Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 07, 2022

Are we really to believe that Luann is so dense, that she can’t figure out why Axel quit?

What did Luann think Axel meant when he said, “Yeah smart, someone could hear us…” ?!?

And even Mrs. Fogarty, with her decades of experience, can’t imagine he may have quit because he had a crush on Luann? Not very plausible!

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I am looking forward to Monday….

More like what’s in the lad’s heart.

The 19 year old virgin and the 69 year old virgin can not understand what goes through the mind of a 13 year old boy.

In this case, almost everyone but these two knows. ✨

Because a 13-year-old girl would be so much more emotionally stable. Speaking of which, anyone watch “Turning Red” yet? I loved that one.

Mrs Margo Fogarty is not a fool. Luann is over explaining.

There is no malice in Luann’s mind.

Oh, so we’re to believe 13-year-old girls aren’t messed up? WRONG!

No clue, hopeless.

As many young men, it’s not what was in Axel’s head that caused the issue. But what is the point of this arc anyway, just curious?

Does she still smell good though?

Seriously Luann how dense do you have to be.

I really hate seeing Luann be so stupid about this. It is not funny or interesting and to be honest I don’t care how this ends.

Being male, what’s on the mind of a 13-year old male doesn’t seem like much of a mystery. 13-year old female is a different story!

You know for those who manage to follow the actual story and not get caught up in the classic Evan’s misdirection play, the arc is not about Luann’s inability to realize Axel was trying to kiss her; it was clumsy and played for humor. The real story is about her self-esteem: she is an obvious future educator, with that skull set and interest and passion, she just doubts herself. It’s not because she’s dense, or as one of the brilliant (not) comments that it was not difficult too believe 19 and 69 year old virgins did not know the hormones if a 13 year old male. If that isn’t projection earth has two moons.

Most likely, Axel’s parents made him quit.

They are against their “baby” hooking up with an “cougar” (hey, they have no idea how clueless Luann is!)!!

We have been left hanging, here. The other shoe hasn’t dropped and the ball is in Faye’s court. Now, I expect Faye to return the serve and get into the game. Why did I use that metaphor, I don’t even like tennis?

Me thinks that Phogarty is being facetious in the last panel.

Sigh. I think Luann STILL doesn’t have any clue that Axel was interested in her. No wonder she always has romantic relationship woes.

I’m inclined to agree with Ivlax’s post above.

Neither of these two ladies can’t figure out that Axe-Boy is a “victim” of puppy love??

Especially Luann who experienced it many times first hand when she was 13, both as the recipient when it came to Gunther, and as the aggressor, when it came to Aaron Hill. And it wasn’t all that long ago.

And please don’t give Me that “She’s forgotten” stuff.

Lu and Gunther remembered it quite well that night at Gunny’s place.

And Luann reminisced her infatuation with Aaron Hill, to Fay(e) rather fondly.

So basically Luann and Toby from Mary Worth are having a contest to see who can be most oblivious to their male student’s interest?

Axel became scared when an old woman threatened to report him to the school management.

It’s amazing how much Luann’s relationship with her old consuelor has evolved. Or maybe it’s Margo who, by becoming Mrs. Fogarty, has become a better person? She always seemed tired of her work and she was unable to give good advice, now she seems to know very well how to handle people and situations. She probably already put the possibility that Axel had a crush on Luann among the odds of his decision to leave. And Luann found in her someone which she can talk to and who can really help her. I would like to see if Mr. Fogarty has improved as well.

O.K., so instead of trying to figure Axel out, let’s just realize that he’s gone, for now anyway. So someone new comes in to the Homework Helpers program, whoever it is pops in tomorrow, we get a little more info on Saturday, and Monday we’re off and running with more Adventures In Education.

Luann, get help. You completely misinterpreted this one, and that kid wasn’t exactly subtle. Get help.

O!

OK, this should end any speculation. Even after Axel told her he liked older women, after he scooted super close to her, and after he told her she smelled nice, she STILL didn’t realize he was hitting on her.

That is amazingly dense for a 19 year old young woman.

Axel certainly was “eager” alright..

In frame 3, actually Luann CAN answer her own question. But yes, she doesn’t want to. Nothing good could come of it.

Fay should move on her guy, who is on the rebound.

Why does anyone want Fay to try getting back together with Axel? He has the personality of sour milk and the looks to match. Plus he was hitting on someone else, which, I don’t think makes for a good catch.

Good question, Lu. Answer: No, we don’t really want to.

in most of them… probable not.

Two more days to wrap up this arc. Are we headed for a punch line or more encouragement/platitudes from Fogarty?

Are 13 year old girls anymore fathomable to adults at times? Mrs. Fogarty, Frank, and, Nancy can tell tales.

I hate scenarios where the kids are smarter than the adults … though I guess that would be half the time.

Neither woman should spend one minute trying to figure out a dumb 13 year old. They should spend their time trying to help a student who actually wants their help. Don’t waste any more time on Alex.

I remember when I was 13 I was the tallest boy in the class (4th grade).

One word – HORROMONES

This “unawareness” is difficult to swallow. Luann, herself, was infatuated with lifeguard, Stuart, a “20-year-old, older man” to the point of Frank & Nancy having a serious discussion about Luann’s fascination and allowing her to “date” him. (Luann later found out that he was married.)

