Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 30, 2013

Well, three couples that didn’t see stuff right in front of them, this year…. Knute, for one, thought that no one would notice him being in the corner, there….

First kiss…and only?

Another kiss couldn’t hurt.

Sad that Rosa looks sad

This ought to be interesting. Time for a real passionate kiss. Gunther looks handsome, and Knute and Crystal are quite the couple. Interesting.

Or that. “Sigh…. When?…. If?…” look….

“Flashback Episode”“A Kiss, Some Bliss, And Obliviousness”or“♪♫ …Lost In Love, And I Don’t Know Much…♪♫ "

A-last G-Man. I FEAR the ONLY “Kiss” in Your Future is the “Kiss Goodbye.”

Yeah, really!… – I think there should be a playlist today, tailored for songs from Gunther’s point of view… poor chap seems so happy…

Yup… three couples, where someone didn’t know something.. – G-man doesn’t see Rosa’s exasperation…– Luann didn’t realize that she could have her Quill, and share him, too… – Knute didn’t know…. wait… Knute never knows….– Although, Knute did sorta want for Gunther to try to put on some “macho” maneuvers on Rosa…

I like Rosa, but, looks like she may be on her way to Equador… alone.

Hopefully, Luann will finally realise that she’s with the wrong guy!

Rosa might be thinking…..Byeeeee

Is there any way that Gunther could possibly be more smug than he appears in panel 3? Or more clueless?

I can see the headstone now:

“No, really! It existed!”

The great sword Cluebringer has work to do this new years.

Good list! -“Throwin’ It All Away”^As soft as that song is, it is amazingly not from his solo work… it is Phill +Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, off of the “Invisible Touch” album….

You can also add the whole “Wish You Were Here” album from Floyd… from songs to cover art, the whole thing is about someone being “missing”… – Or alternatively, even though they may be there physically, they’re still “missing” something…

DMX is also a synth drum….

Ha ha!!

Gunther’s key error is that he doesn’t TELL her, or better, show her, just how happy he is to have her. He thinks he can be just the way he is and all be well.

My song recommendation is Bruno Mars ‘When I was your man.’

Few men ever understand women.

For Gunther:“(She’s Still Having) The Time Of My Life” (Bill Smedley/Jennifer Worn)“Making Nothing Out Of Love At All” (Thin Air)“The Search Was Over” (Sir Viver) – For Rosa:“No Wind Today” (Batte Meddler)“That’s Not All” (Geneticist)“It’s Not In His Kiss” (Betty Rubble)

“Sponsored” by…the “Now That’s What I Used To Call Music Collection”… from Columbian Coffee House…

Hopefully Gunther won’t be too upset in the near future when the song “Red Light” by David Nail comes on.

“I thought she was gonna saySomethin’ about that couple kissin’Crossin’ the streetOr somethin’ about this beautiful day

But she just looked me in the eyeSaid it’s overDidn’t try to lieOr pick a fightI might have seen it comin’ that way"

Poor Gunther is oblivious. But, that song was good and will fit an imminent event very well. Hopefully, his next relationship will work better.

Panel 4: Or not. Sigh.

And one more from the Phill Collins catalog..“A Groovy Kind Of Love… With A Question Mark…”

Heard that one, before… it was in the top ten on the “Freddie’s Best/Iphone user’s most wanted” playlist.. and also on “Country’s (most) Incredibly Appreciated top ten”, as well….

If Rosa and I were in such proximity, it would redefine the word, “wood”.

What I see here is Rosa being sarcastic because Gunther hasn’t really done much to sustain this relationship due to his awkwardness. Rosa has been the one making the first moves in this equation and as much as she likes him, she’s coming to the conclusion that there’s no future for them. She’ll want a relationship with someone who has a little more confidence in himself and will give as much back in a relationship as she does. As I said months ago, Gunther is just too nerdy to live and will never have a quality relationship as long as he’s too nervous to even step outside the house.

Ah, poor Gunth. I think that’s his future wife behind him.

He may pull it off with one more kiss. At midnight. Although I don’t think he can do it. If he really laid one on her she might stay.

A girl can’t live on one kiss per year. He’s going to have to do something a little more dramatic then simply kissing her, I think.

In Gunther’s limited defense, my dad was similarly awkward with girls in high school. Gunther probably won’t be this bad forever.

In high school, my dad decided to be nice and friendly to his crush’s parents to get her to like him. They ended up adoring him, but she didn’t (probably because he was too scared to say much to her).

…. poor Rosa, does she really want to play guide and teacher to someone not even aware of his surroundings and needs of others? – ditch the looser and find someone who is aware of you and has the brains to realise you want him to show determination to show you his love.

Passionate Kisses- Lucinda Williams

If Gunther cannot up the ante from “Yup! Yup!” immediately (and by that I mean give Rosa a big, romantic Anniversary kiss), he’ll be all alone again and single for 2014. Rosa is definitely not happy with Gunther’s performance (or lack thereof) as her boyfriend. Since she’s thinking about going to Ecuador, maybe it’s already over in her mind…. Too bad Gunther couldn’t grow up.

the break up is coming.

Not a happy look. Rosa has seen nothing different. I agree, here comes the old “We can always be friends”.

i know it may be kiddie, but someone needs to play “Kiss the Girl” for Gunther

Agree, Rosa is not happy. She has a thoughtful but sad look on her face.

I want to throw in one of my favorite songs…“Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd.

