact what it is. Then everyone will look in delight every day to see what incredible new mischief Luann et al. have brewed up for their victims (like “Dennis the Menace” was originally, or some elements of “Calvin and Hobbes”), not to rejoice in what wonderful people these are and to fantasize about being their friends in real life.

Go to September 30, 2002 to see a truely MEAN Luann.

Cheeeesh!!! two more days of this arc to endure.

Yes….That’s who I meant… Dr. Bunsen Honeydew….Beaker was his assistant….

Who says I don’t feel sorry for Leslie?When he’s by himself, he’s in extremely poor company. I don’t know any details about his home life, grades or if he has ever been suspended so all guesses are simply based on his actions.As best I can tell, everyone treats him far better than he deserves or has earned.You don’t like the way people don’t pretend to like him because of all the bad things he does; so you don’t like them for not liking him just as you dislike them. They don’t like him for doing bad things. You believe their dislike is a bad thing. You dislike them for doing bad things of disliking him for doing bad things.. It would be interesting if you could understand the circularity of your thinking.

Same also holds true for most athletes, professional actors, etc. when people try to play “armchair (insert profession here)”…

Can you imagine Freeman Dyson, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman or Terry Bradshaw’s reactions? I’ll go get the popcorn….

Mr. Hightower, put your hands on the desk where I can see them.

I used to have an Animal action figure, myself…. but other than moving his arms to play the drums, he didn’t cooperate in the sound department… I look back now at all the money makers collectible stuff that I dearly miss, due to time and circumstance….and cry " learn valuable lessons"….

Ha ha ha!!! Excellent example!!!…..

It is easy to say Leslie was doomed years ago, but his future is in his hands. He don’t gotta blame he mommy.

Annie Hall (1977) scene with Marshall McLuhan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWUc8BZgWE

<Sounds a bit like this discussion.

(cue further… “learning valuable lessons”) – I wonder what else Guy Gilchrist (current author of “Nancy”) has stored up, from his days working with Mr. Henson?….

Les is portrayed even dumber than I thought. He doesn’t listen well at all.

“except that Greg doesn’t read these comments.”I suppose Evans could always pull a Brooke McEldowney and have GoComics pull the Comments so he won’t be tempted.(I guess Wiley Miller isn’t a “professional cartoonists” because he reads the Comments.)

Really?You didn’t agree when I used that “Annie Hall” scene to reference your comments not that long ago.

I would have liked to see Ox in on this one too.

I’m pretty sure Gunther’s backpack martial arts moves were simply standard Gunther clumsiness

I don’t understand why you seem to think I am calling for a zero tolerance rule or a Leslie suspension.I have never advocated either to the best of my memory..Further, I shall continue to maintain evil Crystal’s actions do not constitute entrapment since she is not an authority and is not arresting anyone as a consequence of her temptation or authority.

Acts are laws and these still do not apply unless you can point out a specific part.

Some people are good people and look like good parents but such is not always the case.(And some people are just psychopaths or sociopaths.).Regardless, it is fun to blame the parents..Freud noticed most of his nutjobs had bad parents so he assumed cause and effect. Decades later a study of non-nutjobs determined most of THEM also had what they defined as bad parents, casting cause and effect into SERIOUS question, since effect did not usually follow “cause”. Another possibility is that the definition of bad parents was wrong.

Amen Dave.

I hoe so. I like Ox.

I notice the Principal used the formal address when he speaks to Les, unlike his antagonists (and their supporters here) who apparently delight in calling him “Leslie” despite his corrections to the contrary.(Somehow, I imagine a sing-song pronunciation coming off their mind’s tongue, sort of like if Evans were to use a frilly font when his characters speak it.)

Do we really know what Knute will say if asked?“I don’t know anything about any fight. Has Leslie been sniffing cleaning fluids again?”.“Leslie who?”.“Leslie says he was asserting his Title VI rights to share toilet space with girls?”.“I don’t know anything about Leslie EVER hitting anyone, but I’m ashamed to admit I grabbed Leslie when I thought he meant to bother my lady love.”.“We HAVE separate sex toilets?Doesn’t that violate the 1954 Supreme Court ruling on Brown versus Board of Education that ‘separate but equal’ is inherrently unequal?”

