Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 11, 2017

Cruella DeVille strikes again.

I suspect Mr. Gray is about to have a chat with Miss Prudence.

Well, that “friendly” family conversation went rather well.

OMG that resolved this story arc rather quickly!

Well, now we pretty well know that Ann is Al Gray’s sister and Les’s mother. That should squelch a lot of speculation to the contrary.

Somehow I suspected that Al Gray would find out, and be instrumental in unraveling the situation. It’s about to head into some very interesting drama.

Ann Awful is the pun and she always hurts someone.

And all this time it was Mr. Gray we had suspicions about. He may end up being the hero of this story arc.

Oh, scamming runs in the family …

He should look into the contract to see if there is a provision stating that no other employees aside from Les can be on premises. He may want to station some of his henchmen around the perimeter…

It actually looks like Ann has beaten ‘Gray’, rather than Gray ending her game…

Well these panels answer a number of questions guys! Mr. Grey and Ann are brother and sister, they hate each other, and Ann has some plans that might effect his investment in the Fuse, and his interests and concern for her son, his nephew. I mean Luann and Brad are a normal brother and sister, they love each other, and can’t stand each other sometimes just like every brother and sister does in the real world. Being an only child I would have been happy to have a sister who I could be pissed off at sometimes while I knew she always really loved me, and would have my back, as I would hers. But Jonah and Toni have a twisted kind of relationship, and now we have Mr. Grey, and his rebellious, angry, horrible sister, Les’s mother who by the way had a cop husband who was killed (in the line of duty, or…?). Are we past the grade school Aaron Hill phase people? Anyway, drama mama. Luannverse is getting quite dramatic while being comedic. Panel by panel, it’s like those shows on tv, where the characters, with whom you have gotten so invested in, reach an irresistible point, then its continued to the next day, week, month, sequel. Man, so addicting its like crack, and I mean that in a nice way (lol).

Finding out that her brother has an interest in The Fuse SHOULD cause Ann to abort what she’s planning, but she seems determined to risk it.

oh boy……………. let’s look at a worse case scenario so we will not be flabbergasted with what actually happens ( fingers crossed it will not be hugely bad ) ……………… Lingerie show means dancers and possibly Ann being a Miss Fleiss wannabe and Ann and Les might pander drugs and hard liquor and the fuse that night becoming a cesspool of swinging indecency

This seems too well planned out for Ann not to realize her brother wasn’t an investor. Hmm, we’ll see what develops.

Me thinks he will turn back into The Fuse and ask Les why his mother was there. Will Les be honest or tell him a lie?

La di dah di dee

La di dah di dah

The beat goes on.

OR…

A dilemma

And the drama

Maybe a comma

Then the karma

After all, shawarma

Looks like Pipe owes Dog a pouch of Tobacco…

A few comments were saying Mr. Gray hates Ann, but I didn’t get that vibe. Doesn’t trust her, sure. But his calling her sis, and saying he only had an interest in what she was doing because he had an interest in the Vibe makes me think it’s not hatred.

At this point, I think Pru needs a serious talking to about boundaries and her role as an employee.

This will not end well.

AE was rude & sassy – leaving Mr. Gray in the dust – likely because she didn’t want to talk about why she was there.

Tears for Pru – Icicles for Mr Gray. Ann can really turn the faucet on & off. She’s a natural for S & M. (uh-oh, could that be the private gig coming up?)

Luanville. Population: 52All related. :-)

“Is there a Mister Gump, Misses Gump?”

We have room for a Mr. Eiffel, and a Mr. Knox.Time for Mr. Gray to provide a few details?

….and please please please, never pair up Les Knox with a girl named Ethel Ghass.

One would be well advised not to trifle

With that schemer, the awful Ann Eiffel

But if anyone can

It’s the friends of Luann

Her comeuppance might be quite delightful

Hopefully Pru will fill him in and he’ll either put a stop to the “party” or will insist on being present during the party to make sure nothing illegal happens.

Any thoughts as to the real event they’re planning. Obviously, they have something else in mind. I’m thinking a casino night.

I’ve been wondering if there’s going to be an event at all, or if they’re just going to make a copy of the key and call it a night.

Then they can wait a month or 2 and do whatever they want at 2am without any suspicion coming their way.

The only problem with this plan is that comic arcs don’t work that way.

She’s less mom. Wow. Beware of the quiet ones Anne. I think he will put u in your place. And less as well.

