Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 08, 2016

Right, they just LOOK like they’re bat-spit crazy!

fine place to talk sensible: a talent show

I thought Gunther and Tiffany were going to do an act together.What is he going to do with that prop? A vetriloquist act?And what is Tiff going to do? Dance? Prance? Preen?

No, You two CAN’T be Normal Again!No, You two CAN’T be Friends.

A-Ha, So You ADMIT You were Chasing Star-Head, Bernice, Ah?

Hey, Is THAT a Dead Rabbit???

“Normal,” “weird” and “sensible” are terms whose meaning varies greatly depending on who is talking.

This is one weird story arc.

Love means never having to say…..

“….Here’s that check for your washing machine repair. The cable repair guy says he’s almost done, and I hope your cat is doing better. I hear tomato sauce will get that skunk odor out in a week, and my own vet says that the purple coloring and the similarity to a blueberry is a normal reaction to that sort of thing, and he should be back to normal, soon….”

I see everyone got this right away. It is great that Bernice is being apologetic, thoughtful and humble, and Gunther is reciprocating in kind, but sensible? Being in those silly costumes I had to admit I laughed out loud at the last panel.

Bernice looks like Little Lady Lovekins.

http://www.gocomics.com/origins-of-the-sunday-comics/2014/04/13

“The Grapes Of Rash”“A Craizin’ In The Sun”“Citizen Insane”“The Burning Bridges Of Maudlin County”“I May Need A Tequila, Mockingbird!”“Try Hard”“Raiders Of The Lost Spark”“Ex Men And Women”“Dial M For Mistake”“How Green Was My Alley?”“Nineteen Hundred Eighty Four Dollars”“Desperately Seeking Susan, To Apologize”

“Guess Who’s Not Coming To Dinner”

or “The Reckless Club”

Gunther gives too much value to “sensible.” “Not Crazy” is good enough. “Sensible” sounds boring…

About Tiffany: Magicians and Illusionists often use a scrumptious looking assistant to draw away the attention of the audience while they are doing their slight of hand. (or in many cases the Assistant does all the work, anyawys) Also that’s most likely just stuffed bunny.

Bernice said “while I was chasing Piro” in the first panel. Does her choice of the past tense “was” mean she is giving up on that quest now?

No way are they going to be more popular than Knute and Ox’s 75 year old act.

Normal again? The exceedingly low hormone levels of Pittsville strike again. People who seem perfect as a couple, will meander through a platonic relationship as any thoughts beyond this just don’t seem to occur to them.

Just don’t be “too” sensible, people. :)

NO! Get back to Les. That’s going to be a story…

ha get it? they’re all done up silly-like but saying they are sensible. genius.

Got it.

A match made in weirdville. Yeah, so doable.

Gee, what would someone who is going to be doing a magic act be doing with a rabbit? Hmmmm. . . I wonder if that big old hat he’s wearing might be a clue?

Very clever.

Last night I remembered the comment of Mrs. Berger, thinking of how her son could impress the newly arriving Quill,“And my Gunthie just loves his magic.*Now we see a woman cut in half and a rabbit pulled out of a hat!

Of course. Two sensible people, dressed in two ridiculous costumes. Well one anyway and one with a stuffed rabbit.

I’m afraid to read any farther. It’s apparently against the comic strip rules for two people who are REALLY compatible to link up.

If they actually considered it, they could make for an interesting couple.

Despite some people wanting it, I feel that both Bernice and Gunther do not belong together. They will get bored out of their minds after a while.

What they need is somebody who can shake them without taking them out of their comfort zone. Who can put some adventure in their lives.

Gunther is capable of doing that. He did that with Rosa, but he go disillusioned when he saw that Rosa had a different view of the future than him. So Gunther is willing to go to Nepal with the right somebody, provided that they return in a week or so to his daily routine.

I think Bernice would do the same, provided that she finds that person who can take her out of her foxhole.

@Ken Hense“The use of the word “crazy” is way too flexible and not precise in any way by the vulgis pecum.”.vulgis pecum or vulgum pecus?Pretty sure I’m one of ‘em..Insane has no clinical definition but does have various legal definitions..Best to say, “I know it when I see it,” I just don’t understand why people keep saying it while seeing me.

7Overall… a nicely done set of dialogue today between Bernice and Gunther. I like it.However, I also worry a bit that this may be leading us into an arc where Bernice and Gunther attempt a romantic, boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. I certainly hope this is not the case. I think it would be far, far less interesting than:Bernice and PiroGunther and TiffanyAnd….. I am also perfectly fine with there being a reduction in romance arcs in general here…. I would be perfectly ok with the basic boyfriend/girlfriend arcs taking a backseat for a spell.

I like stuffed rabbit with steamed carrots and fennel.

I wonder if Bernice even realizes that in the second panel, Gunther is talking about both of them.

-I sure wish good ole Rocky and Bullwinkle were signing up for the talent contest at The Fuse. I’d pay Les good money to see that…

Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is, pardon the pun, “old hat.”

Now, the REAL trick would be getting a hat out of a rabbit.

(I credit Ryan Styles of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” for that joke.)

Aha! A jab at Frazz, perchance?

Of all people, I can’t imagine Bernice using ‘disrespect’ as a present participle.

