Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 28, 2018

Speaking of bricks….

…mom just dropped one.

~~

And the rest of the week is…. ?

Yesterday: Mom was serious and Luann flabbergasted at Fay’s shyness. Today: Luann is serious and Mom flabbergasted at Fay’s boldness. Impressive comeback, girl!

Ker-BLAM!!! She came and served it!!

Of course if Fay becomes too good of an actress, she’ll be sent away to join Delta.

People use atoms to make bricks?

Oh come on, Luann, you were worried for a bit back there. You’re lucky Fay came through for you.

It’s freeing to ‘be’ someone else …

Wow. I had to blow up the mad Fay face.

And then go back to last week to confirm that the exact center of Fay’s eyes are always white. Even in profile.

Maybe the shyness was an also an act to show mom that she is a true actress?

Aha! Fay jumps into the PERSONA! She is somebody else and doesn’t have to give a damn about Fay any more. Now if only the play can come up with some good lines…

Good ol’ Luann – teaching Fay how to be aggressive. Fay’s mom won’t appreciate that when Fay starts applying her drama assertiveness in rebellion to her mother.

I called it. I said when Fay got into the script, she’d get away from her own shyness and totally become the character. She’s got it. Now we have to hope her mother will let her continue, because this is clearly something she has some ability to do, and gets some happiness from…

Faye, before and after. LOVE the look on Faye’s mom’s face. Also like the way Luann has that smug “See, I told ya” look without flaunting it out loud. Luann is growing up.

Fay very assertive in her presentation.

In panel 3 you have Fay mom mad and Luann happy.

I thought this should happen. I had a friend who wants to be an actor. He also has social anxiety. When I asked him how that all works, he said that it’s different when he’s someone else on stage.

And the butterfly emerges from the cocoon!

I think Fay did very well for herself – as a response to one of Ringworm’s comments the evening before yesterday’s strip where he was downing Luann in his usual style, I mentioned that the stumbling might have been an act on Fay’s part to demonstrate her “dynamic range” in performance. It appears that it certainly had an effect on her audience in jerking both parties that were watching from one extreme to another, between yesterday’s and today’s strips. I guess Ringworm did not care for the response, as by this morning, his whole thread had been deleted. Dude, you should think about apologizing to Luann, it looks like she has made a good start with Fay.

.

I mean, you are always speaking to her like she is real…

Boy lets lay off drummer boy! Oh I said I would not get personal, but I can’t resist it here. Like some said here (I was more general but I agree with it) once she got into the part she is MY GIRL!!! Kick some dramatic booty Fay. I mean she reached down and got that, all of that, and its so beautifully drawn. And Luann? You good at this. You are the protagonist in this strip, and panels like this make that clear. Not that something crazy could still not happen, but I must gush. Sorry Dboy.

Wow! There’s a future actress!

Dang! I almost feel sorry for Jake. Almost.

This child might have a future doing one act plays. And that is what bothers me.

I love panel 4. Luann is completely justified, so is Faye’s mother.

Talk about acting look at Mr. Spock’s eyebrow.

She just have to find her element.

I wonder if Fay’s mom knows that she and Axel have a kissing scene in the play

Oh, no, not my little girl!

Fay’s rant, in trying out for the part of Jenny, sounds like something a stereotypical sister would say to her brother. Or, something similar to what Luann has said to Brad when she’s mad at him.

Take that Mom

<sits back, crosses legs, and places hands behind his head> Ohhhhhhhhhh, this is gonna be good!!

Never believe what an atom says. They make up everything.

Nice!

Scenes I’d like to See #630

Director – “Not Bad, Fay, Not Bad. But I want you to do the scene again. From THIS Strip this time!”

Fay – "Oh. Okay. (A-hem) Mom! You’re the WORST Mother EVER! A complete waste of of pixels that coulda been used to make something useful, like a BRICK!

Director – “BRAVO! EXCELLENT!!” Nailed it! Art? We Have our Lead, here! Send all the other “Hopefuls” home except that “Shannon” kid. Fay Meet Your fellow “Quibbling Sibling,” Shannon Daytona!"

Shannon – "WANNA GO TO THE WATER PARK, “NOW!!!!!*”

Fay – “Uh, Hi. Excuse Me. Mom! How did I do? Mom? Mom???”

Has Luann opened Pandora’s Box? Created a monster? It’s too early for the “they lived happily ever after” thing.

Surprise!

Kind of reminds me of the black woman who was on Police Academy.

She’s turned Fay into herself. Channeling her own relationship with Brad at that age.

I enjoy the convoluted nature of Luann training Fay who then may act in a play where she plays the part which is basically young Luann. The Quibbling Sibling Strips have been popping up in Luann Again in which old Luann strips are rerun, and Greg Evans has written a play of the same name.

I wonder if Luann told her to think of her mother when she addressed “Jake.”

Bam! Fay’s been working hard!

It seems Fay’s complexion has returned a bit to its previous, darker hue. Glad to see it.

Some of the history of the Quibbling Siblings:

http://www.gocomics.com/luann-againn/2018/03/18

https://www.facebook.com/luanncomic/

http://web.gocomics.com/luann/1993/08/22

6

To me, the comic is reading a little bit “sadly heart-breaking” but in a good way:

1) First, I am happy to see Fay show her acting abilities. That is good.

2) I am also glad to see Mrs. Garcia be able to witness that Fay is able to overcome her shyness. That too is good.

