Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 17, 2015

Was she going to say “bum” (as in “bumbling idiot”)?

It was kinda “misleading” to Gunther, seeing as there were fancy-like plates, and Grey Poupon on the table, and that “All Fruit” stuff, instead of just the regular ol’ jelly…. – Wonder if the “battle” would be between the Bergers, and “out of nowhere”, “quiet old Mr. Gray” utters his first words in the strip, having to mediate between the two?

Ahhh, regrets. Too bad, bucko — you made your choice, now deal with it!

“Living On The Razor’s Edge”“Not By The Hairs On My Chinny- Chin -Chin”“So Quiet, You Could Hear A Whisker”“Froim A Whisker To A Scream” (♫)“Beard There, Done That”“Stubble Time, Doubletime!”“The Two Sides Of Berger Canyon”“Take These Broken Wings…And Learn To Fly Again” (♫)“Don’t Hate The Bearded, Lady!!”or“The First Ettiquette Is The Deepest” (♫)

Should have stayed down south, at least gone over to Rio for Carneval.

just waiting amused by the little bearded one.

Agreed, I used to love him when I started reading but now he’s a jerk

I mean seriously, if it was that incredible he would have stayed longer. Denial. Not just a river in Egypt…

Yikes! I am not liking this new Gunther very much.

And maybe realized he goofed …

Maybe, instead of dinner, they should go to a movie… 50 Shades of Mr. Grey, maybe?

I think I know how Gunther feels. Some of my most unforgettable memories are my worst ones. I wouldn’t trade them for anything – but I wouldn’t do them again for anything, either.

LOL!

So what is this “adventure” that happened on the tour bus (when he grew his stubble) that Gunther doesn’t want to forget?

She’s not going to marry Mr. Gray. She’s just using him for his body.

My grandmother once told me that boys/young men who are disrespectful to their mothers will most likely be disrespectful to their wives and other women in their lives. I have a low opinion of men who yell at their mothers or other elders. (He was shouting yesterday when he insisted that his mother was planning to marry Mr. Gray.)

…Much fear I sense in you, young Gunther. Much Anger. The Dark Side are they…

Gunther’s whiskers absolutely symbolize growth in his case. I hope he doesn’t shave for dinner and I hope the arc brings input from Mr. Gray on all this. However I’ll be disappointed if Mr Gray is as old fashioned as Mom. Gunther: Tiffany likes your whiskers. That’s the input that should interest you.

But we already have a Mr. Emo! We don’t need two!

I’d think that Gunth would WANT to shave that beard off. That trip he took turned out to be a dead end and something he’d want to forget.

If there were a soundtrack playing to segue to the next scene, I’d guess it’d be “I’m A Man”..no, not the Spencer Davis one… and not even the Chicago version……it’s the Gunther version…. – (♫) Well, my (back)pack is very big, so don’t mess with the whiskers on my chinAnd I was hung up on Gray skies, but now I know it’s just the windI ain’t got time for no woman, cos the one thing that I’m aboutIs the one thing you see on my face, that I can’t seem to do without:

Well, I’m a man.. And you can tell by the way my chin chips grow….Can’t help that I’m a man, Sir, watch my beard!Doesn’t move when the wind blows….

Well, I sit at home and think about some more ways to resistThe unplanned moments, the dangers of an impromptu kissBut if your spontaneity should make it past my structured yardThen of this fact, girl, you do well to be on guard:

That I’m a man…See? You can tellBy the way my stubble shows…I’m a ma-aan, that I am!And I love the way my side-locks "grow"….

Yeah, my calculator is charged by the power of the sunAnd if your favorite letter’s “A”, well, then you’ll think I’m a lot of funBut somehow I’m a puzzle, and I’m missing my inner peaceSomeone turn this ship around, There’s a new issue to be released…

Cos I’m a man, Yes, ma’am, I am!And it’s about time to let it showYeah, I’m a ma-an, Understand!That dumb Quill was right again, but don’t tell him so…..(♫)

God gunther strips are miserable. I don’t know if it’s how theyre written or what, but I wish I could wait until Brad/Toni/TJ get another story.

At the rate this story is moving, Gunther won’t be a man till he’s started losing his hair—or till it’s started going gray!

Invite Tiffany to dinner and see how Mom likes it.

Going just on the “growing older” part, it’d probably be a harrowing experience… for him, a new “wrinkle” on the bio-text of “Grey’s Anatomy”…..

Gunther, you were not trekking across Africa in search of David Livingstone. You were staying in a business-class hotel in a national capital, and then took little more than a day trip “into the wild”. Your “incredible adventure” was the equivalent of staying at the Intercontinental in D.C. and taking a side-trip to West Virginia.

