Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 23, 2013

So now we see why Quill is “cool as a Qcumber”…. And why he’s so welcome of Luann’s affections and also why he’s usually so accepting…. – And in a way, both seem motivated to making better things for theirselves, given their situations… instead of being ‘victims of change, perhaps they’d like to be their own personal ‘agents of change’….

Just like My Mom. Always knew what we needed!

" Ex -Position"“Out-Back-Story/Domestic Re-Visions”or “Agents of Change”

Well, I think it got tweaked a little… I do believe that it was changed from ‘walking out’ to this….

BTW it’s lunch time in Perth when this was posted.

I have an aunt who became widowed a few months before the birth of her sixth child (the eldest child was a month shy to be 13 years old). I also got a cousin (through another aunt) who became widowed a month after the birth of her third child. The aunt never re-married, but the cousin did.

I don’t think it was a sidestep, as much as a direct answer, with subtle steps… he mentioned his issues with them, at the end of his answer…the fact that he was ‘mostly left on his own’….where perhaps his parents either felt that he could care for himself as a male, or feels a bit overlooked, perhaps his parents were feeling overwhelmed by having 4 girls….. or maybe they were just not accepting of his "choices in life’ so far…

Well, all right! Quill needs Mom attention, and Mom Berger is the one to give it to him. This will probably work out fine, then. Though wasn’t it established earlier that Gunther’s dad left his mom, and Gunther thought it might have been his fault? Or that he reminded his mom of his dad, or something? Or am I imagining that?

Meh, when can we get back to Brad, Toni & Shannon? (Since Feb, 90% of the strips are about MPQ… time for something more interesting… Even Ann Eiffel would be a change for the better)

Maybe so… this does seem like the payoff so many were calling for, as to why we’ve been spending time with the Bergers and the deepening/fleshing out of these three characters….

Plot z Convenience stores – Twist ed Mega-Corp – and by…Good ol’ Milk and Cookies…

Unwed mothers of a certain time made up stories to tell the child. I should know, my mother kept changing hers. Never did find out the truth.^^How sad.

if we go by what was established before(both mom and dad came to the USA with Quill), looks like is a high probability that his sisters are married, as they are MUCH OLDER than Q

Was going to say; “Berger’s Bridges” cookies, filling empty moments and empty stomachs since, she brought them upstairs…. but we’ll go with yours…. uh… Moms… – And you forgot Polysorbate 80, Cara-Carageenan-Car-cara- food stabilizers, also methylchloroisothiazolinone, and the rest; all natural ingredients.. oh… and red dye number4 and a splash of blue dye number 3.5… for color, you know…. – And of all those ingredients, her secret ingredient is… love…

I’m sorry that that has happened. You also have raised a good point.

And packaged and distributed by Stepford Industries…

Unwed mothers of a certain time made up stories to tell the child. I should know, my mother kept changing hers. Never did find out the truth.

*

There was a conspiracy of silence in my family. My maternal grandmother was the unwed mother, and it affected my mother and family too. (After many years, we found out the story, and us kids are fine with it.) I’m sorry your mom jerked you around, surfstuff. Sucks!

Boy, it sure sounds nice. Someonenice bringing you milk & cookies….how about that. The Gunther doesn’trealize-how lucky he is to have hisMother.

@ templo Sud

Yes, and my husband was killed on the job when I was 41/2 mos. alone so my 4th son never knew his dad either. I remarried and had 2 more children but divorced him several years later. So actually, none of my kidddoes ever really knew the true love of a father.

At the moment, Gunther really isn’t being himself. He probably never has a friend over, especially a friend in…..high demand…as is Quill and so, I can understand him wanting to have a little private time. He is definitely borderline rude at the moment but am sure Quill will be out and about and Gunther won’t be included in all his outings with Luann etc.

Gunther needs an uncle to share time with him albeit sewing or fishing. I can see that Gunther badly needs someone to display some honest affection with him. He really seems lost, here.

Some poignant “food for thought” in these songs:“The Living Years”, Mike and the Mechanics“No Son Of Mine” Genesis

Gunther has been mother-smothered and desperately (though not necessarily consciously) seeks a father figure in his life. Hence his ready attachment to the calm and steady Quill. Quill, on the other hand, has been bereft of parental attention, lost behind his four older sisters, and has withdrawn into himself to a great degree. Luann is a help, but Mrs. Berger is supplying what he needs first of all, before he can proceed with Luann. Everything seems to be going too well. There’s bound to be a monkey wrench in the works coming along….

Well, It seems like Q is interested in some of Ms. B’s motherly instincts. Hmmmmm…. Will be very interesting to see where this goes towards weekend.

mothers and their guilt trips…

28 pounds? Impressive! I can never get more than 15-20 tomatoes, much less pounds! BTW Iam loves tomatoes!

“Pretty much left on my own” could mean that the parents were a lot more relaxed about childrearing by the time he came around. That’s how it was in my family — 5 girls ages 6 to 13 when our tail-end-Charlie baby brother was born. He wasn’t ignored or neglected, but by then our mom was a lot less fussy about things like clean rooms and finishing vegetables.

Pretty sure this story about Gunther’s Dad is a retcon. Why is Gunther asking about Quill’s family? Didn’t he ever go to Quill’s home or at least learn about his parents, all the time they were living in Pitt?

quill is a really good guy; no doubt about that.

