Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 11, 2018

A number of comments today and over the last few weeks of why all these story arcs are not wrapped up. In the strip I am posting a link to, in the last panel, Brad asks the pertinent question, and TJ has the answer…

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http://www.gocomics.com/luann/2010/11/19

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Who is “that guy” to which Tara is referring? The jock or the emo/goth? (Why do those two even hang out with one another anyway? It has also been a while since we’ve last seen them.)

Wet skirt to follow.

I never thought I’d say this, but talking about nudity is starting to get old.

Wow. I am really impressed with Greg using this comic for this sort of life commentary. The way he uses Tara’s nudity as a metaphor for shedding the “clothes” of dogmatic social mores and peer expectations and letting one’s inner light shine through is beautiful.

It’s kind of brilliant, honestly.

The smiling Jock must be thinking what a wonderful campus life…got to see a naked girl while doing something that’s totally legal – drawing her.

Hmmm. Now this is interesting. Tara said yesterday that the “artists” really appreciated her posing. Could it be that two to of the “artists” are Nil and Jack? And judging by Tara’s enthusiastic “HEYYYY!” could be that Tara appreciated Jack’s(?) “appreciation. a LOT?”

And could it also be that judging by Luann’s reaction in panel 3 AND considering that she’s dated Jack, there just might be a wee bit of jealously there, over Jack seeing Tara nude, that just might, might mind you, compel Luann into doing something “rash?”

Dang, Luann – you just spilled Tara’s drink in her lap. She’ll have to get out of those clothes now.

So here is the new norm:

All the saved comics on my phone now go to yesterday’s comic at 10:03 with the arrow to today’s comic.

At 10:10 they finally go to the new comic.

Seems like Luann doesn’t want to see Jack again? I don’t blame her after he dropped the bowling ball on her foot and then Nil snarked about it. I still like Nil for Bernice.

Still only a potential spill, or perhaps a spill-in-progress.

Is it possible that a double date with Nil and Jack going with Tara will have a better outcome than the double date with Nil and Jack going with Bernice? Considering that the two men have probably already seen Tara naked, I would expect the evening to go very well. For us readers, it could be a nightmare to have a double date where the conversation topic is naked Tara, but I would take it over Bernice’s conversation choices.

Luann’s comment about being naked in front of strangers reminds me of an exchange from Firefly:

“Wait, is there someone you are good at talking to?”

It seems Luann can’t imagine which is worse – sitting naked in front of strangers, or sitting naked in front of someone she (Luann) knows!

Shedding social mores? Whoa! I think this is really meant to show Luann positioning herself to another level of confidence, and ability to act without worrying about what others might think about her, but emo/jock add almost a Laurel and Hardy cast to it. They are facilitators toward that reality I think, although I think Tara is a full-blown new character, a friend who might compete with BFF Bernice for most influential person in Luann’s life.

I’m still thinking that they must get nude models from somewhere else – not a student at the same school – not one of their classmates. We never saw Luann break up with Jack – hard to know if Luann keeps him on her reserve list. But Jack would likely go ape over Tara – which would bring major jealousy into the plot. It would be interesting at this point to find out something about Tara’s background – family – where she lives… I hope a triangle situation with Jack doesn’t ruin Luann’s friendship with Tara – Tara spices up the story whenever she’s included. If the school is using its own students to model – my guess is that Dez would do it. However I don’t think either the new or the old Tiffany would model nude.

I don’t believe Tara and Luann see eye to eye.

Here we go again!

I’ve been pondering where this arc would lead. I still wonder if Tara will talk Luann into ‘Modeling’ for a class and there would be a series of strips with Luann in a bathrobe nervously waiting backstage weighing the Pros and Cons of ‘Modeling’ with herself and one possible ending would be of Luann bolting like a frightened gazelle at the last second. Luann would just say No, after a week of strips where she stood in front of a Full-length mirror considering it. Because I can’t see the Evans’s letting her.

I don’t think Luann is stupid enough to pose nude for a modeling class.

Lighten up, Lu. Your eye bug out any further, they will shoot acrossthe cafeteria and end up in the steam table.

Tara randomly hitting on Luann’s art class partners provokes that kind of reaction?