IOW, get over yourself.

He actually looks better with facial hair, but he’s being an absolute asshat now so it cancels out any improvement in looks. I can understand him having second thoughts about leaving Peru, but he shouldn’t be trying to prevent his mom from having a life that doesn’t include him in everything.

He needs to grow up.I hope Greg gives him time!

A long time ago, on a website far far way, the people that would comment on Luann would also comment on 9 Chickweed Lane.Very sad day on that page, closing along arc.

That’s me also every time I have to read these postings!

Wasn’t his ’adventure basically doing a guided tour of Peru with a bunch of retirees?

Wow, can’t believe all the hate for the new Gunther…good for him sticking to his guns for not shaving! Just wish he’d let go og the whole Mom/Mr Gray thing though

Actually, Gunther’s real adventure was either eating a hot pepper or getting drunk!

For a man that had an exciting adventure, he is sure acting like a little baby. He needs to grow up.

I still think Mr. Grey is Gunther’s dad

I kind of like this Gunther. He is a teenager and is now acting like one.

Huh. She uses the “Nice Dishes” for “Mr. Friend” but any OTHER time its Paper Plates.

Oh. And if Pretty-Boy were Sporting a Beard, Your Mom would be THRILLED, so DON’T-SHAVE-YOURS.

And QUIT Calling Him "Silly’!!

For someone who calls himself a Man Gunther is sure acting like a four year old. And how ‘unforgettable’ can his adventure have been when he spent most of it whining about Mr. Gray while it was happening!--I’m not so pleased with Mrs. B right now, either. If her kid wants to look a bit scruffy, so what? I thought the point of the dinner was for Mr. Gray and Gunther to meet and Gunther to accept that his mother was moving on with her life just like he is supposedly moving on with his.

Gunther does need to lighten up on his mom, realize she needs companionship other than him. I do like the longer hair and scruff, also the stronger backbone; but, he needs to broaden his vision.

Is Mother Berger being completely forthright in her declaration to Gunny that she is not going to marry Mr. Gray? Or is she just covering her options until such time as he actually proposes?As for Gunny’s “manly stubble of remembrance,” I suspect he will either soon enough tire of it or, alternatively, decide to fly back down to Peru and try to reclaim Rosa and resume his “incredible adventure”!

Don’t lose the beard Guth. By now you have realized that it’s an improvement.

Why would he do that? His girlfriend was ready to dump him so she could do menial labor in a remote mountain village. Right here at home he has suddenly become a hunk.

Whenever I read Mr. Gray here, all I can think of is Mr. Grey (the alien) from Dreamcatcher. I wonder if this one will turn out to be an alien too.

I’d tell smothering Mommy Dearest that I don’t care if I impress her Mr. Gray. SHE’S the one that doesn’t like the beard. She wants her little smooth-cheeked baby Gunthie back.

I have to hope that this week’s arc will lead to Gunther leaving the house. His mom still wants him to be ol’ “Gunthie.” He has to go and become his own person (as she is becoming her’s). He knows he can do that now and live to tell the tale. Maybe Rosa did teach him a thing or two (maybe also the Senioritas).

As the B52 said to the tanker…. “BREAKAWAY…BREAKAWAY…BREAKAWAY!” (Rock Hudson – “A Gathering of Eagles”)

looks like the grumpy one is thinking only of himself and has no concern for his mom and what happiness she may find now that he is grown. Just because he is maybe 19 or so doesn’t mean he is an adult.

I wonder if Mr. Gray is a FWB! After all… she is a woman with needs…

News flash for everybody telling Gunther to ‘grow up’. That’s exactly what he’s doing.

His character is meant to be human, not all that different from anybody else at the end of the day, and he’s not just going to wake up one day accepting everything like a ‘grown up’.

Gunther is working through/past his immaturity and insecurities, but he’s going to need a little time and maybe see a few things with his own eyes before the light bulb comes on for certain things

We’re getting to watch the sausage being made, patience will be needed from the readers, and his comic strip mom will have to deal with the growing pains so many real world parents have had to deal with in raising any kid.

Menage a trois. I was so proud of having remembered that phrase yesterday. I don’t remember my comment, but why was that deleted? (It must have been just TOO insightful!)

Gunther is finally growing up – a little later than some, but it is good to see. He is learning who he is, and that he can think for himself. Now he has to figure out what that means, and there will be challenges in that. I like the Gunther who is finally growing up (and anyone who has raised kids, lol – this is a necessary part of growing up – it is usually done at 12-14. So about time for Gunther!)

