Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 29, 2017

Hire Luann as Fay’s theater coach? Why not? ’Tis perfect!

Did she just stumble onto a career path?

What goes around comes around.

Hire her to do … what?

A tutor? A nanny/au pair? Looks like Luann has another p/t job in the works.

Nanny? No Fay is a bit too old. Friend, no that would be a bit too crass, although Luann is clearly a potential friend to this young, lonely girl already, theater coach, yes possible, although that would be limiting. A combination of all of those, yes, and it would be something that is right up Luann’s warm, loving, theatrical personality. Plus cash, which a college student can always use. Seems like a win win to me.

This reminds me of a routine from an episode of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” titled “Who Owes Who What?”

Sweetened, condensed version …

Shades of Carol Burnett…. “I’m so glad we’ve had this time, together….” (♪)

Fay’s mother has fair skin, even though dark hair. Fay has olive skin. Perhaps her father is an olive-skinned Italian.

One of my favorite actresses — Isabella Rosselini — is the daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and her third husband (Italian).

There could be a slight parallel. Isabella did not have all of Fay’s perplexing problems. But she had spinal curvature as a kid, and had to wear a painful brace for a while to correct it. But she turned out to be an excellent actress and singer. She was good in Cousins, but did great acting, as well as her own singing, in Blue Velvet.

So maybe Fay’s destined for something like that.

Sounds promising.

Garbanzo bean farmers!

Since Luann is babysitting Shannon, Fay and Shannon will meet and have a blast putting on theatrical shows.

“On Hire Ground”

“Take On Me” (♫)

“Commission, Not Impossible”

“Appoint, Well Made”

“She’s On Board”

“Captains Encourage-ous”

“Making First Contract”

“The Articles Of One Federation”

“All Good Things, Must Come To Their Beginning”

“A Gage, For The Gauge Of An Engagement”

“One (Good) Thing Leads To Another” (♫)

“I’m So Glad We’ve Had This Time, Together” (♫)

“With Chow Fun, You Get Enroll”

or

“She Does Really Good Impressions”

Not. cool.

Hopefully, her mom is hiring Luann to be someone who can pull Fay out of her shell and become more comfortable on the stage rather than trying to buy a friend for her.

Now counting down the days until Les finds out about the arrangement and tries to cash in for himself.

Congratulations.

I hope this means that Fay will continue to make appearances in the strip off and on, now. She seems like an interesting character and Luann is showing she can work with older kids, too and break through their shells.

Since when is Luann an experienced thespian? I think PRU has more experience, if I remember from the character’s initial introduction. Remember? Quill went to NY and met Pru there, who was already acting in the theater district. Luann only has a little singing experience and a rudimentary theater background (if that). So…I’m curious to where this leads…being Saturday, will this arc pick up on Monday? Or will Evans switch to something else? I hate loose ends. I STILL want to know who stole the dorm TV!

That’s all of what, $15?

I find it amazing to read all these cynical and skeptical comments from this clique of commentors, some of whom say would like Fay to be a regular, or at least recurring character. Well, here ya go. Forgetting Luann works with children? OK, kindergarten age, but Fay is still at a teachable age. May help Luann, as well.

With everting else she has to do will Luann be able to find the time? And college starts soon, then what?

OK so Luann is a college student, part-time worker with kids, and part-time baby-sitter when the comic finds time for it. How will this work for her and why is Greg constantly trying to tire her out.

The strip needs a character Fay’s age, since writing about characters in their early teen years is the strip’s core competence. Having Fay and Luann just be friends would be too strange, on account of their age difference, so the financial arrangement provides an excuse for making her a semi-regular part of the cast. I hope they choose to make room for her on the roster by dropping Shannon and/or Gunther.

Now WAIT Just a Dad-Blamed Minute!

Luann is going to get PAID to be a Mentor and Role-Model?!!?

YO, GUNTHER! You go RIGHT NOW and Tell Your Clueless Mom and Her Creepy “Boyfriend,” Mr. Gray, that from Now ON, YOU Expect to get PAID to be a “Mentor and Role-Model” to Al’s SCUMBAG Nephew, Les!!

