Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 19, 2018

Actually rather sweet family interaction.

“Brad” or “brat”, huh? I wonder…

We have a pickup time.

Which probably means add another 24 hours to it.

I think she implied both

I will leave it at cute for now. Bwad, glad to have you back. This ought to be interesting, but not enough info to be predictive. For the whiners go with the flow, this is Luanniverse.

Oh No You Didn’t, Brad!!!

You did NOT just use the “B” word, B-R-A-T!!

You Sir, have incurred the Wrath of “SHANNONISTAS” and verily Thou shalt be dealt with HARSHLY!

PS: And you KNOW your worthless brother-in-law will NOT be back tomorrow evening, as promised.

Just like he did last year……,

An inspired jammy selection from Brad. I would have brought in the backup jams and some #$%^* ice cream with my fingers crossed.

I was wrong yesterday.

Twins for the night!

It is at this point Toni realizes she may have to go through Brad’s clothes to see just how many duplicate jerseys he has.

So Shannon is back to ‘Bwad’ again. And some posters thought she was growing up. Guess that’ll happen when I win the Powerball…

@KYMBERLEIGH: Shannon may be getting older, but not any more grown up. (And apparently, she may be getting older, but not any better…)

Is that Toni’s or does Brad have two of the same shirt? My bet is it belongs to Toni so they would be twins occasionally, perhaps on special occasions.

How long before “Bwad!” drops its surrounding speech bubble and becomes a freestanding 60s-TV-Batman sound effect?

Nice to have a little sentimental relief after the heavy drama of the last several strips.

Brad really cares for kids, especially Shannon.

(I miss my step-daughters.) :o(

If they say “jams” one more time I’m gonna lose it – call them “pajamas” or “pjs” or “jammies”. Who says “jams”?

Brad probably has as many of those jerseys as Little Orphan Annie has red dresses.

For the sake of those who have been pining for a Toni/Brad arc, let’s hope this goes somewhere. The Evanses seem stuck in a bit of a rut writing Jonas/Shannon arcs: Slacker Jonas leaves Shannon with the long-suffering Toni and Brad, disrupting their wedded bliss while Shannon stays in brat character. There are so many ways these relationships could go without another been-there-done-that story. Brad has a disarming way with Shannon and it would be nice to see that develop.

I think Shannon need a little cousin to arrive next Spring.

Wasn’t Brad the water boy on his high school football team and they gave him a jersey so he could be one of the guys.

Even cuter than Big Bwad

Prediction: tonight Jonah dies in a fiery car crash, starting a chain of events whereby Toni and Bwad ultimately adopt Shannon. Hilarity Ensues!

Call Bwad “Dad.”

17 is a pwime number.

Philip Rivers, the quarterback for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, wears number 17 too.

I like Brad’s interactions with Shannon. He comes across as a sweet and caring guy, with a knack for quickly diverting her attention and changing her mood in stressful moments.

For those going off on the “Brat” remark, I think if you’ve followed this relationship long enough you know that’s just them having fun… clearly they do better with Shannon than most and it’s just their way of acknowledging she can be a handful

I for one love how Brad is completely calm and non-plussed as he takes her, gets her cleaned up and changed all while the charming missus listens to the excuses of her hap-hazzard bro.

He didn’t let it get to him, he didn’t create more drama, he simply cut straight in and delivered an immediate solution that he knew would work.

now Toni doesn’t have anything to wear to bed ;-)

I guess the bratty but cute Shannon will be with us awhile. I don’t know why the change of jammies is the lead-in to this arc.

So far in this relationship Brad has exhibited a typical uncle dynamic with Shannon. They get along because he hasn’t had to assume the parental discipline and correction role. Yet! He finds a way to calm the “savage brat” flareups without too much conflict.

If GnK are heading in the direction many reader believe; that they will wind up with Shannon on a permanent basis (more or less) it would seem counter productive. Seems to me that a child (theirs or adopted) would seriously impact their firefighter careers. It would seem more logical to have Shannon remain a niece. Then you could have Mommy/Daddy/Child gags (like today) without too much “parental” baggage. Frank and Nancy already fill the benign parent role nicely.

By the way, ease up on Jonah. Anyone that has had to fill the single parent father role knows it is just as distinct and difficult as the single mother role. After all, Jonah and Shannon haven’t shown any tendency to move toward the Ann and Les relationship.

I am liking Brad more and more. Hated him when he and Luann were “kids”….he reminded me of my own family dynamics. Now he is an amazing man…and will be a great father. TIME FOR A BABY, Bwad and Toni!

Winner: Smallest comic strip of the day

I mean this respectfully, but how old is Shannon? She’s like half of Toni’s size, but still talks like an infant and sits in a car seat (does not appear to be a booster seat). Is she intellectually disabled?

Not to throw logic into this, but the house wasn’t that big. TJ, Brad and Toni, so when Shannon is there Brad gets couch?

I think you all are missing the biggest (for the most part the most important line here… “Awww, look at the Little Brad” … That’s Greg foreshadowing if I have ever seen it…

Shannon: Big loud mouth, hair trigger tantrum machine. So nice to spend the week with you.