3) What feels to me as “sad and heart-breaking” is that IMO, I am reading Mrs. Garcia’s facial expression as something more than awareness that Luann is helping Fay overcome her shyness. To me, I read the look on Mrs. Garcia’s face as an awakening of some sort that makes her very sad. But, here is why I think this may be a good sadness:

I am wondering if the performance that Fay has given was not fully just a “scripted” role…. but included some improvisation? I am thinking that perhaps the harsh words that Fay used in her performance may have been very similar to words Fay herself has heard at home…. perhaps spoken by Mrs. Garcia in a period of anger?

To me , Mrs. Garcia’s face READS like this performance has a) shown her that her daughter can overcome her shyness, but also b) left her feeling shocked, saddened, and aghast at what she has heard from Fay…. because it may mirror something she (Mrs. Garcia) has said. If I am correct in this assumption, this may be an opportunity for Mrs. Garcia to realize something about her own harsh behavior and perhaps it will lead to an improved relationship between her and Fay…. and if so… that is good.

+ + + + +

Now, of course I have presumed quite a lot in my above idea. It may not pan out the way I have said. But, to me, the above were my first thoughts about today’s comic. And, they occurred prior to me reading through any of the other comments.

Kind of like Mel Tillis who stuttered when he talked but yet sang without any issues.

Just like Harry Nash in Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Who Am I This Time?”

the last panel says it all:Mom: *shock, awe……..Luann: *I told you so…..

Bravo! Go Fay! Go Luann! Go Greg! Who knows what might come next – maybe Fay taking to the streets to protest … ok, won’t go there! Kudos, & popcorn for all! Tally Ho!

So….now it’s Luann’s turn to shoot an eyeball shot at Fay’s mom….

Any more ‘ups and downs’, and they can continue the volley, and get a game of “Eye Pong” going!

Fay the Ninja Warrior emerging.

“An Audition To The Family”

“I’ve Seen The Eye-full Glower, And I’m Now At The Point Of Knowing Return”

“Turning Over A New Disbelief”

“On My Way, To The Comfort Zone” (♪)

“Familiarity Breeds A Contender”

“Brothers And Sisters Revisited”

“Againn, Luann???”

“Experience Becomes Mentor Of The Year”

“It Was In The Bag….Just At The Bottom, Next To That One Thing, And The Other Thing I Also Forgot Was In There, Too…”

“Je Ne Sais Quoi…Mais…C’est”

“Free Range And A Captive Audience”

“Save The Last Confidence For Me” (♫♪)

or

“The Proof Is In The Puttin’ On A Good Performance”

“Experience Becomes Mentor Of The Year”

In some ways, Fay seems as awkward and shy as Luann was, in her own “sibling rivalry” days with Brad. Maybe her experience in this regard, transferred to Fay’s sponging brain and embracing heart?

Seems like this show Faye is auditioning for is, in some respects, a “blast from the past”…

Yea!

Yea!

Love that smirk on Luann’s face in the last panel.

Her mom is flabber-blasted into speechlessness!

I am kind of curious where Axel is…did he just decide he was to scared to try out? Ms. Garcia wants to meet him so I’d assume he’s there somehow. It would be kinda funny if HIS parents met Ms. Garcia and were less then thrilled with her and Faye. Best of luck to Faye, she appears to be doing a strong audition (which is no garentee of a part but something to be proud of non the less!)

Way to go, Fay! Woohoo!

I want to think that Fay’s introduction was part of her act, demonstrating the diversity of roles she can fill. The “ahem” is her transitioning from the shy & meek to an aggressive character. The problem however is that Fay’s eyes in panel 1 suggest a ‘deer in the headlights’ response.

Because i could not locate the original reference to Greg Evan’s new play i found this instead:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-diego/article/Patio-Playhouses-52nd-Season-Has-Something-That-Everyone-Will-Love-20180320

QUOTE:

We open 2019 with a world premiere musical, Quibbling Siblings! The Outrageous Game Show Musical by Luann-creator Greg Evans, being performed in repertory with another Greg Evans musical, A Boy and A Girl (updated 2017). Quibbling Siblings!… shows how even a family that fights constantly can come together to fight for good when the situation demands it, and A Boy and A Girl recounts how two completely different people, born on the same day, can fall in love and bring their families together. These shows will be performed on alternating nights from January 25-February 17.

END QUOTE

Yay, Fay!! You go, girl!!!

♫ there’s no business like show business … ♫

YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

And so it begins…

And once she gets into character, FAY NAILS IT! This is actually a microcosm of the way it is with surprisingly many actors, who tend to be introverted and shy in their private lives….

BOOMgoes the dynamite

I guess it’s time to clear up the analysis and speculation about Fay’s recent chameleon impersonation. It was an error by the freelance colorist (that would be me) and the problem was addressed shortly after readers noticed it. But the busy people at GoComics are on crazy deadline all the time so uploading corrected files to the archives doesn’t always happen right away. If you look now you’ll see Fay consistently colored in past strips.There are three skin colors in the Luann color palette. TJ, Dez, Piro and Fay are the only ones using the middle tone. It’s an easy error to make because at certain angles the hues can be hard to differentiate on screen. Also, when checking my work, my focus is on making sure eyes aren’t filled in and that body parts have color and not just an unfilled area. Plus, it may be 3AM and I am scrambling to get Luann and 7 other strips in by the time GoComics people get to work. That’s it. I make mistakes from time to time and it’s often a reader comment that gets back to me, otherwise I’d never know. So thank you for your eagle eyes and helping with the Quality Control tasks.