Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 05, 2016

A great couple of idiots.

So much for Gunther’s plans, I guess. But Bernice must think her plans are moving right along; she suggested that Gunther remove Tiffany as a possible rival in her quest to ‘claim’ Piro.

Too bad we have no idea what (if anything) Piro might think about all this!

Poor Gunther, he need some extra virgin olive oil

And now Gunther has the happy task of going home – maybe Quill will be there, maybe not – but knowing that Mr. Gray will be escorting is beloved Mom home at 4, 5, 8 am? The poor boy will soon be faced with one real choice – grow up and take charge, or be left all alone, with no one there to shovel the dirt in when you die …

If you go back to the 1st, Gunther offered to pay for her tea. Of course he thought she was his date.

He’s more confused now, than before.

Who woulda thought – Tiffany is a nicer person than Berneice…

bernice needs to move on and grow up, being fixated on one person like that is so unhealthy, as a counselor in training, SHE should know that

New poll up: Is Ox the most perceptive person in the room?

Pick One1) 26 votes – Other2) 23 votes – Gunther3) 17 votes – PiroOther: Pick one what?; Ox; Puddles; to be determined; Academia; Ford Prefect,since that’s obviously who Piro really is; Gunther and Tiffany; If those are your only choices, you need to meet some new people; Crazy Cat Lady; Bernie Sanders; Or the other loser, behind Door Number 3; Bernice, like Luann, needs to just chill for awhile.Career, not guys.; The Tiffster (I’m a guy!); Quill!; Both, of course; neither; chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream; Zane

Bernice doesn’t care about helping or protecting Gunther. She thinks that by playing matchmaker, she can “free” Piro from Tiffany’s clutches (nonexistent, as far as we know) so she can pursue Piro. Her motivations have nothing to do with either friendship or being an RA.

Another incomplete pass, time to punt again, Gunther. This is getting a bit frustrating. For the sake of sanity, bring back Crystal and Knute.

I am resisting being overly snarky about other comments, although it takes a lot to do that sometimes. The obvious issue is that Gunther cannot bring himself to be assertive enough to make clear what his “move” should really be and its for the attentions of Bernice, not Tiffany. Bernice is still caught up in her fascination with Piro, and her belief, not correct, that there is some kind of romantic relationship between Tiffany and Gunther. Calling them idiots implie that they have an extraordinarily low IQ. and they probably would have the highest IQ between them in the strip, if IQs were something you could test on fictional characters, but I think there might be a very low emotional EQ here, but not one on intelligence. Their respective weaknesses doom their true relationships, for now. Actually Luann and Quill are much further along in their relationship, even though there is a major hiccup at the moment.

Well, Bernice definitely blindsided Gunther. He may be waking up after Ox’s comment, though.They are all still teens muddling towards adulthood. Unfortunately, some ugly sides have been reveled lately.I want to know when it will be reveled that Tiffany has just been helping homeless Piro the same way Bernice did.

There is no evidence that Piro is anything but a bum. She is looking very stupid, Gunther should be glad he won’t be getting involved with her.

Bernice had this all figured out. Unable to score any info on Piro (because all guys don’t know all of the dirt on all other guys) she can still use Gunther as a wedge between Piro and Tiff. And Gunther is usually a little quicker of mind. He should have shot back at Bern about why she was letting Piro sleep at Tiffs.

Well Gunther, THIS Was a Colossal WASTE if TIME.

Bern Calls YOU to Talk about Old Star Head, While Calling You an “Oddball” then Proceeds to Get into YOUR Personal Business, and Has The GAUL to Give YOU “Romantic Advice” on How to “Claim” Tiffany, the Gal You’re Only Helping With Her STUDIES Out of the shear never ending Goodness of Your Heart, “Caveman Style!” (DEEP BREATH)

OH. And According to Some Readers HERE, and in Other “Luann Forums,” YOU are Not even Supposed to get MAD about ANY of This because Somehow THIS is All YOUR Fault!

ENOUGH! Gunther? HUNT Down Piro. Talk to Him. Ask Him what Classes He Takes, Who His Teachers are and Where His Dorm Room is. Oh, and ASK Hims what His REAL Name is too. And DON’T Let Him Give You any of that “Piro IS My Real Name,” CRAP Either. And if He EVADES ANY of Those Questions, Alert the Campus Police About a Possible Trespasser.

Then Go to Bernice, Tell Her Piro is in SERIOUS Trouble and Has been asking for HER and SHE Should Go to Him Right Away. Then Sit back and ENJOY the Ensuing Romantic “TRAIN WRECK!”