Now we know why Mr. Grey likes Mrs. Berger. She is refreshingly good and kind.

Looking back, this arc was bound to happen. On 2/29/16, Mr. Gray requested the DeGroot’s hire Les (his nephew) because he had “a hard life – single mom, bad upbringing.” On 5/06/16, Mr. Gray revealed that Les’ mother asked him to hire Les. Whether it was for the Fuse specifically remains to be seen. What is obvious is that Ann is up to something.

And I do not think either Mr. Gray or Les are involved in Ann’s scheme. Les reluctantly suggested his mother’s “business” to Pru, probably due to pressure. And today’s strip gives strong indication that Ann’s relationship with her brother is as strained as her relationship with her son. Finally, despite what some people think, Mr. Gray has been straightforward and honest. He brought needed experience and money to the Fuse by investing there; his interest in Gunther’s mother has been clear; and he has given Les much needed paternal guidance.

Well, that clarifies a few things. Ann is, in fact, Les’ mother and Al Gray’s sister. Now, whether or not it helps resolve what’s going on in re: The Fuse, remains to be seen.

My gut still tells me that Ann’s involvement will have a negative effect on TJ and Kafe Kablooie, and that it might be what gets TJ out of the strip for a while. I just hope that Al Gray can save both TJ and Pru in time.

We’ll see.

I included this elsewhere as a reply to help a newbie, but it struck me that otgers may be helped, so here are some Evans links:

Notice the “next button” going deeper into arcs, and remember that sometimes there are surprises:

http://www.luannfan.com/who-is-ann-eiffel-p-1/

http://luannfan.com/meet-the-gang/

includes this about Les:“take what he wants, hurting others if need be. He’s had at least one run-in with the law, has absent parents and lives with his uncle, Mr. Gray. Les is a ticking time bomb; he’ll either somehow find a new path or end up in prison.”

and this about Al Gray:“Wheeler-dealer? Shrewd businessman? Con artist? Inscrutable Mr. Gray isn’t revealing anything. He is uncle to Leslie Knox.”

http://thecelebritycafe.com/2016/11/interview-greg-evans-creator-of-comic-strip-luann/

On the ages of Luann and her cohort including Les:“GE: I’d never planned to age Luann. But when you have a story-driven strip, you eventually use up and outgrow all the jokes for a particular age. She was 13 for 14 years. Then she had a birthday in the strip and turned 16, where she stayed for 15 years until she graduated high school. Now, I don’t reference her age, but I think of her as 18 or 19. Still a teen. Meaning she’s been a teenager for 31 years! In real time, she’d be 44. Lots of strips use this weird time-shift template in which characters either don’t age at all, or they age at a glacial pace. Many newer readers think LUANN is like For Better Or For Worse, in which characters age roughly in real time. But that’s not the case.”

So, that is all info right from the Evanses to help with your and others’ confusion.

We see why Les is Les by the way his mother acts. She doesn’t give two hoots about her son or anyone else.

The way she ran from Hitch (Mr. Gray) says a lot. He as a far reaching effect on people.And she fears him.

Well as I said before, the plot sickens

A “RAVE” night is on the way.

So hopefully Mr. Grey will prevent anything happening that shouldn’t happen. I am also wondering if perhaps when the Fuse was built if Mr. Grey had discreet recording devices installed (just not in the bathrooms, anyone else ever see the episode of NYPD Blue when Det. Connie McDowell discovers a camera in a bathroom of a bar and realizes there is videotape evidence of a rape that was committed there?)

Mr. Gray to the rescue!!

Hey. You what would REALLY make this Story Line Complete?

Well, what if right in the Middle of the “Lingerie, Pole-Dancing, Gambling Casino, Theft of Private Property, Bible Study Meeting,” a Groggy Piro Wakes up from behind Stage and Yells:

“HEY Pipe DOWN!! How the Hell is a Homeless, Mysterious, Ex-Military Vet, with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Supposed to get any Darned SLEEP around here with all this RACKET going On??? OUT, All of You! Except for that Young Lady on the Pole. You Remind Me of Bernice.”

One would have to wonder if Ann is the way she is because she feels society owes her something – a young wife with a child and her husband a police officer killed in the line of duty.

Question: If Ann is Mr. Gray’s sister and Les Knox’s mother, why isn’t she Ms. Gray or Mrs. Knox?

Wellll … Sis? – Voom – Bye!!

Phonetically similar to “Sis-Boom-Baa!!!!”