Right on Blue owl

I think that Gunther just jumped the shark. Time to move on.

The tedium with Gunther just goes on and on, day after day. How about bringing Luann back to her strip, or Brad, or Toni or even TJ. All are far more interesting than this jerk.

Gunther is in a tug-a-war with himself. He wants his mother to stop dictating his life, but he doesn’t want to stop dictating hers. Both of them have control issues. I’m waiting to see how Tiffany changes him.

This is painful. He is such an idiot. The psychological issues here would keep a therapist busy for decades.Mom actually seems to have recognized the problem but is not dealing with them appropriately. She needs to smack him down verbally. But she won’t and that is part of the issue here. He’s an (almost) adult and but is regressing into an infantile state. Can everybody say “Bates Motel”?“Norman Bates: A boy’s best friend is his mother. "“Norman Bates: Well, a son is a poor substitute for a lover.”

Not sure that Rosa would have reception; probably no cell towers where she is…

Sure hope so. Only way sonny boy is gonna actually grow up…

No, I don’t think this is Evans speaking. I think this is straight out Gunther speaking, trying to convince his mother and friends that he actually did something other than whine about Mr. Gray while someone paid for his room and board AND he earned a nice paycheck. -Adventure? Not so much…

Thanks for repeating this comment. I must have missed it. Fun stuff!

uh O; DOES THIS MEAN ROSA IS GOING TO SHOW UP 6 MONTHS PREGERS?

Please let Gunther go someplace far away and stay there.

I like him; but he’s just now learning to become a man and there will naturally be growing pains.

Breaking away from mother who smothered is difficult thing. I had to do it when I went to college and in particular when I came back home during Christmas break. It can be infuriating to be treated like child when you changed so much during the months you have been away. Gunther has always been written as a good person. He will undoubtedly grow past this and stop attacking his mom when she treats him like a child. As for jealously issue about his Mom having a boyfriend…I think he needs someone like Bernice to distract him from that.

Why are these arc’s so long anymore? There’s no variety of characters anymore. Who’s really running the show anymore? It seems there is never any resolution to any of the story lines that would enable them to develop further.

“incredible adventure”?? He griped the whole time and came home in a funk. Sheesh.

It’s a good thing Gunther doesn’t know what kind of underwear his mom is wearing.

I’m still hoping for some form of communication from Rosa (which could also mean that she’s not totally gone). I think her personality and her outlook on Gunther helped him “come out of his shell” a bit more than Luann, Bernice or anyone else ever did… she got him to “loosen up” some at the pool party, he began to show a bit more confidence in dealing with others, as well…

And too, maybe Gunther looks back at what is happening there at Moony, and what he’s now going through at home (no matter who is in the right or wrong) and sees that though not for everybody, now he realizes what was of interest for Rosa there, and sees that when he was there, he could do that “growing by going” experience that both Quill and Mrs. B kept encouraging him to see. –

And perhaps he’s also realizing (as he has struggles upon returning home) the “full import” of Rosa’s words: –

shakes head, I bet that Gray and G talk and become friends in a week or 2, and by next year G will give Mom and Gray his blessing

Yeah, but as some have said, not only is college not for everyone , but also for some, they become “disillusioned” in certain environments, including college. It’s not so “cut and dry” that one would find their place in either situation. – But the case could be made that for Gunther he’s not finding what he expected. He probably feels school is not the place he enjoyed at Pitts (much like Tiffany is finding it different as she too finds she’s a “smaller fish in a bigger pond”). Perhaps he realizes it’s not all what he “planned” it to be. Perhaps in his mind, he may be faced with either “falling in line” in the way everyone “expects” (“that’s good ol’ ‘predictable’ Gunther! And he’s doing what we expected!”) or even the possible “no matter what he does, he’ll always be ‘such and such’ Gunther to me!” or he could be realizing that he was already in a place (down in Peru) where he would be able to grow. And though none of us are ever free from some form of “authority and accounting”, perhaps he now realizes he had more room to grow down there, than he did, up here….

