Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 22, 2018

A smother brother? Which one is he, Tom or Dick?

so… is the date back on, Fay?

OK, they have something in common as weak as it is. So, what’s next?

Axel has a level head.

Axel’s not really that close, but his lips give that illusion.

Wow. This Axel kid has got a LOT going for him. Caring, Chivalrous, Talented and SMART. This kid is gonna GO places one day.

It’s too bad he’s only 13. If he were 6 or 7 years older, he’d make a prize catch for some the young adult ladies in the Strip.

Provided Fay ever lets Him out of Her sight…….,

Yesterday’s posters who were insisting that Mr. Potato Head was not the brother are gonna be so disappointed. Meanwhile, I’m liking Axel more and more. Hope he ends up as a regular character…

WELL…it seems we will not see any romance between Luann and Axel’s brother. This will be all about Fay and Axel, new versions of Luann and Aaron. Let’s get back to other arcs please. I want to know if Toni and Brad are getting ready to dump Tj and move out. I want to know how Tiffany and Gunther are doing. And is Les behaving? Will Bernice seek out Nil or continue to obsess over Piro? Any of them will be more entertaining than Fay and Axel, aka Luann and Aaron – been there, done that.

Axel is the same as saying, The more he follows the rules, the folks give him more responsibilities. It’s like they are trying to make him grow up too fast.

OOOOooooooOOOOoooooh!!! :DD

Wow – full-on maturity from a young person. I think this might be a first for Luann, the comic strip! A refreshing change. And maybe a chance to see how things work when there is trust, good communications, and level-headed decision-making. Of course that approach also wipes out most of the foibles that so much of this comic strip and other broad, popular humor is based on…

I still am not totally convinced that big head is the brother, but if he is fine. That would change the dynamic of Luann meeting a new someone. One thing that is very clear is how close these two kids really are to each other: if they could kiss right then and there they would given the 3rd panel, Fay is so besotted with Axel, looking him straight in the eye, getting very close, and you know what, he does the same thing, enough so “bro” says “too close”. These kids will date forever until they get married. They will find a way to date and be together. But what is even more obvious is how great, level-headed, smart a kid Axel is, not at all what the judgemental fuddy duddies in this comment page think him to be. Some people seem to have him be all but John Dillinger Jr.. 21st century version. Not that they don’t need supervision, the attraction is too strong, but he is worth her attention.

So Axel’s a good boy in a bad boy costume. But going from early to mid teen – it’s not normal to disclose everything to parents. You would wind up being them – not you. This arc still seems a bit Sunday school for Greg & Karen. However when Fay’s Smother Mother finds out how all this went, she may have a chance to redeem herself – telling Fay her guy is a good pick and can be her friend.

For weeks i thought Axel was not that bright but he comes off as a good kid that follows his parents rules.

Timecto give one a bass and the other the guitar.Amazing and I thought Axel was a smart ass: he’s actually teaching Fay the lesson she needs to know.(Wow!)

Didn’t like this kid in his first appearance. He’s growing on me.

Ehhhh. “When I follow the rules they trust me, and when they trust me I get to do more”. That is assuming the rules and there enforcement of them is fair and just. My experience is they often aren’t, especially for childeren. The rules are often arbitrary and for the benefit of the adults involved. Think of all the parents who have responded “because I said so!” when asked “why”. All sticks and arbitrary carrots are hallmarks of childhood and bad governments. Maybe Axels parents are just, reasonable and trustworthy but I’m not quite buying that with Fay’s mom or most parents for that matter – it’s easier for an overworked parent to make arbitrary rules then display actual leadership. I think Fay may just be at a slightly different level of maturity then Axel, where she’s willing to take on some risk/liability to go for what she wants in what she (correctly?) Perceves as an unfair system, while Axel is still nievely convinced the system works. And mayby it does for him, but it’s a major red flag that your potential future boyfriend is gonna need some serious babysitting and be very cranky if you don’t choose to play by the rules he benefits from. Hard to see now but you can do better Fay. Go get a guy who’ll respect your judgment and initiative, not the rules.

