Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 20, 2017

This seems anticlimactic. Ann’s scheme for a lingerie sales party was … to hold an actual lingerie sales party?

And uh one Ann and two Ann.

A little late posting, but that went somehow well.

Episode 20 minutes late again. This might be a permanent change.

Very anticlimactic as this is only Friday. What will they do for Saturday?

That cash box full of twenties does not seem to be big enough for risking anything nefarious.

I’d kind of like it if this was the resolution.

It certainly feels like an emotional resolution of sorts.

How sharper than a serpents tooth it is to have a thankless child.

Not as many of us had predicted. Nothing obviously amiss, and nothing for Les to blow the whistle on. Kind of disappointing.

The only positive side is that he’s standing up to her more than in the past.

…But there’s one more episode this week. Who knows?

That last panel… Second panel, Ann hands him a twenty in his left hand; in the fourth panel, he apparently has taken another twenty with his right hand. // Hmm. Return of the “old” Les?

I wonder if she was promoting some sort of pyramid scheme involving selling lingerie?

Wonder how well it would have gone if she hadn’t moved the sign on the door.

Sad. Seems to want to take up the trappings of the role she rejected log ago.

Looks like Les took a second $20 bill and said “Thanks Ann” again to hurt her. Lots of kids had to move on from broken homes – they didn’t all have to get back at people every chance they get.

Kind of a letdown after all the speculating about what was REALLY going on at that party…

Is that all there is? Is that all there is? If that’s all there is, my friend, then let’s keep dancing…

Looks like the exiting guests all had a good time. I didn’t think Ann would be that talented as a host – but something went right. It still didn’t look like big money was involved. Questions remain, like What went on that Pru was not allowed in? Why didn’t Ann tell her brother anything? How did Ann get the expensive car?

Mhm… this wittle piddy went to market… this wittle piddy stayed home… this wittle piddy had roast beef…. Well, what do you know, ran out of piddies! Gee, ain’t I a stinker?

The most interesting thing I can think of for tomorrow would be a single panel interior view of the Fuse.

…with sound effect.

Some posters seems disappointed that the content involving the actual lingerie party was skipped over entirely. I was at the least expecting Les to say something about the front window being taped over but that was skipped too. Honestly, given this is a comic strip, and the fact there are kids reading this, I’m not surprised. I’m glad Ann’s event went “better than well”, but it doesn’t look like it’s smoothing things over with Les…

Yawn. Glad it’s over.

I love this strip. If you guys don’t like it, why are you reading it? I can’t believe the gall of some of the commentors on this page. Jeeesh! Lighten up!

Somehow it defies good sense that it was all legit, and that Ann’s only shadiness was in wangling Pru down on fees.

It’s in Ann’s character to be devious, and she clearly didn’t want Pru to attend the event. Something’s got to be amiss.

Tomorrow, will some Fuse managers return and find that something’s been ripped off? Or will a complaint be served to the Fuse about illegal activity? …Methinks the fat lady has yet to sing!

Coming next week: 15 panels (3 panels a day for 5 days) of Ann lifting another $20 bill out of the till and Les snatching it from her hand while saying, “Thanks, Ann”.

.

She’s wearing him down.

Anne should realize that it takes a lot more to fix a damages relationship. It’s not something you buy for $20.

We have no idea how long the event was.

Monday could find Gunther and Tiffany asleep on the couch with the TV playing.

I don’t know why so many people thought Ann was going to do anything illegal. She has done stuff that was unethical and could get fired for but not anything actually illegal. At least, not that I can remember and I have a pretty good memory for a 63 year old.

We didn’t even see the party? What a waste of a storyline!

The lingerie was the sideline.

Ann paid no security deposit.

Les, check the men’s restroom.

I personally know several women kinky enough and with enough mad money to pay $20 to write whatever they want to on the walls of a men’s restroom.

After everybody leaves ,less will go to the office and check the CCTV tape and find out what was really going on behind the green door.

To Les, you’re a stranger, not a mom.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

There’s been some speculation that Ann was doing a bad MLM deal.