Peru pushed to do things he never thought of, not on his Agenda calendar………………. so far back in Pitts, “Good old Gunther Brow,,,,,,I mean Berger, we can always count on him doing these things”…….he might be realizing that is time for him to do things “not in his Agenda calendar” BY SELF CHOICE, maybe in Pitts, maybe in Peru, maybe somewhere else

“…Until we see Gunther give college a fighting chance….” ^No one’s saying that he’s on a plane tomorrow . But then again, it is a comic strip, and “Luanniverse Time” is not dependent upon “Linear Time”. But all the same, this seems to be the pattern developing…. – “Remember that everything Gunther did in Peru was always out of his control…” ^And remember too that he has/had as much control at college as you’re saying he did/didn’t have down there. There’s no clear cut pro or con for either one in that regard. – But also as a “subheading/footnote” to this point, he didn’t have as little control down there as you are saying. He did choose to go along. And as you yourself said, he chose to leave. He also chose to go. He became popular there with his workmates because of his ability. But the thing that he had down there that he doesn’t have up here is the ability for he and his mother to grow, without “getting in each other’s way”. Even a dorm room doesn’t always ensure freedom (at least for some ). Of course, it’s not a “one size fits all” sort of thing. But in some ways, it seems to be a pattern that could be developing here….

Is it just me or did Greg give Gunther’s mom a makeover when she started dating?

RB2…. you did those in MS Paint?!? That is quite impressive…. that is a program that I find a rather pronounced pain in the posterior.

Is he growing his “look” for himself, or for others? Apparently for others, which suggests it is simply a facade. What next? He can suddenly create a band and start impersonating Justin Bieber…. he will have to get some straightener first though, so he can “flip” his bangs properly. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++With pretty much everything about Gunther at the moment being basically just a farce and facade… and his actual interest in college is practically zero… and he is spouting out old-man cliches like “A `man` who had an incredible adventure he doesn’t want to forget.”…. he is just being annoying and sad.

RB2… Very Well Said!!! (what Gunther needs to do at college).

From the FB page: - https://www.facebook.com/luanncomic/photos/a.419496828110617.96827.375722822488018/879615605432068/?type=1&theater (or click here. ) -Sort of that “Alex Trebek: Should I shave it or keep it?” kind of thing. At least only as far as today’s Luann FB post goes…..

The only thing in Peru that changed Gunther in any way, apparently, was his week on the tour bus, where he changed his shirt and grew the stubble that he now fiercely protects as a reminder of his “adventure”. I still believe the Sun City Senior(ita)s are a bus load of transvestites.--Maybe during his week with them, Gunther learned someone things about himself of which we shall later see the evidence.

Gunther’s Mom looks a bit different today! Less matronly, a bit svelter, more confident! I am happy about that! She also sounds more confident. I am hoping she carries a confident response through to Gunther’s statement in the last panel today. No nonsense, kind, truthful.

lets look the possible psychological reason he does not want to shave…………….. is almost not possible it was Luis, his stubble BEGAN when he was with the senioritas, so we can put the ladies as a factor plus he doing what he told Q he wanted to do(visit places in Peru), but I can add that it meant A LOT that Sofia(his coworkers by extension?) hugged him as it meant they cared about him as a coworker, and also that she took the time to give him his final paycheck plus she informed him of status of Rosa, those few days meant a lot to him

Dude, I came pretty close to laughing out loud. An incredible adventure! Hahaha!

So, all I got from that is, you both don’t understand what Karaoke means.

Hugh Laurie is so attractive, I kept watching even though I didn’t particularly like the last couple of seasons of “House.” Perhaps he is responsible for all the stubbled guys nowadays!

RB2… I actually enjoy them as well. I wonder if your approach is similar to how Garfield Minus Garfield is done? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Perhaps (since the parodies seem to get under the skin of some people) it would be advisable to print on them something that clearly defines them as parody (such as putting “Parody of Luann” in the title and “re-purposing the art work of Greg Evans” in place of what you stated in the above “Oedipus Gunther” and “by Greg Evans”. In this way, those of us who enjoy your speculations can still do so, and it may help the people who do not like the parodies a bit more accepting of them? Just a thought.

Meanwhile, in Peru:

“Mammi, Rosa’s bothering me again! She’s distracting me from making my tourist crafts to talk about social justice!”

“Ai! That girl’s going to get us arrested for supporting the Shining Path with talk like that!”

“Tell her we need more sticks for the fire and rocks for the garden wall. That ought to keep her busy for a few hours. And hook another propane bottle to the stove after she’s gone, I’m making Causa Rellena later.

Later, I’ll ask Padre Ramón to email the clinica to ask if there isn’t a more “deserving” village she can go visit."

Gunther’s the only one who believes his crappola:

Ma Berger sure looks pretty tonight! Hope Mr. Grey wears his grizzly toupee. For a ride in the— Ford.

