Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 21, 2018

Wouldn’t it be nice if tomorrow Greg let Fay do exactly what she said she was going to do?

Single panel.

Fay shown eyes shut and mouth wide open, drawn small in the lower left corner.

&!%@#! as big as possible through the entire panel, with Luann standing between the % and @.

And Les in the right-hand corner dropping a tray of dishes.

~~

Think of Gato leaving his orange hair all over Gordo’s mariachi outfit.

That type of scream.

That type of artwork.

And nary a word in edgewise for Luann. Is this Mrs Garcia person related to Tom Farrell by any chance??

Well, that parent concern conversation went well… then again, maybe it’s not over until Mom comes back that hour later.

Fay just can’t catch a break.

One thing all bad parents seem to have in common, one way or another, is that they forget that their job is to raise a healthy adult.

Oh My! Luann now has a real problem to deal with. Time for a Deus Ex Machina or whatever. And oh yes – Poor Fay.

Fay’s mother makes be wonder how she can walk with her butt clenched so tight.

While her intentions were good, her approach was really bad, to the point it being inappropriate and unacceptable. Her approach will only compel Luann to push back and encourage Faye to explore things outside the boundary of theater. It’d be all the mother’s fault.

I really don’t understand what this “mentoring” is supposed to be all about. If Faye is supposed to be learning how to perform on stage, then surely Prudence (a theater professional) should be doing the teaching and not Luann (whose entire theatrical experience consists of appearing in one high school musical). If Mrs. Garcia is paying Luann to be a mentor simply in becoming a more assertive and confident young teen, then why is she upset that Luann has encouraged Faye to associate with Axel? After all, finding a boyfriend has in fact been the major part of Luann’s own life experience, to which she devoted by far the greatest part of her high-school years. I really can’t think of anything else that Luann is especially well suited to teach Faye about, other than that.

Uh-oh, I think we’re about to see Fay scream out “GUTS” at the top of her lungs…

And now for Fay’s next lesson — comic strip swearing. Does # come before * or after % when swearing in a comic strip?

The best ending to this arc would be this: Faye’s mother returns, and Luann says to her “Sorry, there are no plays available right now in this town where only one gender is involved. So I’m returning your money so you can take Faye elsewhere.”

Whats wrong in talking to boys? …Btw, since last 2 weeks, I see the strip is getting published 1 hr prior at 10:30 India Time. Any specific reason?

Go ahead, Fay. Think of the worst word you can. Whatever the worst cuss word you ever heard Barney or Elmo say. Just let it out.

Fay, If you are going to swear in front of mom, do it in small letters! I guess the mom knows Axel, since she asked that Fay be put in a different play away from him. Hmm………

WTF is WRONG with this B—??!!! Are there actually mothers like this in real life? Ugh!

Hmm, Faye’s mom does not like Luann encouraging Faye to talk to boys. Enter Pru. She can teach Faye how to like other girls. Mrs. Garcia, what you say now? I am not being serious here, but it’s fun imagining scenarios. Maybe Les can take Mrs. Garcia in back to look at the stashed lingerie and explain to her just how a mother can really mess up a child’s life?

Does it rhyme with witch?

I seriously want to know why Fay’s mom is so adamant against boys. Fay is at a point where she has to learn to be her own person. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

We are beginning to see why Fay’s body has so many allergic reactions to things. Most of Mom’s blessings have thorns.

Fay, mom will make Luann life a living hell.

If she does say a swear word tomorrow, just like I say about Ann Eiffel almost using the “B” word to Tiffany, this strip with me will cease to exist!

I really enjoy how this b….ahem, woman, just cuts in with her own assumptions without really listening to her daughter and without Luann explaining anything. This woman needs to see a head doctor about her control issues…

What a nice girl, she warns Luann in advance.

If I were Luann, I’d tell her that if she’s going to talk to me like that, she can take what she’s paying me and shove it up her…ahem, nose.

Perhaps someone should tell Mommy that the more she “forbids” the more her kid will want it.

So, is that it for the Tiffany vs. EvilAnn thread? Just floating around in nowhere? This new thread is a groaner, really NON interesting characters.

Fay’s mother seems to be sending mixed messages. She wants Fay to grow, and, be self confident. But being self confident includes being able to mix with others, including boys. I don’t recall this, but is Fay’s mother single, or, divorced? Might explain her horror about Fay and boys.

Personally, I would have told the beeotch to pound sand.