I use the light switch to control lights. :-)

SO much has happened since then…NOT! – thinks Rosa

Tell him, Rosa. Level with him up front. No relationship is any good without honesty. What good does it do if you can’t communicate? Or talk? Too many women sulk around , pout, and feel sorry for themselves because a man doesn’t know what they are thinking. “Well, he should just know!” Men are not mind readers and they are not good at mind games. Aren’t you friends? Then tell him before you leave and rip his heart out. How can he change if he does not know there’s a problem?

She has that ‘yeah, right’ look==To me, she has a very sad look, not a ‘yeah, right’ look….

Many moons ago, Greg broke ground by bringing up the onset of Luann’s first period, so possibly we’re witnessing the prelude for more groundbreaking. It would be a bit much for the underage star of the family strip to experience the joys and pitfalls of losing her virginity. But maybe we’re getting set up for an arc wherein Rosa has a frank talk with Gunther about wanting more, and desperate not to lose her, he agrees to get more physical. They get carried away and go too far, resulting in a pregnancy scare. I would trust Greg to tell the tale in a tasteful manner. The Gunther-Rosa relationship would likely not survive, but as secondary characters it’s a disposable relationship.

At least he is holding her close.

==And THIS is who some of you think Luann should be with?? What’d she ever do to you?

==I agree with you, but I think there are two reasons why people keep insisting that Luann is meant to be with Gunther. One is that Evans apparently suggested at one point that Gunther was modelled on the way he himself was during high school. The second reason is that there are a lot of people posting on this board who really dislike Luann as a character and want her to be unhappy…

In real life, a girl would stay because she still has hope…then stay because she pities him…then leave because she’s smart. And it sure wouldn’t take a whole year!

Gunther the geek! Yuk

Maybe Gunth thinks the second kiss comes only at the alter or after hitting home, which he is unwilling to do before getting to the alter. Poor guy hasn’t a clue.

Rosa goes off to save the world.Gunther digs into his studies.Having saved the world, Rosa returns.Having completed his studies and started three highly successful ventures, Gunther attends his class reunion — alone.Their eyes meet.They dance again and think of what might have been.

==Including Luann a few days as she specifically pointed out this was how she did not want to be==I suspect that Evans had Luann make that statement because Nancy had warned her not to be needy and grabby, and not because she honestly felt that she WAS being needy and grabby. But maybe I’m giving Evans more credit than I should….

Now is the time to try those moves Qu has been teaching the G-man!

It would seem that Rosa has made a New Year’s resolution to start 2014 with a clean slate. Congratulations, Gunther – you’ve been dumped on New Year’s Eve at the stroke of midnight! That’s a world’s record for “pathetic”!

A couple more:

“She’s Out of My LIfe” by Michael Jackson“If This Is It” by Huey Lewis & the News

Oh, and one more tune:

“My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)” by Chilliwack

Compared to Gunther., your typical Beta Male looks like an Alpha.

Shoot, compared to Gunther a Theta male would look like an alpha.

He’s getting on to it … Rosa might now be able to escalate the rate of … um … osculation .. a little. That seems to be her goal!

Go Gunthie! Go Rosa!

Clearly, Rosa wants more than a kiss from Gunther. Considering the last exchange between Luann and Quill (“You can grab anything you want, Luann”), this strip is becoming more sexual, which is sad to see in the comics. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times, but still, it’s the wrong message to send to kids, in my opinion.

Rosa wants a lot more than a kiss.

Rosa must be bored to death with Gunther. He is a nice boy, but she must want a man. He is like a puppy, very sweet and loyal, but he can’t take care of some of her needs.

Unless Gunther is finding out he’s gay, he’s an idiot for not taking up Rosa on her obvious offers. (Though as my daughter, a former teenager, explained once boys are stupid and miss almost everything. Speaking as a long, long ago former teenage boy, I would agree.)

So does Luann. Maybe they’ll both get what they want.

= I wish her joy in her 2D life and for that to happen, she needs to be with Gunth=But what about what Gunther wants? From his expression in the last panel, it would seem he wants to be with Rosa, not Luann.

If he is that uncomfortable talking about a kiss, just imagine how he would be trying to talk about sex. He will be a V all his life.

Gunther will be a single man living alone in his Mom’s basement until she dies, after which he will preserve her body through taxidermy and then start wearing her clothes and speaking in her voice.

= Rosa is an illegal=Per Wikipedia, the character ‘Rosa’ was born in Washington DC and raised in Italy, France and Mexico. She speaks 4 languages, so she is clearly the intellectual equal of Gunther (and clearly more intelligent than some other folks….)

And Aaron Hill (had he not perished in the volcanic eruption, of course).

=Let me give a visual so it may be seen properly==All righty then…..

Beautiful, but sad….

Nah. Gunth and Crystal would never work.Sez You!

I forgot one for Both Rosa and Gunther:

“Love Is Like Oxygen”, by Sweet…

“Love is like oxygen… etc.”….

That’s up to themStay tunedsame bat time, same bat station . . ? or was that only for Adam West’s Batman?

It’s that faint praise thing.

Luann , future wife. :-)

Do you think Luann, who has been all “clingy and grabby” in demanding Quill’s attention, would put up with Gunther’s one-kiss-per-year style of “romance” any more than Rosa would? I can’t imagine that Luann has any regrets that their not-really-dating is a thing of the past. Remember, she knows that Gunther likes to hang out in the library stacks naked.

> That happened only one time.>That we know of, you mean.

And doing that even just one time is still pretty freaky, I’d say.

She wants Mr Gray, not Mr Milquetoast

B.A., Bible Study & Teaching. And like I said, to those who are perishing, the preaching of the Gospel is foolishness. The dead do not think.

I was glad to see that Knute and Crystal are still going.

Pathetic just pathetic.

Go Knute, go Knute!

I guess Rosa wants to go hot and heavy.