Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for January 16, 2020

poor Gunther… being the last to know

Well THAT was quick!

And if Irma knows, then EVERYBODY knows.

Now what would make this Picture PERFECT IS, after Irma leaves, Gunther goes back to his room where Bets is laying on his bed wearing that chemise Tiffany gave her. And she rolls over and asks: “What was all THAT about, Gun?”

Oh RE-LAX and Hold your “Zzzzzzzzzzzzz’s.”

You know as well as I do, that’s NEVER gonna happen. :)

Why do I get the feeling that Irma never had this talk with Gunther and now realizes that it might be too late? And why do I wonder if Gunther will be surprised that his mother won’t disown him if she thinks he’s got a sex life? I mean, I’m in favor of chastity, but being overly uptight about the very thought of sex can wreak havoc on married life.

He needs a raincoat, and she is just now telling him? That is a blunt way of saying a lot of things, from Bets and Gunther have (are presumed because we don’t know for sure yet) a serious, and normal relationship for young adults in love, to being responsible while they do, but you know I think Gunther already knows this very well., Irma loves her son, she is as much as a tigress mom as is Nancy, but I bet the cub can handle himself (and Bets). This subject is a real level of progress in the virginal world of Luannverse, although however it turns out hilarity will ensue.

That’s definitely a better version of “the Talk” than the one Nancy gave Luann, which was essentially “You should wait until marriage like me and your dad did, because…. well, because you should.” Irma may have been vague here, but she’s also being honest and realistic, which is a rarity in this comic. I’m wondering how exactly the gossip made its way to her though.

Irma tip-toes around her concern. Kudos to Gunther for being direct in his response. Will we move this along tomorrow, or does Irma’s “delicacy” translate to “hilarity?”

The Gunther twins? Identical in every way!

Tomorrow he’ll be angrily denying that he and Bets are sexually active.

Now these are really a homely pair. Not repulsive, just not attractive. I’m sure the postman doesn’t mind ringing Nancy’s doorbell but Irma, not so much. You know, one box by the door, another package in the bushes. Expectation: When Gunther closes the door on mom, Bets will appear from inside his room.

Have we totally established the Gunther even prefers women?

“Gunther! Use protection!”

So he went out and bought a .45.

What is Irma talking about Sex and for Gun to use portection.

Irma is speaking from experience. Does not want Gunther to experience an unexpected event.

Oh Gunther, you’ll regret asking…

Woah, didn’t see this coming!

OK, so: 1.) Bets hears the rumor. 2.) Bets thinks Gunther STARTED the rumor. 3.) Bets then confronts Gunther and says : “Brilliant idea Gun! We just picked up 150 more fans! Way to go!!” :D

Fast intel, is right! Got spread at “warped” speed.

Heh. Poor Gunther. Always the last to know…

It’s official now…..Luann has become the comic strip version of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Maybe Momther shouldn’t have deliberately kept Gunther home from school every time there were sex ed lessons.

I think Irma would be thrilled to have a grandchild.

Well! That escalated quickly!

Ok, so Greg Evans wants me to believe that the rumor got so far that his Mom came over? No town is that small.

Now how did SHE hear about it??

He’s like 20 years old effectively living in his own place now. Why is this a big deal? It’s like he’s still in High School

We know Tiffany has been spreading the rumor like wildfire, so we really shouldn’t be surprised that it reached Gunther’s mother. But I am? Who in GUnther’s orbit spread it to his mother, and, why?

Oooo! Oooo! I know! I know!

Just who had the poor taste to share this particular piece of gossip with his MOTHER!!! Gahhh!

I hope mom knows about being careful. A character looking like Irma and Al might be hard to come up with.

Yeah! Yeah! I know! But things happen! :o)

Reminds me of James McMurtry’s song, “Talkin’ at the Texaco.”

“It’s a small town, son, and the news travels quicker than wheels.”

Yeah, Tiffany said it around at TheFuse, Al heard it and told to his wife ASAP. I would have preferred would be him to have this talk with his stepson, not Irma; the anxious mother.

This possibility was on the back of my mind. Might have been funnier via embarrassment if it was Al with a father-son setup. So now does Gunther spill the beans to mom? And what are the beans he spills??? Or does he hedge his comments and leave us all wondering! ;o)

I hope this arc gets around to finding out where this rumor started and the consequential hilarity that ensues™ with each of the characters. He’ll probably go to Les first, then Tiff, then Luann. Could be funny! There could be a Tiffany-Bets tête-à-tête, they’re still in class together I presume.

If it’s just Gun & Bets having “the talk” ala Luann and Quill in the dark prop room; well, that’s been done. If it’s just about honoring each others “space,” what a let down that would be. Could it lead to their first major spat? Certainly not a breakup.

Looks like 1212 will get his wish!

“Don’t worry mom, we only practice a..” “TMI! TMI!” Seriously, it’s cute but as other posters said, you would think that Irma would have had this conversation when Gunther left with Rosa for Peru.

After playing the game of ‘Telephone’ as a kid, I wonder what exactly got back to Irma.

So, she’s saying to always use the protection?

Who goes and tells someone’s mom about the rumors of sex going around?

