Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for January 06, 2022

WTG MRS. FOGARTY!!

A well documented counselor’s ploy!

A Fool’s errand for Bernice!

Brilliant distraction. Hope this girl talk goes somewhere.

It’s rare these days that I give a ‘like’ to a Luann strip. Today is one.

A cup of pencils magically appears. Bernice has not read the name plate yet!

Will Luann read the name plate before Bernice?

Miss Phelps is more astute then they ever imagined.

Margo Fogarty!

And, when you get done with those, there is a case of 5,000 pencils you can do next. At the pencil sharpener in the room down the hall…

The box label says “100 Pencils”—awesome!

Someone blurred her nameplate. Has she renewed her counselors license? Only Greg knows.

Years ago, Margo’s nameplate changed with each panel. I remember it changing from “Counselor” to “Count Slur”. That Greg is sure a clever devil.

Wait a Minute! How does Bernice so cheerfully accept her demotion?

Nicely played. ✨

Margo saves the arc.

She fell for it? Boy, Bernice isn’t as smart as she thinks she is/

Bernice, deep down, is desperate for approval

Pretty good switcheroo there Ms. Phelps. Bernice is so eager; if she ever is to be a counselor or clinical psychologist, she might need to learn to have the perception and adroitness to that professional move herself.

Nice move by Mrs F! However, disappointing that Luann did not pick up on the ploy. I do like how Bernice blindly fell for the "boil hot water’/ “sharpen the pencils routine”. Now lets see if Mrs Fogarty can actually help Luann sort out her career plans; I think anything is on the table, especially Luann being told it is time to move on from certain people like Bern…..

Bernice says that helping Mrs Fogarty will coumt towards to her “practicum experience,” Which I suppose is some attempt at Latin but I think in most professions it’s just called “practical experience.”

So is the strip going to pivot to Luann’s problem or are we going to see more of Bernice’s over-achiever syndrome? Maybe Mrs. Fogarty will help Bernice that her “problems” wit Nil as well as her obsessing over being a psychologist is the result of her parent’s perfectionism. She was never good enough for them.

Bernice is not the sharpest pencil on the desk, if you know what I mean.

Now Bernice is just sucking up to a person I don’t think she respects. Can they just get on with it?

Now that the extra person is gone, the counselor will be able to do a better job!

Honestly, I think Ms Phelps-Fogarty will simply listen to Luann and encourage her to keep her options open, continue to explore and find where her true passion lies. At 19, she still has plenty of time to make a long range career choice!

Luann, you need to pick up on the obvious acts of clever ploys. What is surprising is not you not catching on this clever plot but that Bernice missed it – the psych student at that…

I think Bernice is missing the point more than those pencils!

Luann looks like she has been broken down by Bernice’s comments. Margo and Luann need to talk privately, and Luann needs a chance to unwind from all that Bernice has said and done. The only way for progress to happen at this meeting is for Margo to build Luann back up and spend more time with her than planned. I hope Margo has the time.

Luann really should have left Bernice at home.

Doesn’t work if you have the pencils where you just twist the top to sharpen them

Not unlike having the father boil water while the mother was having the baby…

On one hand, she doesn’t hurt Bernice’s feelings, on the other hand, she can finally talk to Luann without interferences. Mrs Fogarty is truly diplomantic! And maybe seeing how Bernice was turned away for her sake will make Luann understand a thing or two about her BFF.

Clever woman… she has experience! ツ

Oh, she’s good!

That’s definitely a brilliant move. Well done!

Smart lady

Why the tricks? Just tell Bernice to wait outside for a little while. It’s not going to break her.

Well played, Counselor.

Well played…

Good … very good tactic. Eliminate Bernice’s distractions without hurting her feelings and begin to help Luann at the same time. Compassionate lady .. good.

Speak quickly before she finishes.

Funny. Very good, subtle way of getting an unwanted nuisance out of the way.

Margo’s desk sign has reappeared… Luann is a bit slow on the uptake…

Bernice is a self-absorbed twit.

I guess Bernice isn’t so bright after all!

Maybe next she can advise Bernice on how NOT to be a therapist. Talking at people and declaring what’s wrong with them is a no-no. A good therapist LISTENS.

I understand that Mrs. Fogarty wants to be kind, but this could have been an opportunity for her to teach Bernice to allow others to speak for themselves.

We were trying to get Bernice to butt out!

Sometimes Bern isn’t the sharpest pencil in the box, is she? :D

nice distraction plan.

Mrs. Fogarty, you should give her something that would take much more time—like scrubbing the floors or shampooing the carpets!!