But here’s another possibility:

Ann possibly sold samples, but, in any event, took orders for more merchandise. So she took in much more money than any samples were worth.

But after a week or two, when the women have not received their merchandise, they’ll be back at the Fuse demanding refunds.

Since Ann was just renting the space, Al Gray can probably get the Fuse off the hook. But in the meantime, Ann will have fled to Argentina with the proceeds.

It’s been said that it take a quarter of a million dollars to raise a child to 18. I think Ann is more than delinquent in her payments. But to earn the name of mom you need to bandage a few skinned knees.

Les is a POS!!!

I was expecting Ann was up to something illegal….this is kind of a let down. It went too smoothly. Waiting for the bomb to drop….and we find out what she’s REALLY up to.

Now this was a big letdown wasn’t it?  But come to think of it when did Les get the authority to schedule anything there?

WHAT?! Where’s the drama, the intrigue, the story arc?

Is that Luann’s doppelganger in panel 1?

Do I see a reconciliation in the future?

AT LAST! LESS HAS FOUND HER WEAK SPOT! TIME FOR ANN AWFUL TO START PAYING THE BILL! what is shocking is that it looks like Ann held a genuine lingerie party. Would love to see Less and Rhonda Nabors hit it off.

As others have said, there is still one more strip this week, and the cliffhanger to boot. We’ll see what’s forthcoming. That said, given Ann’s history, I’m having a tough time believing that this lingerie party was “totally legit.” But it might have been. And the “by invitation only” thing could have been simply a matter of protecting the privacy of those who were invited. It is possible (as some have said) that the “party” is just a diversion… that the real story is about Les’ relationship with Ann and how it evolves. Which would explain today’s strip. I like that Les is still “resisting.”

We’ll see how/where all this goes.

Wouldn’t mind seeing Ann in some lingerie poses.

Now It"s Ann’s turn to be “exposed” as human…  Though it seems to always be Les’ turn to grab some cash…

-

To some, this part may seem “anticlimatic” ….but it’s only because of what we’ve “programmed” our own expectations to be on the lookout for.

-

But, even more so, think about this:  Ann has been embroiled in controversies so much so, before- that to have it ‘change up’ to her not seemingly try anything, would be the twist!

Her desire to have the party done while the fuse was closed and no members of the staff – except Les – there seemed to be an effort to hide something. She wouldn’t even let Pru attend. Maybe tomorrow will yield a cliff hanger we will need to wait a month to see.

Wait a bit more for it. Ann is/was up to something. This is a slow con, but it is coming.

“Profits, To A Tee”

“Give And Take….Mostly Take”

“Couldn’t Get It Right” (♬)

“Taking Stock in A Loose Bond”

“Another Brick In The Wall Street Wall” (♩)

“He’s Banking On You”

“For The Love Of Money” (♬)

“Les’ Reckoning Of Days”

“It’s App-arel To Her, But Not To Him”

“You Can’t Spell Duo, Without ‘You Owe’ "

“A Son’s Set-tlement Clause”

“The Unboxing Rebellion”

“For A Few Dollars More…” (♩)

or

“Les Likes His Greens”

Lay that baggage by the curb, Les. There ain’t no future in it!

That looks a lot like Luann smiling so broadly in the lower right corner of the first panel. Just sayin’….

curious to know what the Fuse’s cut will be or if AE tries to stiff them.

…Is he giving the extra $20 back?

Revision of an old saying: "When Ann is happy – ain’t NO ONE HAPPY!!! … This ‘un ain’t over yet!

I agree, this could be a slow developing scheme of some type, such as a pyramid or ponzi sales scheme. Of course the guests had a good time. That’s how they let go of their money. Time will tell. Or not. The thing is, Les has stood up to Ann and let her know he doesn’t respect her.

They’re all probably leaving with bags of dope or something. I still don’t trust her.

4

My morning pipe and coffee commentary:

Hmm. All indications now suggest a real Lingerie Party took place. Does that mean NO nefarious activity occurred via Ann’s efforts?

