Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 14, 2017

Oh, great. Piro again.

“He Just Stole Away …”

Stealing TVs…stealing hearts….stealing attention…probably some stealing of recipes, somewhere…

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Greg did a wise thing, putting his name and the date on the couch…just in case someone tries to steal that ….

Nope, not dreamy at all.

Luann is quoting verbatim Pru’s recent comment about Les when she said, “Why make drama where there is none?” Luann has previously said that Pru is the big sister she never had. And this shows that Luann is channeling some of Pru’s personality.

Boy, everybody’s got something to deny here. except maybe Dez.

Theater and earth mother mystical? Wait isn’t that Whoopi Goldberg?

“Why make drama were there is none?” Because most of the plot in this strip is dependent on exactly that.

Being the Trufan that I am let me do my before bed comment: Luann may or may not like Jack enough, and she may or may not be affected if Tiffany has a relationship with him, but she does not freak out as she would have before, and she has a more mature, why have drama, attitude. Of course she puts the finger, innocently, right on the drama that her bff has over the mojo man Piro. We know that there is a lot going on there, in more ways than her inability to be non-dramatic over him. Dez is bringing in the tea, maybe it will be a calming influence.

I thought it was kind of funny that Bernice was about to get snarky with Luann when she was asking if Luann would care about Tiffany seeing Jack, then suddenly Luann brings up Piro. And Bernice gets all dramatic, which is what she expected of Luann.

.

I’m personally happy to see Luann realize that she doesn’t need all the drama when she really doesn’t have emotions invested in a long term relationship with Jack. Whether she realized this on her own, or absorbed it from her talk with Prudence, it is still a good step forward for Luann. And I’m sure many of the Luann-haters (especially on That Other Site) will be disappointed…

Good thing Bernie is not on the stand in court over the matter. By the time she gets done, everyone will know exactly what happened. Keep it together, Bern. Drink some nice tea. Have some of Dez’ special placebo – flavored brownies. There, that’s it…

Forgot to mention, the tea is a special tea wherein they feed goats tea leaves, the goat processes the tea into round, green pellets, and you steep the pellets in hot water to the desired strength.

“Hide And Speak”

“Don’t Cry Over Guilt Bilk”

“Your Freudian Slip Is Showing”

“Pressure Cooked Her”

“Conceal Of Approval”

“A Cold Case Needs A Warm Cover”

“My Bud Is Not The Wiser”

“You Can’t Feel The Heat…But My Heine Can”

“Mouthful Of Slippers”

“Give It Away, Give It Away, Now!” (♪)

“To Know A Veil”

“Nerves Of Steal”

or

“She Blinded Me With Silence” (♫)

I’ve frequently grumbled about how un-sexy Luann and Bernice are compared to Tiffany, Toni, Nancy, Crystal, and Rosa. But, I will admit that on the larger scale, Greg’s drawing, composition, and story arcs are actually very good. The ladies of 9 Chickwood Lane seem to be drawn with a fine pen and are quite delicate. Of course, McEldowney’s males mostly look like gorillas, and his story arcs are not exactly “down to earth.” But, compared to the ladies in other strips like Arlo and Janice, or Zits, Luann and Bernice come out pretty well, and they also “clean up” good for things like proms or weddings.

Luann hasn’t untangled yet. At this point it shouldn’t matter if Tiffany goes after Jack. Luann found Jack to be OK – but there’s gotta be better suitors in Luann World. Also – it seems that once Tiffany scores a date or two with somebody – it’s over.

Piro is expendable- I think the story goes better if he’s gone.

Don’t these people ever have any classes?

Ah! The return of the missing TV arc! Did we get there by segue or on a Segway? ;o)

Bernice’s inadvertent stutter may lead to more questions, then, hopefully, answers.

Aw come On, Lu, Admit It. The REAL Reason You’re “Yes, No, May-Being,” over Caveman Jack, is because He Doesn’t have the “Dashing Good Looks,” You so Mindlessly Crave. Else You’d be Tearing Out Great Hanks of Tiff’s Hair, by Now….,

So Bernice still thinks Piro may have stolen the TV. Interesting.

Nice deflection Luann!

Then they go to Tiffany’s place and find her there with both Jack and Piro.

Bernice’s comments are interesting. She may know where Piro went and where he is now. Future strip material? Luann recognizes drama when she sees it.

Oh, what tangled webs we weave,When first we practice to conceive…

“Piro sought asylum in Canada to escape being deported back to wherever he came from.”

I hadn’t thought of it, but deportation would be hard if folks couldn’t prove you weren’t a natural-born citizen and also if they couldn’t prove which country to deport you to.

“Why make drama where there is none?” . Excellent start, Luann … the good influence (Pru) is starting to work.

Bernice is very cagy about keeping secrets.

I had wondered if Dez had any inkling of the Piro caper.

I still think the best end to the TV arc is that LES stole it by sneaking into the dorm after a random girl opened the door, scared off Piro from the common room where he was watching old movies on TMC, then took the TV. The only other possibility is that Piro took it boy wouldn’t that crush Bern, Tiff, Gunther (admit it, Gunther isdying for a proper emo role-model, aka Piro) and the campus cop who want to give Tiffany extreme interrogation…

In as much as Dez, Piro, Pru and Les all suck as characters I think the best think for this strip would be a big summer party when Bern, Tiff and Gunther can get out of the dorm, Luann can drop joke and emo-man, and Crystal, Knute and Delta (home for the summer) could get together, share face-time, bring people up to date on what they’re doing. And in general try to revive what it was that made this strip interesting.

kinda funny how Luann quickly shifted the discussion away from herself and Jack.

Luann and gang are drawn with bold lines and a relaxed feeling. Chickweed women are drawn with very fine, delicate pen strokes. They are almost fragile, but the technique and colors are most imaginative. It is art for art’s sake, and the storyline is secondary. I like to look at it, but I like to “read” Luann. (and, I like to look at Tiffany).

Hmm. The Case of the Missing TV resurfaces, and clearly Bernice is filled with anxiety that her dreamboat has sailed and sunk….

Methinks that’s called a “Freudian slip.” “Stole away…”

More of an unintentional pun than a Freudian slip, which reveals unconscious feelings.