And Gunther? Be SURE to Tell “Uncle Al,” with a certain bit of Detached ICINESS, that if He doesn’t “COUGH Up the Dough,” YOU are going to Tell the Mob, Precisely where to FIND Him……,

Mentor maybe?

" alternative facts"

As a caregiver I must say that I approve of that moms decision.

Mentoring is a kind of caregiving.

The mom has not said what she wants to hire Luann for. It could be as a personal shopper if she likes her clothing, or beauty consultant, or to clean her house. Of course, Luann will ask what job she wants her to perform.

On Hire DO YOU HAVE A BOOK OF PUNS? SERIOUSLY? ITS THAT BAD”

“Take On What, Take on What? Get it Together BLOO boy” (♫)

“Commission, Not STUPID AGAIN”

“Appoint, Well DUH”

“She’s On SLoard Have Mercy”

“Captains DERP DE DERP DERP”

“Making First BOOM”

“The Articles Of One Confederation of the BOOM”

“All Good Shings, Must Frum To Their Be Gin Rummy!”

“A Dagwood, For The Page Of An Enragement! BOOM! Right in the KISSER”

“One Slag Thing Leads To A Mother!” (♫)

“I’m So Sad We’ve Had This Shine, To Get Some!” (♫)

“With Chow Down Eat Fun, You Get Entire Roll Me Over In the Clover!”

Just what we need! ANOTHER peripheral character to mix into the mélange of peripheral characters. Thus watering down the number of strip panels available for development of the primary characters.

That’s a lot of sentences with no periods

Since when is Luann an acting teacher? As usual this makes NO sense.

It’s nice to have a new character that isn’t drawn using the ‘resting cheery face’ that every other new character in this strip gets drawn with.

It appears that Fay’s mother respects the value of mentorship. That says good things.

Fay is an excellent means of developing Luann, a primary character.

Hire to do what? After “unique New York”, LuAnn has pretty much exhausted her material.

OK, then. The camp itself didn’t work out … but the essence of it DID! Good Miss ‘Doe X.’ strikes again! :)

Some may disagree, but I hope this story continues into next week!

I think she is a good Mom who wants what will make her daughter happy. I love this thread, keep it up, very heartwarming

Sunday: Knute and Crystal in a staring contest.

Luann the Life Coach! Very hip. Very California!

And, for Fay, probably a life-changing Good Thing. Go for it, Luann. Apparently Fay’s mom can afford to hire you….

I see Luann’s foot has healed? No boot. Don’t know how Fay is going to fit in – maybe as Shannon’s babysitter? Luann is supposed to be busy with her job at kiddie care, and college will be starting up soon. Luann has no theater qualifications – how they thought to run a drama camp is ludicrous, never mind mentor a timid teen.

Hey maybe I kind of started the color issue which seems to be so hotly argued. Sorry, but I do think she is a cutie, wherever she is drawn to be an analogue too. So lets focus more on how her character is developed and its relationship to Luann’s character, and possibly Pru. I will drop one little stir in the pot regarding great actresses of color: Google Merle Oberon.

Ragnarocker, I was just like Fay, shy with other kids, no friends, and I was around my parents all the time. They were older, and overprotective, but they meant well. Other kids thought I was weird. It probably would’ve been a good thing for me to have been sent to lessons, acting or whatever, with someone younger who could make me realize someone who wasn’t 40 years my senior thought I was ok. Like I said though, my parents meant well and w iere good parents, and in my case maybe nothing wouldnt have helped, as I’ve later come to believe I may have Asperger’s. But my parents wouldn’t have been bad parents if they’d had me go to lessons of some kind.

Back in the day, you know, kids weren’t around their parents every minute even if they did have stay-at-home moms. They played outside a lot. And they went to camp if their parents could afford it, or swimming or other lessons. Or if they couldn’t afford it some places had these day programs for kids, run by teachers or college students, where they’d do crafts and play games. I was never allowed to do these things, and in fact I probably would have been bad at it because of poor social skills. But I don’t think that the parents who let their kids go to these things were bad parents.

Maybe fictional characters should be judged not by the color of their ink, but by the content of their character.

I love that’s not the last we’ll see of Fay