Reminds me of the pilot episode of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, where Mary’s first day at WJM consisted of sharpening pencils.

Bernice, why do you always have to make Luann look like a fool?

If Bernice discovers the already sharpened pencils, Margo need only mention that they are all number 3 and that she gave her a box of number 2.

Margo definitely gave Bernice a big load of number two.

“When you do do the pencils, make sure you empty the sharpener when you’re done.”

It’s a good time for Luann and Mrs. Fogarty to move to another room.

Sharp lady!

cheap pencils with bad lead. by the time you get it sharpened it is just a nub.

A simple “Please leave the room” would be better.

Well it is not “lock the door behind you” but it will work for while.

Why didn’t she just tell Bernice to butt out and shut up?

Maybe while she’s gone Luann can tell Margo about Bernice’s bookkeeping skills so she can steer her away from being a counselor.

Luann should have recognized the ‘be my helper’ ploy!

Great, 3 minutes for them, 4 days for us. Check back in a month.

Smart move, Mrs Fogarty!

Make Bernice think she’s useful even when she isn’t.

BUT.

You really should have told Bernice to go get you a latte, like her old “boss” Ann Eiffel used to do.Then, when Bern has a “flashback” and goes all PTSD over the request, you can explain to her calmly, why she absolutely does NOT need to be a “counselor” under ANY circumstances.

Hopefully, the pencil sharpener is about 50 miles away.

“You wanna help me? Go away and leave me alone. That will help.”

And so once again Bernice gets catered to and distracted instead of getting the telling-off she deserves, just to ensure she never learns anything from this. Because god forbid she finds out that her behavior is unacceptable.

“And when you’re done sharpening the pencils, Bernice, there’s a cliff outside I’d like you to jump off.”

Smooth move….;-)

Wouldn’t count as anything unless it was prearranged

I love this!

Even fooled Luann!

" Ms. Phelps, I can’t find the pencil sharpener!"

" It’s Mrs. Fogarty, dear, and I guess you’ll just have to use the one next door!"

“Now, what were you about to say before you were so rudely interrupted?”

Now WE can talk…..

In tomorrow’s comic we see Bernice happily sharpening the pencils. Suddenly, a lightbulb appears above her head. The last panel shows her with a scowl on her face while saying “I’ve been hornswoggled!”. Either that, or more accidental steaking.

9 AM Mountain Time, the strip‘s been out at least ten hours, and only 175 comments?

Are others tiring of this strip (as I am)?

For what it‘s worth, I was hoping that the G&K change-up play was going to be Bernice getting career guidance, rather than Luann. Two days left, and being the first week, this will likely spill into the next, so that hope is not dead just yet.

Not that I dislike Bernice at all. She is one of my favorite characters in this strip. (But hey, I like just about all the characters in this strip – except Luann)

That said, I am particularly disappointed in how Bernice is being portrayed this week. I guess G&K are using exaggeration for their punchlines this week.

Burn!

The old tricks are the best tricks.After she’s through,tell her to go pound erasers.

“I’ll Pencil You In”

“Help Her, Halper!”

“Sharpie Harpy”

“Making Points”

Good. I was growing tired of Bernice throwing shade.

This reminds me of when, during a baby home delivery, the father-to-be was told to go boil water.

Ms. Phelps-Fogarty seems pretty sharp to me.

Like throwing a stick to get a dog’s attention.

I’m going to try and have faith that G&K are going to find a good path for Luann, they did for Brad and he had to be the stupidest guy in the comics now look at him responsible, married, thinking about kids and a role model. If Brad can be more so will Luanne (hopefully).

She should have told Luann to lock the door once Bernice left…

there’s a 100 pencils in that box and maybe Bern will have to go to another building to sharpen them. Good work Mrs Fogarty!

Well played, Mrs. Phelps… well played.

Sharpen pencils …yesterday I thought to myself – send her out for coffee.

I think that Margo has the same hair stylist as Pru did, so they could never appear in the same arc together. And, Bernice should be advised that counseling is not a spectator sport.

Smooth move, Fogarty.

I would have just told Bernice to scram!

Mrs. Fogarty, Margo, is smarter than the average wannabe. Not that Bernie measures up to “average”….

Touche!

Bernice, you make Lilith Sternin-Crane look warm and compassionate in comparison.

I think Mrs. Fogarty should have suggested that Bernice go to an office supply store and purchase a brand-new pencil sharpener, to make sure that those pencils are done right!

Short and to the point.

Any fans of comedian Vaughn Meader here? (Sketch set at Ad agency for Magwich’s Iodine) “Uh… Arnold,Why don’t you go and sharpen some pencils?…”