Again, You DON’T Have to THANK Me…..,

“Two, Divided By Two”“A Love Quad Wrangle”“The Elevator Of Love Let Me Down”“Jack Fell Down, And Broke His Crown”“A Really Blind Date”“Intent/Shuns”“Kafe Express… Oh, Boy_…”“Apples And Oranges Are Still Both Fruity”“West End Girls” (♫)“You Don’t Know What It’s Like….To Love Somebody” (♪)“What Am I Doing Here?”“Thanks…..But No Thanks…”or“A Couple Of What?”

And just think- when he was with Rosa, if ever he wanted a date or relationship, he didn’t have to worry about the process…or the answer- even though he did worry about it…but, still…..

I’m lost. When exactly did Ox become the clear-eyed repository of wisdom?

I’m sure your Piranha knows that if it did get to live in the hamster’s world, it would be a “fish out of water”. A not so hungry fish, anymore, but still….

Is Ox wearing a skirt?

Thanks, Ox. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to travel to the Middle East and hire myself out as a eunuch… (Go Comics land – whose joke was this, originally?)

Don’t worry, this storyline will be dropped at some point and never brought up again, as soon as the Evanses realise that they can’t actually think up anything to do with Piro.

Why is Ox wearing a dress?

she said tea, but ox said coffee, so what is it???who is on first, you know the rest.

How could Bernice have continued with this false assumption when just a few mins ago (2 strips back) Gunther had said Tiffany was “dumb”.

What is that ridiculous thing Ox is wearing?

The Evans are setting Bernice up for a great fall down to reality, a place that includes transparency and authenticity.

Tiff and Piro are made for each other.

Bernice is confused, badly so. She not only does not understand others but she does not understand herself. It is pretty common when people do not observe and do not use introspection. I would like Bernice’s backstory — not what we know from school and friendship, but WHY she is so afraid of studying life as anything but a book lesson, and WHY she is so afraid of breaking rules, and WHY she is so afraid of not being the good little girl always. Again, i hope that the university health center can provide help.

Gunther would do better with Tiffany while not the sharpest tool she’d give him what he needs, Bernice is intelligent but clueless on life.

Well, he did insist.

Gunther and Tiff have a long and complex history:

.,

Bernice asks Gunther out . . .-——————————————————If you think back to when they met at KaBoom Gunther said “My treat.”, so Bernice did not stick him with the tab even though she instigated the date coffee!

Who is going to live with T.J. when Brad and Toni get married? Pyro, maybe?

Bernice likes Pyro and wants him away from Tiffany. She wants Gunther to make a more agressive move on Tiffany so that they become a dating couple. That way she has a better chance at getting Pyro interested in dating her instead of Tiffany.

Although i woukd like to know Bernice’s deeper backstory — the part that made her so afraid of introspection, observation, breaking rules, and not trying to fit everyone into patterns — i would even more like to see someone teach her how to engage in the first two skills. Seriously, if you asked that character why she is doing what she is doing i think it is pretty clear that the reasons she would tell herself and others would differ from the reality. A high percentage of people i have known like that begin bad patterns of drinking.

For someone who is studying psychology, Bernice sure has no idea how to listen to people or read their body language or see things from others’ point of view.Backstory or no backstory, she’s really more fundamentally self-centered than Tiff.

Piro would never be interested in Bernice. He doesn’t seem like the type who could be bossed around, and Bernice is way too controlling.

So this was a rah rah session to tell Gunther to go get Tiffany so she can get Piro? :::Blink::: Really?!?!

Ox is clueless…just like Gunther.

Poor Gunth, confused, thinking this was a date and Bernice really likes him.

When is he going to learn to speak up? Most annoying individual!!!

What’s with the cute sundress Ox is wearing? What’s on his feet, a pair of Jimmy Choos? Why does he let T.J. make him dress like that? Why does T.J., for that matter, make Ox wear a sundress rather than a respectable apron? And if Gunth and Bernie are the only customers, The Fuse, or whatever it is, is soon to revert to being a deserted warehouse.

I think Mr. Grey will become a guiding force in Gunther’s life, not a parent but a trusted older male.

Ox’s waitron outfit is…beyond horribly bad. I thought so yesterday but didn’t comment because I didn’t get the best shot.

Greg, what the hell is that thing? Why? How can TJ make anyone wear that and not be labeled the worst boss in the world? How can they keep any staff?

Eleanor Rigby died in the church . . .

Maybe Ox should keep the costume. Business at Kafe Kablooie seems pretty slow, so TJ should consider converting it to a Medieval theme dinner show, with Ox as Little John or Friar Tuck.

Mr. White was also a member at one time of the Jazz combo, the “Ramsey Lewis Trio”.

Implausible said, about 2 hours ago@argy.bargy2I think that would depend on when the kid found out about his brother/sister.-———————————Bern knew nothing about having a brother until she was at least 16.