A) Luann, Bernie and Tiffany all had a shot at Gunther AND blew it! and B) He spent a year on the road and Peru with the other girl; and nobody has thought that maybe they were “active” during that time!!!!

For crying out loud, this is ridiculous…they are adults !, not young teens…I know this is a comic, but come. on.

One more thing. No matter WHAT happens Next, Irma is REALLY gonna to want to meet Bets now.

One Soul Destroying Berger-Gray family dinner, coming right up! ;)

Hey Mom, try this one. Gunther, be a real man and wait until you are married to have sex. Sex should be the expression of love within marriage, not a means of hedonism.

I believe Irma has had The Talk with Gunther probably several times over the years. We just haven’t seen it. She seems like the type to be careful and cover all the bases since Gunther’s dad left them when he was still a baby and she had to raise him on her own. But back then it was just theory. A sort of If you ever do…. sort of thing. But upon hearing this rumor she feels compelled to try and make her point with more clarity since it seems to be real now. She’s still having difficulty bless her heart!

Chop chop chop is that a helicopter I hear in the background?

He still hasn’t got any from the girl

Wow that got around fast

Boy, did “the word” get out! Even Mommy is worried!

“You see, son, Tiffany called me and told me all about that hussy you’ve been grinding!”

I seriously doubt Gunther and Bets are “doing it” given Gunther’s basic nature as just revealed. (On the other hand, her nickname for him is “Gun”….)

"Not WRONG. Just RISKY … … You know, as in ‘BUSINESS’!! " ;)

Well, the fact that he (the one on the left) says “Hi Mom” in the first panel, kinda clears that up. ;)

We don’t know the time scale. Gunther and his mom could be having the talk weeks after Tif started the rumor. BTW. Irma has nothing to worry about, contraceptives are readily available, Bets has no desire for children at this time of her life and she is showing no sign of wanting to marry Gun.

Only Gun and Bets know for sure. They can confirm, deny, or stand mute.

Bets has or will make Gun “King Stud” of the social media universe. Probably a bit to racy for the comics, but I can see Bets posting the Renaissance Fair costume with a note that the Cod Piece (slightly photoshopped) is all Gunther.

Gunther will get a FB high five post from his second cousin in Canada…

Evidently those red pubes on the head are a dominant trait.

In tomorrow’s strip she hands him a box of Trojans.

Good mom. Maybe a bit late, but good mom.

How come he doesn’t have the 5 o’clock shadow anymore?

I formally request Gunther’s 5 o’clock shadow returns.

Worst.

Arc.

Ever.

What is this? Three’s Company or Two’s a Crowd?

Course Gunther is confused. Took me a bit to realize what she’s talking about too and I been following along with this arc.

I sincerely hope this ends with a slap for Luann and Tiff and a heart to heart for Gun and Bets.

This whole arc is getting stranger by the moment.

What adorable sisters! the one on the left just needs to fill out some. Maybe after puberty…

I’m sorry, but I really did laugh out loud at this one. Poor Gunther…

I think it’s not necessarily the idea of sex before marriage that is the problem. Remember how much Irma loved Rosa? I think this is more of the idea of sex with Bets. Because the two are all ALL over social media, it is quite possible the Irma saw some of Bets’ posts and made her own inference. Furthermore, it may be equally as probable that the timeline of Tiff’s gossip and Luann’s misplaced curiosity are all because of the overt images and language used to suggest ideas on Bets’ posts.

Was Gunth an accident? It’s like she is speaking from experience.

The speed of lies is faster than the speed of truth.

A long friend ship just ran aground………………

It’s obvious where Gunther got his Type A tendencies from….

What fun would sex be without SOME level of emotional risk? (But the physical risk you can avoid…)

Gotta risk it for the biscuit

I just hope Gunther doesn’t get angry immediately but instead probes a little to find the origin of this. He’ll blame Les initially even though Les may have been trying to protect him (by seeing right through Luann).

He’ll probably faint if he knew what they were saying about him and Bets. That is to say actually what she’s referring to. But since everyone is assuming, they all have no idea what the heck it is. Which is nuts.

7

Fast movement of the gossip!

But, perhaps the more interesting detail is that Irma has in effect given her tacit “approval” for Gunther to copulate…. as long as he wears….. a, uh…. raincoat.

Not that approval is needed, but given their relationship parameters…. this is a pretty big step for both Gunther and Irma.

You know all the focus is on Gunther here, whether he is having sex with the delectable Bets or not. I started my part of the comment storm by joking on the square about raincoats. Actually I am being sexist. If they are having nerd sex chances are that Bets is using birth control. We are focused on Gunther and the fact that nearly everyone of the usual main characters in Luann have a piece of this arc, but Bets is just a suggestion. But there are two sides to responsible relations, to be fair, and realistic. Luannfan out,

Is mom speaking from Personal Experience?

I’m pretty sure Irma isn’t referring to the sex rumor….Just dragging this out for the sake of dragging it out.

What Mother Irma is trying to say, sonny-boy Gunny, is Use protection! Condoms, whatever!

(She thinks, but can’t quite bring her staid self to say, that you and Bets are indeed doing “it”!)

When asked

“Any questions?”

the wisest response in this situation tends to be

“No. I’m good.”

Preview of tomorrow’s strip over at Arcamax: Pretty pathetic—and even Gunther agrees.