If Mr Knox personally asked me to call him Les, I would do so.He hasn’t.

Leslie may be a boor, but he is in the right this time on both points.

Those will be on the next killer test….

I don’t think any of Steven Spielberg’s kids look like Gwyneth Paltrow.

The irony of unintended consequences. I predict Crystal gets suspended for using the men’s bathroom; that Knute gets suspended for being her accomplice and get’s arrested for attacking Les. Finally, Les takes his math test as scheduled.

Most attractive lady, by the way.

Les has never been shown to be a smoker, and I still contend that he did not leave immediately after Knute’s attack (the door being in the opposite direction from where he was going), but likely finished up his “business” and left in the same interim Crystal got her kit back on, exited the stall, and got down on the floor with Knute.

Show me where I used that word.

Knox’s reputation will certainly color how Principal Hightower looks at his story.

Precisely. And it seems Les has resigned himself to that fate. Hence, Crystal’s plan seems to have worked… at least so far. But the week is not over yet.

-Um, I guess I missed some postings, but what does Steven Spielberg have to do with all this?

-No I’d prefer this strip get better. Calling out the stupidity is the only way it improves. I can only hope Greg is still writing these plots.-I know you posted this comment hours ago, so you probably don’t expect anyone to respond to it now. But I’m just playing catch-up here on comments.-And anyway, I’ve said this before. Life is short. There are a lot of comics. Why do you read something when you say the writing is poor, and it aggravates you? Why not just read a different comic?

Crystal’s superpower is to convince a bully to turn himself in to the principal. I wish I could’ve done that to the bullies I had to deal with growing up.

Karen….peruses… she and Greg are pretty much similar in this regard… it’s why the Facebook gets updated more frequently (sometimes 1ce a week, more if MJ draws something, or also if someone posts something they really felt the need to mention) than the blog (1ce a month)…. mostly because of their schedules….

I think he’s leaking Tiff’s story a bit at a time, with subtle hints… it would probably come off a bit more like an encyclopedia, than a strip, if he “lay the hammer” with her whole story out at one time…

-Because I want to help improve this one.-Every single written or drawn creative work has those who like or dislike some aspects of that work. Who ultimately has the right to say something is flawed and needs to be changed? If people stop buying that creator’s works, that will tell the particular artist that she or he is going in the wrong direction for the fans (although it’s not clear that all creators will care.)-I am a writer of unpublished short mysteries, and read the blogs of published writers. Sometimes I communicate with them, and a few have even responded.-I objected to one writer about a story where a main character had been born to serve as a blood and tissue donor for an older sibling who would otherwise have died of a rare illness. The younger kid was given the right to refuse one of the surgeries by the older child (even though it meant death for the older child.) She did refuse and of course was immediately killed in an accident, so she ended up being a donor anyway.-I objected to what I saw as a flaw, a story line suggesting that someone should always be willing to sacrifice continually for someone else or be punished. The author didn’t agree.-And the author is published, and I’m not. And the author continues to be published. So clearly I was in the minority in regarding her book as flawed. -But there are a lot of other writers and books. No one is holding a gun to my head to make me read her work, and if others like it, that’s fine.

I just deciphered the Real Mistake in this arc :-D

1/27 — Knute’s wearing his Official Volunteer Restroom Cleaning uniform.1/28 — The uniform has disappeared now that Leslie shows up.

Obviously (???) Leslie would have respected Knute’s authority if only he had known that Knute was In Charge of the Restrooms.

“…Knute should be getting a 3 day suspension also. And perhaps Crystal for starting it all? ;)

“How about HAVING TO confess and be subject to punishment for an act of self-defense in the boy’s restroom?”Didn’t use the word “force” or “made”.I’m only responsible for what I say (type), not for what you THINK I said (typed).BTW – http://harlanellison.com/whimsy/cafe.htm

Of course they’re familiar with it, but if they choose not to read the comments on GoComics, then presumably they choose not to read the comments there, either.