Luann knew. When she asked Axel “What are you doing?”, that’s your tip-off. Miss Phelps knew; everyone knew that the other knew. It’s past tension now, they all were in the knew’d.

He was in love with you! Are you that stupid?

This condition of Luann’s low self esteem, self-doubts and general malaise is, quite frankly, being overdone! Where are the confident Fay arcs of 2017? The Quill arcs of 2009-2012? Even her break up with Quill showed a large measure of self worth.

She’s in the pits (no pun) since the Quill breakup and the loss of Gunther at the gulag giggle-fest. Here’s one example. https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2020/01/07

13 years old, the starting age of puberty!

Lu’s response in the last panel shows plenty that she is not as clueless as all that. She is is avoiding confronting the real thing because it is disturbing.

Someone needs to find a pretty, teenage girl homework helper for Axel.

I barely said anythong yesterday but I needn’t have worried. The Pile on Luann brigade took care of everything, as usual.

It wasn’t what was going on in his head it was what was going on in his pants.

They both can’t be that stupid or could they.

About 13 year old girls:

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/police-arrest-13-year-old-girl-in-violent-bronx-mugging-that-left-76-year-old-woman-with-a-broken-hip/?fbclid=IwAR1QChWYH8m4eCtqdF9R5Wzt6HOZTGsH6BD_Oqc0x0QYzhPvOSvBXWg8rXY

It was something going on in his pants

Ordinarily, Luann, I’d say “No, we DON’T want to know.” But since you enflamed this by making physical contact with him, YOU actually NEED to know.

If you are a Psych major, the answer is yes college girl….

NOOOO, we don’t want to!! Just move along!

A 13 year oldis thinking about sports or his first crush. Are what prank we can play on my sister and her friends Are read a book or watch a TV showGo hang with my grandparents Are how cool I look Do my chores.

Brains rewire around puberty. New neurons. Lots of axons and whatchamacallits -synapses? - making new connections and needing to be trimmed back. Brain out of whack.

“Son, in a year or two you will become a middle-schooler and will lose your mind for a few years. I want you to know that no matter what happens or is said during that time, I still love you.”

It happened a mite early but he emerged relatively sane.

(How would I know real sanity??)

Hormones.

Think, Luann. What was going through Brad’s head when he was 13?For that matter, what was going through YOUR head when you were 13?

It might have helped if Luann had mentioned that Axel had tried to kiss her. Oh, yeah, THAT.

he was hot for teacher, and realized teacher wasn’t hot for him, that’s actually pretty mature for a kid his age

When I started teaching I solicited advice about teaching Jr Hi and one old pro said the boys usually recover from their insanity by the middle of Freshman year, and I shouldn’t even try to understand them until then.

in the old days,Mrs.Fogarty was more clueless than 90% of the kids.

Marraige has improved both of them over the “played for laughs” stage of their lives.

They probably STILL don’t understand Knute.

As someone that been an 13 year old male, I can honestly that no, you don’t want to know what’s in their heads.

Once again I need to mention that the vast majority of women who work with minors do not assume that 13 year old boys will be sexually hitting on them in the way that Axel was (somewhat unrealistically) shown to be doing. They might pick up on a sweet crush, but the other situation would be too squicky to even consider.

I think Luann knew that Axel coming on to her; she just didn’t see that it had become his main goal (for being there) or that her pushing back should have been all that big a deal.

To those who think Luann’s being obtuse, do you think she’d want to tell her old high school counselor that a 13 year old has a crush on her? That that’s why he quit? Would she want to risk being looked at sideways as being at fault or even a potential pedophile?

A lot of people are saying that Luann is so stupid, she didn’t even realize Axel was trying to kiss her. Well, I must be stupid too, because I didn’t see any attempted kiss in progress. Yeah, ok, he was looking at her and told her she smelled nice. That equals an attempted kiss?

Not to me.

Yes, 18-20 year old folks are oblivious to the fact that the 12-14 crowd tends to get crushes on them. I’ve seen variations on this theme play out many times over the years I’ve worked at a college…

To answer your question Luann – No.

I think Luann’s "denseness (as Iviax states) is a whole lot smarter than the stories we’re reading about teachers today that went “beyond figuring it out.” Keep your innocence Luann!

13 year-old boys have it rough, in general. A little compassion would be nice to see sometimes rather than scorn and ridicule. This is especially true now (and over the past 10+ years) with far-too-easy access to hard core porn and far-too-little guidance regarding how to cope with raging hormones. This combo leads to very confused young men who grow up not knowing how to properly behave regarding those to whom they are attracted. Notice how looked a little panicky in the second panel of 4-2-22’s strip and then hastily backed away and retreated back into himself? Cut the kid some slack.

‘Horny’ isn’t just for 13 year old boys. In college (our dorms were co-ed back in 63, floors off limits to the opposite gender) all most guys discussed with each other was either their ‘conquests’ (most of which were fictitious), or how the girls who ‘put out on the first date’ (most of which were fictitious).

Cut to 30- and 40- somethings. It seems the ‘horny’ label then often switches genders.

Maybe Axel got a flat tire

Apparently NO ONE has a clue about Axel’s motives.

Let’s suppose I say the problem is in your head, Luann, not being able to suss out Axel’s devious deviant intent….

I can tell you what was going on in my head at thirteen.