If yes, that is an extreme surprise (and somewhat of a let-down as it seemed to be building and building in that direction).

If no, then will we get some glimpse of something else behind the scenes to whet our appetite for subterfuge and intrigue?!?

If as JPuzzleWhiz has been suggesting, this whole Lingerie arc has ONLY been designed to really focus on and give us backstory on Les and his Mother’s relationship…. then I think it HAS been successful. But it then has also had a very significant “red herring” aspect as well. The build-up of the story, the involvement of Prudence, and even the blocking of the window of the door to the room…. all would be red herrings if this arc is ONLY being written to highlight the Les/Ann relationship.

I am tending to doubt that Greg would have SO MANY red herrings in a single arc like this, so I am still of the mindset that there is still something nefarious going on and we will get a glimpse on Saturday.

Pipe and coffee finished…. now back to work.

ATTENTION MORDY (your FAVORITE TOPIC: coffee):

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/impacts/impacts-of-climate-on-coffee.html#.Wen6yOv3aK0

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-28/the-scientists-fighting-to-save-us-from-a-world-without-coffee

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-coffee

Found for you after noticing this about people trying to save your coffee (and, no, these are not like that fake Navy Seal who was on Fox News which finally retracted the story after complaints from real Navy Seals – for people who do not know Mordy you have to understand that anyone trying to save coffee plants will be a hero in his eyes to comprehend that comment):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/business/the-race-to-save-coffee/?undefined=&utm_term=.b59856bfa291&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1

This premise makes sense as does the development of new coffee strains and investigation of new growing locations, but i had no idea of any such group existing and never heard of this before, so know nothing about them, i.e. check them yourself if interested:

http://www.coffeeandclimate.org/initiative.html

FOR MORDY (part of a continuing effort to help fellow commenters who have known specific strong interests)

Maybe we’ll see another clue tomorrow as to what really transpired, or maybe it’ll wait till the next “lingerie party”.

I don’t know if the cash box is an indication that this was not really a lingerie party or if it is an indication that Evans doesn’t know anything about lingerie parties. I would expect to see checks or a credit card machine. Lingerie is not cheap and you sell a lot more if you take checks or credit cards.

Didn’t I see this bit on the opening intro to The Jetsons?

I originally created this as reply, but when i saw how much i had to say i decided that it shoukd be its own post:

SUKIECRANDALL LESS THAN A MINUTE AGOEach of them needs to get past self-identifying as being regularly victimized. In most of the situations where they behave that way, Ann and Les has each CREATED the situation.

They have also created their bad relationship, especially Ann since she abandoned Les to the foster system after her husband’s death even though he was a tiny child who was confused and also in mourning for his father.Then when Les got out of high school his uncle had to take him in; He is not living with Ann.

Did he steal from Ann and did she take tge son she had abandoned to court? Yes. What led to that? We do not know. Maybe Les had nowhere to stay and needed a family loan to survive at the time, or maybe he was just out for revenge.

Whatever the situation, as long as each of them stays stuck in self-perceived victimhood and passes the buck over and over and over instead of accepting responsibility for mistakes and learning the simple human task of saying, “I am sorry.” they will never resolve anything. We already see this bratty aberration in some very public adults who constantly think the world should rotate around them instead of shouldering their responsibilities, learning (finally) how to apologize and admit error, and discovering how to place the needs of others before greed and doubled-down butt-covering.

These women look like they are in their 30’s and 40’s. No prom dresses for them.

It’s one thing to earn money. It’s quite another to earn the right to be addressed as “Mom”.

i still say the money is the wrong color. Should be silvery gray on the side with the portrait.

Is that Luan, with a big smile, at the end of the line leaving the lingere party? If so, who is she planning on seducing? I’d of prefered to see Toni coming out!