Perhaps you are right…on the other hand, he might have a really harsh father who always finds fault in him and bullies him. If this were the case, Les is probably acting out because of this abuse. He may be afraid to fail the test because if his father finds out… (fill in the blanks). It looks like to me: like father like son where bullying is concerned. Yes, I think he does want to keep his grades up, but I am not sure he is doing so just so he can get into a A+ university… This is just a proposal on my part… ;)

Only if the purpose of this forum is to communicate with Greg Evans, rather than to communicate with one another. I believe his intent in re-posting those comments herein was to show the dedicated Luann-fans what other comics readers think of this plot line.

Thank You! :) Irish Setters Are beautiful, aren’t they?! And they’re full of the sauce, too! ;)

Ah, well, time to give it a rest! ;)

Wouldn’t happen. The principal wouldn’t talk to the kid without having summoned him in the first place. Also, the first incident wouldn’t happen with a half-way intelligent girl, because she wouldn’t be caught dead going into the boys bathroom – there are always other girls bathrooms to go to if one is full. She’d be aware that SHE could get into trouble for doing that.

I’ve told this story before, but here I go again. When I was in Junior High some classmates thought it was a great game to steal the book I was reading and hide it. One day the book was hidden so well I couldn’t fine it, but I didn’t say anything to anyone. Later that day I was at my locker talking to a couple friends when a classmate came up to me and asked if I’d found my missing book. Since I hadn’t told anyone about my book I realized that he’d just confessed to stealing the book but instead of confronting him about it I started spinning a story about how the missing book belonged to the library and how they were going to charge the thief a big fine when they caught him. The next day before class started my class mate came up and offered to help me look for the book. He led me right to where he’d hid the book and that was the last time anyone ever stole one of my books.

Whole lot ‘o potty talk goin’ on heah…^

Yeah, they like to “Potty All The Time”, “Potty All The Time, Potty All The Time”….

“I’m flagging your post, but please consider deleting it.”“those were awfully nasty remarks you made about his wife”.Okay, I considered it but decided there is no way anyone else can’t understand what is being said, so I’m holding off until proven wrong. Because I love you too, I’ll try to walk you through it:.The statement was made that the remarks were being made out of care for the artist who creates this strip..I opined that disagreement isn’t as much the problem as the manner of disagreeing and gave an imaginary related disagreement with a beloved spouse’s attire by throwing out a remark which most would know not to make. I even assume RB would understand not to make it. The remark was not mine about the spouse, since this person is unknown to me and I wouldn’t talk to people that way. (Even then I toned it down considerably.).You got the point without understanding the point that it is possible to disagree without being quite so disagreeable..If the objective is to troll, it isn’t possible to disagree agreeably, but I’m giving all the benefit of the doubt and I even feed trolls if needed so they won’t go hungry..When you have already decided what is going to happen and are aghast ere it happens, the problem might not be with what is actually happening but what you imagine.. Imagination is a good thing but it is unwise to let it separate us so far from reality that we think I am talking to imaginary wives about imaginary outfits.

Changed my mind and decided to delete it just for you. Please find it in your heart to forgive my imaginary remark about an imaginary outfit to an imaginary person.I shall try to do gooder

“Having to confess, not forced to confess, not made to confess, having to confess.”-—————————————————————Normally, I’d say you’ve had your two bites of the apple, you’re done.But your original stated question was“What injustice is Leslie suffering right now?Not what injustice might he suffer in the future if things go badly for him, but for certain, right now?”My answer: “How about having to confess and be subject to punishment for an act of self-defense in the boy’s restroom?”Hard to miss, it’s the first panel in today’s strip. As “right now” as you can get for a comic that may have been prepared some weeks before we get to see it.Whether by dint of his creator, Mr. Evans, or (to be generous) his own conscious, he is having to confess for our amusement, in true auto-de-fé fashion before his punishment.His only “crime” is to be one of the designated “bad” characters of Luann who has no right to defend himself against a physical attack by one of the “good” characters, or the lies of another.That strikes me as an injustice. And he does appear to be suffering from it, in the last panel especially.Incidentally, while there is no way for a cartoon character to address you personally, he has corrected enough of the Luann characters over time as to his preference to be called “Les” instead of “Leslie”. That you can’t seem to do that makes you just as juvenile as those depicted in the strip who must use his given name as a way for them to “innocently” tease him whenever he is encountered.I can’t imagine why he hesitates to listen to anything that comes out of their mouths after that.