Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 19, 2019

What is up with the art? This looks a little old school.

THAT WAS A GOOD ANSWER FROM THE DAD!

This must be Greg’s impression of the new work ethic.

Frank’s taking up running? I don’t see this ending well.

The NEW work ethic is more like NO work ethic.

This doesn’t look like enough material for an arc. I wonder If Greg got dissed by some squirt salesman. Les comes off like George Clooney compared to this guy.

Frank, it is not wise to diss a service employee. He will bring you the worst shoes to try on first and have you slip on the entire stock of athletic shoes before finally delivering the Cinderella athletic shoes.

1stly is it just me or is his artwork look like it was done 20 years ago? i thought it was an old strip at first or maybe it is? anyways check out 9 Chickweed Lane tonight man that grin is creepy as hell, makes me think of the Joker when he gives his victims that juice of his that they than die with that permanent Grin on their face. see batman 89 for those who haven’t for reference or hell even the animated series that’s worth watching alone.

as for Luann i wonder where he’s taking the strip this week as he rarely uses either of Luann’s parents whose name escape me at the moment sorry about that.

If this arc is going to be about the constant dissing of people over age 30, there is enough material for a thousand years…

Dad’s shoe size is the same as the guy’s age, and the guy’s IQ is the same as his girth.

I believe this is a re – run. Pretty sure I’ve seen it before, it looks a little retro.

Is Greg getting paid for advertising Adidas, Nike, New Balance, etc?

Frank overreacts.

Uh-oh, looks like we’re in reruns.

Oh. A “WISEGUY,” Huh?

Frank? Call the manager. And after the “profuse apologies” and termination of “Mr. Smart Mouth,” prepare yourself for sticker shock, when you check out the price of those “running shoes,” Franklin. ;)

From the idiot assistant I expect very little, but Frank should know better.

“For whom?”

I see that Luann is ageing Frank.

Never mind, I’ll just order them online instead…dude….

Reminds me of my one and only ever encounter at a Nike store. The employee clearly didn’t actually want to help me. In the end, it didn’t matter because the Nike shoe store didn’t carry any shoes in my size.

The store needs a more smart-minded worker than a smart-alack one.

Am sure this store won’t be open long with a clerk like this one…..

Self-service shoe places have their drawbacks. I went to a large box department store to buy sneakers, and in every box I picked up, somebody had stolen the new shoes and replaced them with their old, cruddy, worn out shoes. It’s super easy to simply put on the new shoes, put the old shoes in the box, put the box on the shelf and walk right out of the store with them. I told an employee but I’m sure there was nothing they could do about it.

It’s a colorized rerun, folks

No respect whatsoever

Reminds me of the last conversation I had in an electronics store. I had to explain in detail what a cassette was.

If it runs like the 1998 b&w version, this will be a one-off episode; not the start of an arc.

My first thought was why does Frank want running shoes? Of course the obvious answer came to me. The second was, is this Stu any relation to the Stuart from over at Retail, but then I realized, if he was, he be the complete opposite of Stuart from Retail’s Customer Service norm. That Stuart would be all over Frank trying to upsale him, and, suggesting all kind of things to “enhance” Frank’s running experience. So, this Stu is a another minimum wage drone, getting by, by doing the minimum effort.

I get my fountain drinks at a Maverik station about a mile from my house. They are 24 cents more than at the convenience store about the same distance the other way but the staff at Maverik is always friendly and alive. Service and attitude count a lot.

Oh no. The authors are on holidays!

Looks old to me too. Maybe the Evanses are on vacation??My first thought was How’d that get in here????Definitely NOT going to be a love interest for Luann. She wouldn’t give him the time of day. On the other hand her BFF Berniece is ALMOST that snarky so……… ya never know.

Just don’t have him make change.

The employee must sell running shoes but not be a runner. Actual runners enthusiastically evangelize running…almost to an annoying extent.

Strictly a one-off, perhaps…unless we are about to get the Evans’ reaction to El Paso. Look at the setting, and tune in tomorrow.

More innocuously, there may be some sort of physical fitness thing among the “teen comic strip” cartoonists going on. A quick look at Zits has the mother in that strip going to zumba class.

….just point me toward the high tops…

I expect to be in the minority opinion here, but I’ve worked retail before and frankly think that Frank’s response was rude. The clerk doesn’t know if the shoes are for him or for a wife and/or child around the corner in the next aisle. It’s a logical question and Frank deserves the service he’s going to end up complaining about.

’bout the same as your I.Q.

6 (because it is a rerun), 8 if it were new.

What a rude, $&#**^%, twerp. Obnoxious.