It seems like the last couple of months of panels have focused on parental and child relationships basically, first, if you remember, Gunther and his mom getting married, then Tiffany and her dad, and Les and his mom, now back to little shy Fay, who in interacting with Luann, and getting confidence in theater (all a really good metaphor, with the Fuse, Luann, and the theater group being a great set of plot devices) while dealing with an over-protective, and somewhat neurotic mom, while her child is trying to navigate perfectly normal growth and feelings. Axel is possibly more than a plot device, because his attitude is really being explored, but I think he is just as shy, but really likes Fay, in his own young male way, as Fay is, in her young female way. If we get to Brad and Toni could this mean an arc where they are expecting might be coming?

Yep. She went there. That helicopter is loaded for bear & Luann is just a human being. Let the Hunger Games begin!

Way to make sure your kid never confides anything in you again—ever—Mom.

Then they wonder why the kids turn out running away or on drugs or something similar. They do the “I was a good parent!” malarkey.

What a letdown in dramatic elements with this arc. [Insert frown face]

CAT SCAT!!!!!!

The mother needs Xanax or something.

Luann: “No Ma’am, you aren’t paying me for that. I threw it in as a bonus for no cost to you! But I’ll be sure to itemize in the future any and all extras that help Faye in her socializing efforts”.

The story line is ridiculous. Total helicopter parent. No wonder the kid has issues.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Faye’s mother is the reason why Faye has issues with expressing herself.

Is this the first time the last name of Fay and her mom has been mentioned?

This is the kind of mom whose daughters get pregnant accidentally on purpose.

This is the kind of mom whose daughters get pregnant accidentally on purpose.

Is Mrs. Garcia divorced? Or did she have Fay as a teenager? This looks like a classic case of projecting your personal issues onto your child.

That poor child. Her mother is a overbearing helicopter of a nightmare. Either she is a single/divorced parent, or the father is henpecked to death or rarely there, probably by choice. The girl will end up with a laundry list of issue that will haunt her well into the future.

So many are so quick to vilify.

Apropos of nothing (or perhaps not) do fourteen year old girls wear two braids, at least outside of sports activities?

I doubt that such a logical things as this might happen, but I really wish Luann would just tell Faye’s mother that there are only a few plays put on at a time in their small town of Pitts, and that she (Luann) has no control over who might be cast. Given that the mother has decided she does not want Faye to have contact with Axel (who might very well be cast in a play), Luann is returning the payment and suggests that Mrs. Garcia might want to enroll Faye in a formal theater program outside of Pitts.

Mom gives hints of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (medically known as Factitious disorder imposed on another).

Fay’s hunt for Axel may have just escalated. I hope to god that – at age 14 – Mom doesn’t insist on accompanying Fay every time she is outside the house.

Perhaps Fay’s mother had an affair with Axel’s father and Fay is the child of this relationship. Then Fay and Axel would be half brother and half sister. That’s the only good explanation for the mother to be so adamantly against Fay’s being around Axel too much. Well, that and she’s a bit psycho.

Why did my previous comment post four times? I only hit the “comment” button once.

And that one posted three times.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

“Succor Punch”

“They Call Me ‘The Realtor’, Cos I’m About To Put You In Your Place!”

“Mater: ‘May Not!’ "

“A Direct Snap, And The End-Around”

“The Declaration Of Interdependence”

“Fillet Of Bold”

“Let’s Go For A Walk In The Snark!”

“Head And Shoulders, Needs, And Terse” (♩)

“Let Them Repeat:  "Forsake!’ "

“The Overture Of A Well-On Tell-Off” (♬)

“Flaming Error”

“Parental Discretion Revised”

or

“A Good Find, Is Hard To Help!”

for those wondering why Faye’s mom is acting that way…..have you seen Faye’s dad anywhere? I’ll bet that is the underlying reason why her mom acts that way.

In real life, a girl like this would be pregnant by age 16, just to get away from her domineering mom. Maybe Fay’s mom got pregnant at a very young age and that is why she doesn’t want Fay to have any contact with boys.

Mom’s biggest problem is that she only knows how to talk, not listen.

I’m surprised that such a controlling parent would let anyone else have access to her child.

The mother is quite dense, doesn’t she realize her approach is the absolute worst she could take if she doesn’t want Fay interested in Axel. It’s the best approach to keeping this as an ongoing plot though :)

I never understood why parents don’t want their daughters to date until they are 17 -18. I want my girls to date when they are ready and still living at home with me so I can help guide them through any difficulties, drama, foolishness that comes with dating.

But I am the anomaly when it comes to moms.

“Mommy” needs to trust her daughter. Luann would never do something out of line.

“Mommy” needs to trust her daughter. Luann would never do something out of line.

Wow! Mom has spoken, Luann had better jump. She’s just been told how high to jump by the mom as to plays.