Until this week I liked Bernice. Now I don’t.

The apron was white before, and should have stayed that way. .The coloration is a bit better in the Spanish version, but still wrong.

You really nailed all the things Bernice did wrong. How about a list for what Gunther did wrong, too? Like calling Tiffany dumb, being one of those guys who thinks he’s nice even though he’s not (politeness isn’t niceness), having that dirt-like beard…

Hey, did Bernie ever meet her adopted away brother? Is it possible that he might have had a name change or have a nickname, such as — perhaps — Piro?

-Finding out at an older age that someone had a previously unknown sib given up for adoption, or, conversely, that they themselves were given up for adoption, may not guarantee freedom from emotional issues.

Way back when I was a teen (and Tyrannosaurus Rex was running around, lol), we used to go to a small mom and pop grocery store where a girl in my high school worked for her parents.

At some point, a distant relative came in to be waited on and praised her for working so hard in the family business, ‘even though this isn’t really your family’. That was how that girl, at age 15, heard for the first time that she was adopted. Her adoptive parents had been unable to have a biological child and adopted her, and then two years later were able to get pregnant.

The girl in the store, age 15, had a total nervous collapse over it. No one had ever said anything to her, and from that point on, she no longer trusted anything anyone in her adoptive family said.

So there’s just no telling. But when I learned about Bernice’s older brother, that’s when I started wondering if that partly explained the way she was…

Maybe Bernice should talk with her big brother.

I remember college being a more desperate version of high school. We were all on the lookout for our perfect match, while going to school, studying and trying to grow up.

I’m actually getting a laugh out of these kids.

Don’t take all of this so seriously. It’s not like any of us were perfect in our thoughts, words or deeds. Our lives probably looked like some version of this- different people make different faux paus.

-This has become the year the music died. David Bowie, Glenn Fry and now Maurice White.

Is there any chance at all that Gunther will now realize at last that Bernice just can’t be shoved into his plans any more than Rosa could be, and he finally decides to meet someone new at Moony? Or are we doomed to watch still more re-hashes of this same (non-)relationship yet again, over and over? Of course the Gunther-Tiffany pairing(???) must be re-run as an interlude, between each one of the Gunther-Bernice non-interactions.

Thanks, Brdshtt, that was a kindness. Of course, i know that the ideas i have been playing around with today and yesterday will not happen, except maybe the Cool World scenario to win Nancy’s heart (Oh, someone’s inseam just got longer), but i do hope they have given a bit of laughter!

If I had been correct (which I wasn’t), it would have been the principle of the thing.

Sigh..Another wasted week in Luanniverse.At least the Evenses have fully displayed what a self-centered and manipulative character Bernice is..Of course, the whole Bernice/Piro thing will go nowhere. Either be dragged on forever or just dropped. There’s nothing about either Piro or Bernice that would make Piro be the least bit interested in her.

When did this strip turn into a maze of lab mice, trying to find their way, but constantly getting lost? I think it was after the high school graduation..Greg traded fun for frustration. I may be wrong because I lost touch with the comic pages for many years. But Mutts, Soup to Nutz, Dogs of C-Kennel, and a couple of others make me smile. Luann is very well drawn, but constantly annoys me. But I keep coming back like Charlie Brown keeps trying to kick that football.

Note: Happy Chinese New Year to everyone on Monday. It’s the Year of the Monkey, which somehow feels right for me. Just noticed that a 6.4 earthquake hit near Tainan, Taiwan where I lived for more than a year in my youth when it was barely more than a village. Stay safe, my old friends.

How is a cup of coffee like Peru?

Answer: maybe it will be a learning experience for Gunther. Or not. How dense can a supposedly bright guy be at age 18 (if not already 19)? “Shy” doesn’t cut it anymore….

Airman, I hope that those dear to you from your childhood are safe.

I think Gunther should go home and drink 3 or 4 bottles of Peruvian beer. It would at least provide an excuse for something to happen in this story, instead of having these people just constantly spinning their wheels by avoiding communicating with one another.

Oh wow I never read this arc before! Thanks for posting them Brd. So then what happened ;).So wasn’t this like eight years ago? I was having a problem trying to read Luann in the newspaper back then.

Such communications gaps!!

Or, “There’s An Ap-athy For That”

SPOILER ALERT

Pot whining about kettle, take two

Only about a half hour till tomorrow’s strip. I am going to be up anyway for other reasons so am hoping that when i take a break to see the strip that Argy’s guess/hope/blue-sky-creating was right. That proposed scenario w Ben really appealed to me.

Thanks!

-Too bad it’s not the internment of this arc…

I cant believe this, but for the time being, it is good to be OX.