Also, one of the BEST Johnny Carson/Karnac jokes EVER!!! :)

#SavedByTheGray

Did you ever think that when Ann Eiffel was introduced into the strip, way back when, and then summarily eliminated, way back when, that Greg would find a way to reintroduce the character as Les’ mother???

Ann must have known her brother is involved with the Fuse. She’s not concerned about it.

In the first frame – Ann looks frosty – and very hot! Funny how that works.

@kenhense That’s why her name is Ann Eye-full.

I don’t know where JayBluE is today, but I have some candidates for the “JayBluE Ribbon” here:

“Va-Va-VOOOM!”

“Big Brother Is Gonna Be Watching You”

“Sis? VOOOM! Bah!”

“Invested Interest”

“Su Business Es Mi Business”

“Almost Does Count”

“Totally Exhausted”

This will be a long developing arc where, in the end, Bernice and Ann get married.

These comments turn it into a Soap Opera PDQ

wonder what car Greg had in mind as inspiration?

Steve Dallas is their cousin. It’s a fact.

Okay, just working this through in my head. Leslie Knox, who has just graduated High School, is Ann Eiffel’s son. Now she is seen as a young and shapely woman so we can then assume she was Leslie’s age or younger when he was born and probably was never married to whoever Knox senior is or was. If she was, then she later married someone named Eiffel, because if she was using her maiden name it would be Grey as we’ve just learned she is Mr. Grey’s younger sister. This leaves us with several questions. Is Grey Mr. grey’s real name, is Eiffel Ann’s real name and who is Leslie’s father? Is the whole family just a barrel of rotten apple and if so what is Mr. Grey’s secret. There is something almost malevolent about the former Las Vegas nightclub owner with the union and trucking connections. And will Pru fall in love with Leslie,s mom as Leslie continues to pine for Pru? This comic makes a Telenova seem tame.

Oooooh, so Leslie Knox lives with Uncle Al Gray? We didn’t know this before. And isn’t Ann driving an awfully fancy car for a poor single mom who struggles to make ends meet?

I wonder if Ann has anything to do with Les’s collecting donations for “charity”?

Let Eiffel chase after the millionaire computer game guy if he’s still around.

And Prudence is GREEN due to inexperience …

Ann E.‘s car is YELLOW, (and here, I thought it was a cab at first, cuz’ she was doing so, SO poorly :( …

And Mr. Gray will be RED when he finds out what’s about to happen! …

(Does the traffic ahead NOT look good??!! … Nope, not good to me!)

Love the Apex Battle between Evil and Competence.

When Ann Eiffel last saw TJ, her parting words were “you haven’t seen the last of me”

Ann’s plan here is to destroy Kafe Kablooie and get even with TJ.

Pru has said before that she has “learned to read all kinds of people”. Pru is well aware of what’s going down and is doing a great ‘acting job’ for Ann.

The “Sting” goes down and Ann gets arrested. They also find out that Ann was behind TJ’s food truck explosion.

Now back to Luann’s new job!!

‘Sis’ needs an attitude adjustment, before she gets herself put in jail for whatever she’s up to here.

Mr. Gray (if that’s really his name) is Annie Eiffel’s brother, suggesting that Leslie Knox’s father, if Knox was really his name, is (or was, if there is even a tiny shred of truth in the sob story Ann told) if once married to Ann, not her only ex-husband; or, did she just adopt the “Eiffel” name for funsies? Her speedy departure ought to alert Mr. Gray to the likelihood that something fishy is going on….

If that’s all as clear to you as to me, well, golly!

@JPW: Voom (both of them) for sure,  since most might say she’s a looker,  though she’s probably quick to run ’em over and leave them in the dust!

_

In addition to what others have suggested, I would like to throw in “When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (Platters) and “Burn Rubber” (Gap Band)…

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I was travelling out of state today, just got to my lodging!  I was kicking some of my own around this morn,  didn’t get a chance to comment,  till now… colors kept coming to mind…

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“Gray’s Blues”

“Wrecks And Violets”

“Always Been Fond Of A Cool Mint”

“Been Around The Black,  A Few Times”

“Silver Tongue, Dagger Eyes…And What Used To Be Some Red Tape“

“Pretty Ugly,  In Pink”

“Smoke On The Wanton” (♬)

“Aren’t You Glad, When I Peel Out?”

“Cold Yeller”

or

“How Green Was My Cash?”