Of course that happens. I have known a few in my life. It is funny though given the context of the recent relationship between the two costumed characters and the subject of the conversation. That was my point.

You know, with the world going to hell and everybody seeming to hate each other, it would be nice to see a few of the cartoon characters actually make a connection and share a little romance……something nice for a change. At this point, I don’t give a crap who it is.

Gunther’s last ditch effort to point out their similarities.‘we’ re two sensible people’. But that’s not enough to hang a steady relationship on.

Bullwinkle: " Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat..".Rocky: “Again?”.Bullwinkle: “Presto!”.Lion: ROAR!!!.Bullwinkle: “Oops, wrong hat”.

Classic.

“Weird is the new normal.”.I’m normal?That’s weird.

“As others have pointed out, that’s the joke.”.Not you too?

“I was tired last night and haste makes waste.”.Hope you’re rested now.

@rhelburn said,’Gunther’s last ditch effort to point out their similarities.‘we’ re two sensible people’. But that’s not enough to hang a steady relationship on.".True enough..Regardless, but enough to expect decent comportment.They can do it if they try.

In the act of the Amazing Gunther and His Lovely Assistant Tiffany no live rabbits were injured. Instead, he pulled a stuffed bunny out of his hat. Very responsible approach, though silly-looking.Does this mean Gunther and Bernice may be getting (back) together?

SukieCrandall said,

“it seems that every 40 to 50 years people wind up forgetting the lessons of the previous hundred years.”.Or past 20 years or even two years ago.Each generation needs to learn it for the very first time and the rest of us need to forget the idea that the past, never to be repeated..“They confuse communism for the more free socialism or liberalism and embrace it, or they go wild for fascists thinking that is being conservative when it is not,”.And the people take a favored word and apply it in an unfavored way, thereby killing the good connotations..Of course communism and socialism both have problems with the concepts of private property and individual freedom. Those were once the basis of conservative thinking. Both sets have been taken over by people wanting to force others to do “the right thing” as they decide to define it..I mentioned to a friend that I tend to have a more libertarian attitude (without the extreme versions, of course). He confused “libertarian” with “libertine” and was horrified...“Everyone should be free to think and act like me.”seems to be the only idea many have in common(Of course, everyone actually should think like I do, but only if they do it freely — especially since I’m apt to change my thoughts in the rare instance I’m wrong.)

argy.bargy2 said, “We are in the ‘Dark Ages’ part of another human cycle”.Take heart.As a whole, enlightenment continues..Much of the world still dwells in darkness and dislikes light.Many people even in America, the greatest nation in human history, still prefer darkness..If it will make you feel better, my buddy Wiki points out The Dark Ages may not have really been all that dark. Just because the Roman Empire fell apart doesn’t mean that was altogether a bad thing. Mankind moved forward; the scholars just didn’t write it down..“The term once characterized the majority of the Middle Ages, or roughly the 6th to 14th centuries, as a period of intellectual darkness between extinguishing the “light of Rome” after the end of Late Antiquity, and the rise of the Italian Renaissance in the 14th century. This definition is still sometimes found in popular use, but increased recognition of the accomplishments during the Middle Ages has led to the label being restricted in application. Since the 20th century, it is frequently applied to the earlier part of the era, the Early Middle Ages (c. 5th–10th century). However, many modern scholars who study the era tend to avoid the term altogether for its negative connotations, finding it misleading and inaccurate for any part of the Middle Ages."

@DavidHuieGreen“…….you’re like the rest of us now.”.We’re all alike, we just don’t like what we see in others sometimes.

SukieCrandall said,

“it seems that every 40 to 50 years people wind up forgetting the lessons of the previous hundred years.”-———————————————————————————50 years ago, the internet did not exist. People on one side of the globe had little clue of the day-to-day lives of those on the other side. People and cultures were more separated. Before 1960, white Americans had no understanding of how black America really lived and still lives; their lives and associated hardships were largely under the radar as were those of gay people who have existed (biologically) since humans and animals evolved. Because the holocaust occurred before the computer age, there are actually people who believe it didn’t happen. Now, with social media on top of the Internet, everyone is in each other’s face literally… 24/7… A lot of people cannot handle it… i.e. people different from themselves. It takes patient upbringing and maybe even a good liberal arts education to teach people about one another (different cultures and biologies) and to have compassion. The average person does not have all or even one of these luxuries. As our cultures draw closer and closer due to the media, people will continue to rub one another the wrong way.. to misunderstand …..It is hard to know the eventual outcome of all of this…

This is fun brainfood:QUOTEDavidHuieGreen said, 1 minute ago.We’re all alike, we just don’t like what we see in others sometimes.END QUOTE

Gunther, later that night: “Oww, the fake mustache glue ripped my stubble out! What was I thinking?”

“Closure Mouth”^One for the hall of fame!

“…What a different a well-placed comma can make…!…”-————————————————————————————

I am reminded of that wonderful book about punctuation called “Eats, Shoots & Leaves”.

Ohhhhhhh, love your comma play!

Most days.

Spoiler: Luann gave a $10, Ox gave a $5, guitar man gave paper money, and Gunther was getting out paper money. How is that going to add up to $16 even if none of the other 30 acts gave? Notice whose idea the collection was…

Gunther’s last line is the reason why it wont work. it is like falling in love with the female version of himself. too much sensibility, not enough humor from either one.