Folks of all ages, girths, and prior hobbies can, and often do eventually participate in regular exercise. As this is a re-run, we also know that Frank participated in one of those “Iron Man” sort of things with Brad sometime after this point. So, even though Frank may not appear like a Jesse Owens, or Roger Bannister in their heyday…. it does not mean he shouldn’t be able to buy a pair of running shoes without grief…. for whatever reason he wishes.

Uh… we might have some struts in the warehouse…

This is a rerun from a LONG time ago.

Being over thirty two and half times, I encounter this a lot. Apparently, if you’re “of an age” shall we say, you should expect to be blown off. After being treated as Frank was, I went to another store and made a pretty substantial purchase. I went back, and found the little weasel and asked him if he’d like to ring up a $2,500 sale. He was all grins and told me sure, he’d love to. “That’s too bad,” I said, showing him the receipt from a competitor’s store, “because you missed your chance. Do you remember me now?” Maybe that one sales person will treat non-thirtyish customers a bit better going forward.

Why can’t Frank find his own shoes? They are displayed by brand and the sizes are on the front of the boxes. Why does he need someone to help him?

It is indeed an old story arc. https://www.gocomics.com/luann/1998/04/13

Nice burn…

Actually I’m more concerned about Bets and Gunther, in his heightened state of awareness. Can he really drive his car in that condition?

Yes and it’s about the same as your IQ

Who is this guy?

New character?

I prefer to order shoes online. Better selection, better organization, and better customer service.

Parents are not usually the subject of a weekly arc; they might be part, but not the protagonists in any given arc. Lets see where this goes. I can understand Frank’s aggravation here, the casual assumption that he is too old to have running shoes. There are lots of older runners, and the clerk should be better trained, or less generationally rude. As a boyfriend for Luann? No I don’t see it. First he is drawn as a jerk, and acts like one too. I think he is just a prop.

His shoe size is the same as that kids IQ.

I suppose we have to just ‘get a life’ for a week or so. I have a lot of wok to do also.

Man discovers the need to interact with younger generations is a loathsome burden and tumescent obstacle for his stated goal of obtaining some measure of physical fitness for himself. He must gird himself for the humiliation of self-comparison with the symbol of unearned vitality that stands before him as both gatekeeper and, simultaneously, as pitiful lackey. The youthful footwear guardian’s unkempt mane serves as further insult to man’s pending mortality. Shoes themself stand in as a classical symbol of femininity and desire, so it is fitting that they are the object that these two generationally divided bucks are metaphorically clashing their antlers over. The questions that are not directly asked but certainly implied are, should the man purchase these totems will he even use them, and, regardless of their conventional use, are they nothing more than a way to run FROM this conflict, or perhaps his responsibilities, or even the family whose love he feels is receding in pace with his own hairline. It may be these overarching questions that lead the man to seek out conflict rather than simply complete his task on his own as countless consumers do on a daily basis. The boy may see all of this and use the opportunity to strike down and destroy the man with all his hubris and doubt, and the man would feel he deserved this fate.

Gee – with a response like that from the stock boy er, sales clerk, I’d say it’s time for me and my money to either – 1) go to the manager and ask for help, or 2) take my money and go elsewhere.

Is it my imagination, or is Frank getting gray?

More like the clerk’s IQ. It’s much lower than his Age.

So, who’s the Guest Artist?

And, ignorant young clerk, it’s “for whom?”

I go to “Meaning of Lila” for my shoe purchasing arcs. The Ferragamo and Louboutin salespeople are nicer.

I thought Zits was coming up on my feed…. ; )

A potential new boyfriend for Luann?

An experimental new sales technique?

An example of what drives people over the edge?

At Big 5 I picked out one shoe on display that I liked. I asked where the other shoe is. The young salesman asked if I wanted to try on the one shoe. No – I’ll wait and try them both on at the same time. He wasn’t able to find the other shoe. Too bad – I wanted it.

Is it just me, or does seem like an old strip? Maybe Greg is sick and dragging out the reruns.

Oh wow…this IS a colorized rerun! Man! Maybe Greg is sick, ya think?

Damn GoComics ate my comment. It’s late so let me summarize: this is not a future boyfriend for Luann. Why does anytime any anonymous prop appear is the strip have to be seen as boyfriend material? He is generational (I would say Gen Z) but his dismissive attitude is not too surprising given his age. Frank was grouchy, but he is friendlier today, as is his wont. Finally, shoes have gotten more complicated. But where is is going is open yet.

He should’ve replied, “For whom?” Tsk tsk. :-(

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/1998/04/13 I knew this had been on before, just had to find it. haha

love when these return!