So what was the deal with Axel’s first appearance, where he bailed out on Pru’s acting camp? His parents didn’t seem to have any rules then about him wasting their money on an acting camp he walked out on. I also don’t remember him being there with anyone. His ride just showed up and he walked out. That character was nothing like this one, was it inconsistent writing or is Axel putting Fay on here, acting responsible so she’ll trust him? He didn’t seem to have any problem being a jerk to Pru. Very strange.

Alex is really a cool and wise kid. No wonder that Fay have a crush on him.

So it looks like Axel is actually a good kid who likes to look bad. I did, too, when I was a teenager.

Wisdom, thy name is Axel.

Thank you, little Doctor Phil.

Well, hopefully, this will set up at least a decent “friendship” between Alex and Fay… Perhaps, that date may come a little later on. In the mean time, Fay as someone in her demographic with whom she can talk things over… and the same for Alex.

Though Faye’s mother should get part of the blame for Faye’s lie since she was going to take her daughter out of theater because of her “smothering”.

@GRUMPYPUPPY: Axel’s older bro is trying to keep Axel from getting himself into a situation he’s too young to handle. Nothing about that says Potato Head doesn’t like girls…

I wonder if they are setting Axel’s big bro up to be a mirror image of Luann. That is, he had an unrequited crush when he was 13 and went through all the other teenage stuff Luann did, but from the boy’s point-of-view. Thus, big brother is being protective of Axel in the same way that Luann is with Fay.

@SHADOWBEAST: Fay is 13. Too young for heavy duty involvement with a guy, but old enough to know that a lie is not a good thing. People who excuse poor behavior of a kid because of a strict parent are buying into the concept that suggests that if you didn’t have a perfect childhood, you are excused from having to act like a responsible person yourself. This is a very dangerous line to take.

And here’s another comic that proves that Evans is completely oblivious about teenagers.

I think yesterday and today are the first times we saw Axel and he wasn’t slouching. Change in his image?

I have absolutely no idea where this arc is going. Has Luann bailed out to let the character, Fay establish herself and create a bridge back to a school environment where Greg is more comfortable? Fay, like Tara, are more likable to me than creepy Piro, Dez, Hair, or even the brat.

Axel shows himself to be a level headed kid, made out at first to seem rebellious and street smart, a look that initially attracted Fay. But he will teach Fay and they will grow together (maybe). This is not a replay of Luann’s obsession w/ Aaron Hill. I don’t think Luann ever had a relationship with Aaron (she only fantasized it). But Fay and Axel are striking up a friendship very quickly.

@AIRMAN: Go back a few days, and you’ll see Luann telling Fay that she (Fay) has to tell Axel the date is off and why. Luann hasn’t bailed out so the character of Fay can become more established; she has directed Fay to become responsible for an action taken by Fay that was not a responsible action…

A “Smother Brother”??? So that’s where they went. And now one’s a poppa! Cute.

That’s the least believable teen conversation ever

I thought the expression these days was ‘Brah’, not “Bro”.

It took me this long to realize smother brother was saying Axel was too close to Fay-hottie. (6:22 PM CDT)

Sad, isn’t it? I used to be relatively smart. How the mighty have fallen, have fallen.

Words of wisdom from Axel! If nothing else, this reminds us not to judge someone based on appearances….

I made a Smothers Brothers related post a few days ago. But what matters is that Axel is turning out to be a really nice guy! Could he have been acting earlier (at the summer camp) like he was putting on an act there? This arc just got good! :)

Well, they  say, “With great power comes great responsibility”.  Of course, with great power, there’s also a great power bill, not far behind….

“Merit Had A Little Jamb”

“A Fair Return”

“Quality Over Quandary”

“Of Course, This Means Warrant”

“Credit For Time Unswerved”

“In Perk Condition”

or

“To The Victor, Goes The Unspoiled”

Reading the comments makes me think this arc has gone on long enough.