Wondering of the 17 significance: Brad’s favorite sports guy? Their fire station number? Something from G&K’s past?

I think Shannon has hearing issues. “Bwad” “Back of jams” not typical at her supposed age. She probably doesn’t get much communication time with Dad but this should have been picked up and school. Would explain brattiness.

Aww that is so cute. I dont know when these two will have kids, but when they do I’ll be ready. All this practice with little Shannon proves they’d be the best parents

Just realized; his name is Jonah Daytona…a built-in stage name!

So Brad’s the guy who bought those two Braylon Edwards Browns shirts? Cool!

I have my money on Jonah coming back and saying “something came up” and won’t be back for quite some time. Either that or Toni needs to put her foot down firmly and say enough is enough.

JayBluE has not shown up, but I have these:

“Cover Story”

“One For The BLOOPer Reel”

“Jams Session”

“Lucky Number Seven…teen”

“Jersey, Show Her”

Brat’s so happy she’s hovering! Well done Bwad!

tomorrow evening? where would Jonah be headed to now? The regular working day is over.

Shannon loves her uncle Bwad!

My little niece was the same way with my shirt. She was happy she got to wear Uncle Brett’s shirt. I still have that photo of her.

I hope those who are expressing this gratuitous hostility toward Shannon have no plans for children of their own.

6

Overall very cute panel three today. However, I do find the first panel a bit disturbing:

1. “I don’t want back of Jams” is a bit odd, IMO for Shannon to think Toni said. At her age, I would truthfully expect “backup” to be a word in her vocabulary.

2. It is beginning to seem like there is a pattern here. It seems that there have been several times recently where Shannon and Toni have gotten sort of “at odds” with each other. Mostly, it seems that Shannon is a bit more on the belligerent side with Toni…. or she tends to go off the “deep end” emotionally when she interacts with Toni. I am wondering if that is intentional on Greg’s part (perhaps to showcase how good Brad is in contrast?)?

The end result today is GOOD. But, I truthfully am beginning to wonder if Greg is purposefully developing some animosity between Shannon and Toni….. not anything overly severe… but to me it sure seems like when Shannon acts out… it is inevitably with Toni.

⇧ where would the cartoonists be without you to grade their work daily…?

Sports / teams references in Luann :

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2014/2/21

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2012/9/29

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2011/3/7 thru 10th

you’ll note some of these reference Tiffany having dated members of the football team.

There are also references by Nancy of Frank watching Bowl Games, etc.

SO CAN WE FINALLY PUT TO REST THE LIE THAT THERE ARE NO SPORTS TEAMS AT PITT HIGH, OR REFERENCES TO TEAMS IN THE STRIP?!

“Two Out Of Three Ain’t Brad” (♩♪♬)

“Spitting Images”

“Xerox Sum”

“Copies And Rompers”

“Brats And Potatoes”

“Chip Off The Old Brad”

or

“Seventeen, The Hard Way”

OR

♪♪ “Baby! This is Love??” ♪♪ – Diana Whats-Her-Name and the Supremes

♪♪ “Pop IS a Weasel!” ♪♪ – Traditional

♪♪ “The Nuthin’ Man!” ♪♪ – Traditonal

“Oh Dad, Poor Dad, You’re a Good for Nothing Bum, and Tiffany’s feelin’ so Sad. (Until Gunther shows up)”

♪♪ “Now I know my B-V-Ds, Tell me what You think of Me!” ♪♪ – Traditional

♪♪ “JAMMIE!!!” ♪♪ – Al Jolson

♪♪ “Jonah Was a Little Ham!” ♪♪ – Traditional

♪♪ “Here We do Whoopty-Do!” ♪♪ – Johnny Thunder

Maybe the day will get better. Shannon has cleaned up nicely and is happy to be with Bwad! But I worry that Toni is still such a pushover for her exploitative brother and often-absent father to Shannon, Jonah….

Look, all hostility aside, this week and the next, could be nothing more than the yearly light hearted “Fun with Bwad and Toni,” starring Shannon.

But what if something TRAGIC does happen this time around?

Unfortunately here’s how things could end up:

1) Jonah “buys it” in a car accident.

2) After a long protracted court battle with a wealthier, more suitable, prospective adoptive couple, (or Shannon’s REAL mom that shows up just to foul things up) Shannon ends up with Brad and Toni.

3) Old Smiley seeing the handwriting on the wall, and not wanting to be STUCK babysitting Shannon finally BAILS.

4) Old Smiley Buys the the Old Berger House after Irma marries Al and moves out. Forcing Gunther to live in the Guest House Gulag, with Les, where he’s tormented and tortured for “laughs” when he’s not being told to get lost because Tiffany’s is coming over.

5) A new Drop Dead Gorgeous, Voluptuous Female Engineering Student is finally introduced to the Strip this coming Fall. Unfortunately, She Falls for Les.

6) And they change the Klingons, AGAIN.

There’s a Bad Moon on the rise………,

We have drop a dead gorgeous already, Tara. Unless you mean voluptuous, and not cutie.

Though it is a bit too late to do so now, I have always wanted TJ to trick Shannon into admitting that she is a Super Brat.

The trick of course is the fact that super heroes are never allowed to use their super powers for their own personal benefit.