A lot can happen in a week ( or two, if Greg decides to extend things). Chill people. You’re forming a lynch mob for at least two of the characters ( The Mom and Axel ) with little or no basis.

Maybe when Mordy goes back on coffee, the rest of you should consider decaf.

3

I was hoping that the comic would not go in this angry of a direction, but I can say… it has been done in a realistic fashion. From the prior comments here today, I see most everyone is highly critical of the Mom at this point. I can completely understand the aggravation and frustration.

However, I see potentially other potential ways the story may unfold that may be able to show the Mom is not as “villanous” as many currently feel (I apologize if someone else already said some of this):

1) Perhaps…. because of the way that the Mom is specifically referring to Axel …. maybe she has had some prior, very negative interaction with this fellow… and this makes her ESPECIALLY sensitive and upset about Fay getting to know him.

2) Perhaps…. there may be some hidden back story about Axel that comes into play here that NECESSITATES the mother being adamant about keeping Axel & Fay separated? It could run the gambit from highly melodramatic (perhaps Axel is Fay’s twin who was given up (preposterous of course, but many telenovelas have had such plot twists), perhaps Axel’s parents are someone the Mother dislikes intensely for some valid or invalid reason, etc.)

3) And, again the mother knows virtually NOTHING about Luann’s “dating” advice…. and may simply feel it is inappropriate for Luann to do this sort of “advising” at least until the Mom knows the basic underpinnings of what Luann would “mentor” Fay about concerning boys.

So, while I share your disgruntlement at the actions the Mom took today, I am still withholding final judgement until I see what transpires during the next couple of days…. it may be that her actions (while too intense for my liking) do have legitimacy in some way.

Yep, cootie-phobia done struck agin.

This is precisely why I never ever said anything about girls in front of my parents when I was that age.

Um, Luann didn’t find a boy for her, you crazy woman…they were already acquainted…

Garcia, a Spanish surname (?). I’ve noticed that Fay’s skin tone is slightly darker than her mom’s, which could say something about her father, whom we know nothing about.

Frak!

Perhaps if Luann would introduce Mrs. Garcia to her good friend and associate, Bernice, the two of them might connect, and the tension would dissipate.

And that would be Biotch!

Please refer to March 14th. It was a cartoon that actually contained humor. I’d better go back and save it.

So it’s come to this. The strip that once featured the madcap adventures of high school kids – all the way to getting a bit part in a Hollywood movie – is reduced to story line where a controlling mother wants her daughter to be in plays but not with any boys. Sheesh. (Does Fay go to school? Does she see boys there?) The story lines degenerated into Cathy-like hand-wringing after the Evanses moved the gang into college, but this takes the cake. I thought that the return of Ann Eiffel might signal some new life in the story lines, but that fell flat. Best wishes to the faithful in your efforts to squeeze a little blood from this turnip.

Memo to Mrs. Garcia, half the world’s population is male. If you don’t want Fay talking to boys, this could be a serious impediment to her socially.

My guess is that mom was either raped or taken advantage of at an early age (perhaps where Fay came from) and won’t allow her to follow in her footsteps.

“Ohhhh, fuuudge!”

[Only (she DIDN’T) say “Fudge.” (She) said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, THE “F-dash-dash-dash” word!]

“WHAT did you say?” ;)

Fay is really cute. Getting noticed by the opposite sex us an important confidence builder. Of course decreasing control by parents also results – a necessary element of growing up.

It looks like Fay has had about enough of Big-Bossy-Momma-Bhrama-Prima-Donna!

I know helicopter parents like this Mrs. Garcia are part of the reason for the ignorance, the laziness and the spoiled presumptiousness of millennials. But, forced to choose between a helicopter parent and the ugliness of Axel…I’ll take Mrs. Garcia every time.

If I had to guess Faye’s swear word, “that bitch” would arguably make the most sense.

Let it all out, Fay! It will be good for your personal development, heartening to Luann, and thoroughly deserved by your @#$%^&* mother….

I suspect many of the harshest critics today of Fay’s Mom never had kids of their own.

For what it’s worth: Whoever thinks that Fay stories are boring, food for thought: Over 300 comments today!_ (I think I’m 325) Were all of the Tiff and Ann strips getting this many comments?

I guess we know why Faye is so quiet and afraid to speak out….a helicopter mom of the worst type. Poor Faye.

I wonder if Luann is still wearing her fake SL bra ?

:-/

Well done Fay, swear words are really made for when you are angry. Not for casual speech.

munchausen by proxy much

Faye’s gonna say a swear word? I would think that she’s rethinking how and what she says to her mother… (And some parents wonder why their kids never ‘tell’ them anything…. )

And the other play better not have a cute boy in it!!! Better yet, all girl cast.