Those women look very “satisfied” shall I say and happy, I think it was some kind of dating party. Anyway Les seemed to handle himself okay, and his grifter mom interacted with her grifter son. I think it was their way of saying maybe I love you, but I will never admit it. He will always be that way with his mom, but I think with the Fuse crew, even Gunther, he will mellow a teeny bit. Notice, by the way, that TJ was nowhere around. It takes one to know one, and Ann cannot fool him. He is a good guy being around Brad and the DeGroots who are the most decent people that can be.

Wait. I was certain the “lingerie party” was a cover for prostitution ring…

Something just occurred to me: If Ann’s little event and money-making IS illegal, and she gets in trouble – Could Les be held as possibly complicit?

IF the $80 is part of the agreement with the Fuse, that’s one thing (maybe). But the $20 (then the other $20) may be another (I know that’s small change as far as most crimes are concerned). Also, all Les has to do is say, “I was just working for the Fuse. That’s all.”

the $80 wasn’t part of any agreement with The Fuse. Les negotiated that as an independent contractor. And the $20’s today would be construed as “tips”. Les has no legal liability for any wrongdoing Ann was involved in. He was, using an apropos term, a “dupe”.

That seems too smooth an ending. All that buildup. Maybe there will be fallout yet.

I won’t pretend I’m not disappointed by the apparent legality of Ann’s “lingerie sales party.” It really doesn’t add up. Why was she so secretive about the whole thing if she had nothing to hide? Why wouln’t she let Pru or Mrs. Degroot attend? What kind of sales event is it where you try to keep the number of customers to a minimum? And why did she rent a big hall when she was (apparently) expecting just four customers?

the take home message —> Ann and Les are two peas in a pod.

Kick him we’re it hurt maybe he’ll show respect

Airman is back with new parts in his engine. Missed the chubby Tiffany and Gunther thing, but going back for a peek made it seem pretty good.

Les must have seen something through the keyhole that he can hold over Ann’s head.

I do laugh a little about the fan disappointment that Eiffel is not engaged in grand theft or sex trafficking. Evanses might be chuckling.

Just dip me in dog doo willya!

Okay, so it looked like an actual lingerie party, no one was hurt and the Fuse is still standing. And yet I have a sneaking suspicion the other shoe has yet to drop.

What’s all this? The “Lingerie Party” was in fact a Lingerie Party?!

I feel cheated. Not Ann-cheated-by Leslie cheated, but deprived of the down-and-dirty inside scoop we had been built up to expect about the true nature of the Ann Plan….

Maybe she was selling more than lingerie to those women…maybe, s*x toys, hence all the secrecy. I also think she is the gold-digger digging after Tiffany’s dad.

This was way too easy. Something’s not right. Greg will fill us in later.

we were all looking for some nefarious or criminal activity on Ann’s part and it didn’t happen. It seems we learn (time and again) that the Evans are interested in character development and psychology, not drugs, sex, crime etc. This whole episode was about Les and his relationship w/ his mother. For the first time we see her human side. When Les called Ann by her first name, it hit her where it hurts. She’s trying to buy him back and Les of course is just a chip off the ‘not so old’ block.

I think the final strip on Saturday will have Mom and Les getting closer, maybe even hugging.

Can those of you with weak monitors finally see the color difference between Les’ and Ann’s outfits?!

Beware. Ihave seen the future and it’s a complete sell-out. We have been had!

Not quite what I expected … but satisfying. I’m amazed at Evans’ ability to convey emotion with just a few lines. The expression on Ann’s face in that last panel .. priceless. And for those who think Les is being ungrateful, a cry baby, I refer you to the real life experience of Shaq, who had a runaway father – ‘Biological doesn’t matter’, he said. He considered his stepfather his REAL father. Children are a lot less consumed with traditions and protocols than adults think they are.

How come three of the women in the first panel look vaguely like Bernice, Delta and Luann 20 years hence?

Sex toys wouldn’t be illegal … just a bit unusual for THIS strip. Might explain the cash. To cite the late Richard Jeni, “Any of you ladies got one of those ‘neck massagers’?” I still think something more is coming … or, like Dirk(?), is Ann going to be reformed?