@ ReallyBad2: (responding to comment 5 days ago. Sorry I’m late!)……Yes, I admit you have made some valid points, but I fear you overlooked the real reason Tiffany posted the Luann Video……At first, it was to keep Luann quiet about filming the teachers during the dance. But then Tiffany tried to blackmail Luann further by making Luann give her an old book report on Moby Dick (which scored an A), so Tiffany could pass it off as her own. When Luann refused, Tiffany broadcasted the video.So, Tiffany did deserve the punishment she received, which included getting booted off the cheerleading squad.

A long time ago a friend of mine had a Hagar the Horrible cartoon stuck on his refrigerator that read:“Dang! I forgot to shave again this morning.That makes twenty years now!

Luann is not Bern, Delta, Rosa or Gunther, capable of getting almost(if not all) As, but I can see her getting her fair share of As in certain classes, and having to work hard in getting Bs and Cs in other classes, and I can’t see her getting Ds (unlike me, I always got As in classes I loved, and classes I did not dislike I was able to get Bs and Cs, and ones I disliked I usually passed them with a D and from time to time I was able to somehow get Cs)

Don’t take that tone with your mother. She does not deserve to be treated like that.

So Luann’s report on Moby Dick didn’t get just an “A”, but an “A+”? I’m sorry, but that’s even harder to believe than that Gunther has somehow “grown” on account of his “adventure” in Peru. I can, however, believe that Mr. Fogarty wouldn’t recognize that same A+-winning report from one year to the next, because… Fogarty.

“I think if Gunther keeps telling us he had an incredible adventure, Evans hopes we will believe it. So far there’s nothing incredible about a organized tour with senior citizens.”

What’s incredible is that he went to Peru in the first place on the spur of the moment for love, and he got as far as the remote village. Then he ate that chili (that in itself is sort of an adventure) got drunk, abandoned (thankfully with the senioritas), and saw many awesome places on the tour, so at least he got to see more than just Lima and the remote village. So I would say it’s somewhat of an incredible adventure. If it happened to me, I would probably call it an adventure.

If you take away the beard and hair he’d look like Karl Pilkington. Especially in the third panel.

in an 86 toon she got an A in Art, lot of people get As in certain classes and other grades in others, not all of them get just As or basically all Bs, or in the case of Tiff all Ds (mostly due to her laziness and not wanting to learn, unless it is fashion)………….. I can see Luann in HS getting one A here and there, and in the other classes split the Bs and Cs, can see her getting only 1 or 2 Ds(if any)……….. we Know Bern and Rosa got all As along with Gunther but with G working hard to get the A in PE if it is not about just showing up, and I think we can easily see Delta also getting all A(maybe 1 or 2 Bs, but unlikely)

I know this will be a Question out of “left field”, but of those we see or saw as “main characters” (including the main main and the main supporting ones), the only one who seem not to have last names are Quill, TJ, Crystal and Knute, and some present and past recurring characters are given last names (Leslie Knox, Ben York, Ann, inferred Shannon is Daytona, Elwood…….. ) while others kind of important recurring characters(at their time) were never given a last name like Diane and Zane, are their last names “hidden somewhere” in past strips?

Wiiliam!

in HS I got As in History, Reading, PE, Math and if teacher was interesting, in Geography too, while in other classes I got Bs and Cs, with one or 2 As in English,,,,,,,,,,,, my only Ds were in Typing, workshop and one class of writing was an F(disliked the teacher) but made it up in summer school into an B with a different teacher

Everyone is down on Gunther. I’m not, even though he was insensitive to his Mom earlier (Quill tried to remedy that). New Gunther seems less fearful and cowering, more willing to say what he thinks. He held his own pretty well with Tiffany. Hopefully he’s not going to let her take advantage of him. I’m interested in this new Gunther.

Don’t forget the creative writing that Luann did along with Aaron..She had had her victories and her good grades from time to time.

It makes sense, I suppose, that Luann would get an A+ on an essay on “Moby Dick”. After all, she’s a literary creator herself, as the lyricist of “I’m A Snot”.

I’m not even going to hazard a guess at what Chim – Chim is looking at…

“GO SPEED RACER… GO SPEED RACER…. GO SPEED RACER GOOOOOO!”

A badge of courage?Sorry!It takes more than a beard, for “survival.”

Gunth has become a pain!Maybe we should see how much Tiff has changed?None of this Gunth & Bern stuff.

Greg musta been in an awful hurry when he drew this one. Gunther looks weirdly different in every frame.

Knute Boltz ;), Crystal Cleere ;) TJ Santos(Dad is from Argentina and he is not a saint), Quill Penn ;)

SPOILER ALERT!-G explains the beard to his mother.-Oy-Wish this whole arc was a bad dream sequence…