What time do the comics get posted? By the time I get up in Minnesota, it’s around 7. Usually hours after most of you have commented…it’s really cold here today.

Gunth sure loves his PLAID!

I’m relatively new to the strip (since mid-2000s), so this minor look into Gunther’s family history reveals a lot. So, it’s been retconned?

Yesterday it looked like Gunther was going to smoother Quill with his “neediness”, and that the point would be having Quill teach him about boundaries.*Instead, motherly smoothering is what Quill’s been lacking! Figured he’d love G’s mom!

Yum! Wish you would share your recipe!

Sorry about your experience. But this may not be the case here.

Right! Thank you!

(What, you never heard of the Baltimore Oreos?) ^And the old regime there will pronounce it just like that! And that’s just the way they crumbled this season, too!

Gunther is looking more and more like Howard Wolowitz of TBBT. He’s a teenager who’s mom never remarried? His storyline is starting to get really, really sad. I can see him still living with his mommy in 15 years.

Retroactive continuity- the alteration of previously established events somewhere in the continuity of a fictional work… which I have found happens quite often on tv shows and some strips….

April 1-3, 2009.

That’s what I wondered, too.

You’ve jumped the shark

If watching Luann fall all over herself over Quill isn’t hard enough on Gunther, now Gunther has a rival for his mother’s affections. Stay tuned for “Oedipus Rex Redux”. Tragedy is sure to follow.

That’s how it was with my grandmother, and my wife’s grandmother, both of whom we lost recently, and both of whom we were close to……to this day, there’s a certain food item that I see when grocery shopping that still makes me feel a bit sad, and we’ve had similar experiences to what you are saying, wanting to show them something and realizing you can’t….

It seems like a son born after having 4 girls would be the center of attention and never left alone. How odd Quill’s family must be. One of my relatives had a daughter after 4 sons and she is the center of everything.

Somewhere in the blogs, Greg mentions that those were actually two separate “Shannons”… but that there is basis to see there could be the “possibility”… – And in addition, as you mentioned, he also spoke there of his seeing how the whole change from Shannon being a cousin of Toni to her niece came about….. both of these things a “goof” and a “non-goof”…. – http://www.thecartooniststudio.com/Blogs/Greg/Archives/2011/1/17/SomethingInterestingAboutShannon

You sound like my son. He does the same thing. Unfortunately, there was a hail storm AND tornado siren (blew in in less than 3 minutes) in Denver last month and wiped his crop out. A heartbreaker. I thought he was going to cry right then and there.

I’m waiting to see the confusion when Quill asks for “biscuits” …

“blah, blah, blah, …… and BLAH is what I saw in your post.”_____________________________________

You FORGOT a “Blah”. Where are Your Glasses, Oldstein??

I agree….And I don’t blame him one bit! if we have trouble digging it up at times (mostly without a book handy), I can only imagine what Greg would have to go through, considering the body of material involved… and considering, too, he’s a human just like the rest of us…

P.S. Cookies & milk at bedtime say “I love my little boys!” Something Quill wanted to hear, but Gunther is now putting on HIS MAN facade.

It’s obvious that Gunther is trying to impress Quill, and doesn’t realize that Quill is impressed with him and his normal life already.

Ha ha!

I posted about the Gunther’s dad problem and Greg replied saying: You’re right. And I’ve fired my Historian.

Greg

Something everyone seems to have overlooked when it comes to Quill’s parents. After four girls, they may be quite advanced in age as he “was a LATE surprise”. Older parents do not have the energy or time to dote on a baby or small child much less deal with a teenager the way younger parents do.Funny how there can be soooo many reasons, but this bunch seems to pounce on the worst case scenario.

Gunther: Lighten up dear.

Yeah, DC for sure!

You know the pies would come at me, first… good thing I like dessert! Although probably not as much as Cdgar, Lol!

“So, now we know what happened to Gunther’s dad.” I thought she was a widow, I just wasn’t expecting to read that his dad never saw him born. Sad… ;)

“I sense issues with his parents.” Yes, I think so too, as he said he’d pretty much been left to himself. Gunther’s mom might be the first woman to pay any serious attention to him in the same manner as a parent would/should. Or, there might have even been a divorce. I would think Quill’s four older sisters would have wanted to spoil him when he was a baby/young child. This doesn’t seem to be the case, however. Perhaps we’ll get some more background info… ;)

Yeah, I’m surprised at Gunther — he usually is nice to girls (and one would assume, women).

“I was simply saying that, if it changed once, it could possibly happen again. Anything is possible in Luanniverse.” It appears that Greg may no longer believe Gunther’s father’s previous backstory is viable. At least having your father Die Before you were born is better—-and a lot less hurtful—- than having your father Leave After you were born…

I’d like to see Quill interact in class at Pitts HS. He’d certainly have a different point of view. Maybe he’ll take Luann surfing or do something entirely Different from any other of her previous boyfriends doings, something to reflect their more mature relationship (well, as more “mature” as it can get for the time being). Anything to shake up the usual classroom/boyfriend activities. And so, I’m off to see the wizard… ;)

I hope Evans does go back to the story of Gunther’s dad having left rather than died. My own pet theory is that he was never invited to stay. Once mom knew she was pregnant she had what she wanted and didn’t need him anymore.

Mom clearly has the hots for Quill.

Probably too late, but I was looking for the marinara sauce. I’ll also ask on the October 24 board.