Why is Luann freaking out? I thought Nil and Jack were friends of hers. Also, that is one super small table!

I must be prescient. I wondered what Jack’s and Nil’s life drawings would look like yesterday and the two imps appear today. Spooky!

Might we hope for a double date in the future? I would suggest Luann maintain a respectful distance from Jack after her last painful encounter.

“Tiffany”………Your presence is both requested and required. Turn up the heat in the art classroom, the queen must be comfortable.

Second thought: Is that an art case hanging from Nil’s shoulder!?!? That could get interesting!!!

Luann’s reaction is so extreme, it’s weird. Jack and Nil didn’t see her naked.

@KENHENSE: I don’t know why so many posters here are automatically assuming that the only possible reaction Luann could have to Tara modeling nude in front of Jack and Nil is that Luann would be jealous. To me, the expression on her face in the last frame looked more like fear than jealousy. I didn’t perceive Jack and Luann to be a thing to begin with; thought she was going out with him on a casual basis. And then he broke her foot, so I’m not sure she would think of him as a friend…

I’m getting annoyed with Tara now

Nils always looks like a pot of coffee with the burner left on way to long!: He’s constantly ‘brood’… :)

Now if I was coming from an art class where I had to draw a cute, naked girl and then I saw that very same cute girl in the cafeteria, I would have to go over there and say hi. Check her out and see if anyone’s chemistry clicked on.

I’m not sure why Luann is reacting this way. Is it because she doesn’t want Jack and Nil to spot them, or is it because she’s fundamentally uncomfortable with Tara’s ‘free spirit’ approach to situations. Luann and Tara are polar opposites. Tara is comfortable in her physical body, outgoing and courageous while Luann harbors social inhibitions and seems to have lots of fears. I think the relationship is good for Luann who is used to Bernice (also different from Tara). I’m liking Tara more and more; her attitude toward posing for artists in a class seemed reasonable and mature, compared to Luann’s general paranoia.

It occurs to me that Luann’s panicky reaction might be to the idea of her being seen with the girl who posed nude – she may be afraid that the guys might think less of her for being friends with “that sort of girl”.

What’s next ? I know , Luann and Tara streak across campus.

I don’t get this joke. Um…I’m trying to guess if the point is something other than “Starr wants to pose nude for classmates for no reason,” because that’s not the least bit funny. As other s are noting, Starr’s character is rapidly becoming obnoxious. But then we always did understand her: as soon as we learned she’d been kicked out of another college for causing trouble, we knew she can be called in equal measure “free spirit” and “idiot.” Reminds me of a high school classmate who, while obviously brilliant, got kicked out of his first university for the same reason—causing trouble while partying.

It almost has to be Jack (or Jack or Jack Jock or whatever his name is) who provoked Luann to grab Starr’s arm, because would Nil really disturb her that much? It has been established that while well-meaning, Jack thinks every glance from a girl means “I wanna sleep with you.” But…Nil is supposed to be less of a boor than that.

Ma-a-an, the comment threads on cartoon strips do admittedly tend to be lame, but for some reason Luann’s thread is like an orthopedic surgery ward habituated by logorrheics.

Free-spirited Tara can pose in the nude and up-tight Luann will try to cope. But if Tara was nude in front of Luann’s friends and invites them over to the table to chat: YAHHHH! Freak-out!

Alas never got to draw nudes in school.

Looks like Nil has an art portfolio over his shoulder. He may have been in the class. I think Luann feels embarrassed; she feels ‘exposed’ by being with Tara in this situation. It’s an uncomfortable social situation for her.

Luann should hook Tara up with Moose: A perfect match! Lu’s like Borenice next to Tara.

Keeping Tara naked will help keep her from her kleptomaniac tendencies. At least she won’t have any place to hide those T.V.’s.

Yipes! Sleepy thought: Gunther becomes interested in prosthetic engineering and is advised to take gross for PTs to learn the foundation for everyday biomechanics in action, and figure drawing to get a better handle on what he needs to achieve.

a jock and a …well whatever…hanging out together?

I worked as an art model and I’ve drawn from them. I love being around artists. Fun, lovely people.