Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for November 17, 2022

Well, it looks like Luann found the subject of her story.

I wonder if Brad will like being written about.

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We all remember Luann had a whole bunch of options when she finallydecided on the beauty shop story. Why didn’t she use one of those insteadof acting like she couldn’t think of anything?

AHA! Way to go Tara! A budding genius!

This would be an interesting story because the original story took place 21 years ago, which would be before Luann was born and when Brad was 2(?). Is Greg going to tell us a new story to replace 9-1-1 or is her not going to tell us anythng?

Now there’s an idea to write about: how Brad became a firefighter and a married man.

Remember to change the name in your story Luann – and please don’t use something so easily and obviously similar like “Brett” or something.

I understand that some readers don’t like the expression “Oh my God!” and that the cartoonist has chosen to respect that. That’s fine; nothing wrong with respect. My issue is using awkward replacements like this strip’s “Omygaw”.Like I always say: If you don’t want to use a word, then don’t use the word at all.

Yes Greg! The whole Brad/Toni/Dirk saga was some of your story telling!

“The Metamorphosis of Bwad!”

“Well, for starters he joined the Hair Club for Men…”

Well now.

It seems that Old Brad has got Miz Starr’s “juices flowing.”

Lu?

When you tell Brad’s story, you might want to quickly get to the part that says he’s Married, before Tara gets any “ideas.”

It’s too bad, though.

Old Brad will NEVER know that some gal on this planet besides his wife, thinks he’s “Hot.”

Luann will be a writer yet. Tara is turning out to be an encouraging friend.

Ah. Dirk will come back alive in her book.

Don’t be so socially inept Luann, introduce your brother; he may be taken, but I bet he knows some firefighters who aren’t and since Tara seems to have the “hots” (pun intended) for firefighters…Just sayin’, a story line featuring Tara’s romantic escapades might be SLIGHTLY more interesting than Bernice and Nil..to name just one (of many).

OK – We’ll all read this thing tomorrow.

Sorry Tara, he’s married

Oh no. It’s a clip show!

“Where something happens and doo doo doo doo doo…

Sorry for the clip show.

Have no fears, we’ve got stories for years!”

It’s weird how there are professions that women often find attractive for men to have, but as far as I know, there are no (family-friendly) professions that men stereotypically find attractive. Or am I wrong? Do those jobs exist too, and I’m just out of touch with my fellow dudes?

A good time for Toni to show up and kiss brad dead on the lips.

Please don’t do a long drawn out rerun about Brad using old drawings.

Tara appears to be the person who has the skills for teaching.

Luann! Get those fingers moving on that keyboard!! And hurrah for Tara!!

Ah yes, the one romantic arc in this strip that didn’t end in disaster.

Panel # 2: Tara is actually looking pretty good in a defiant sort of way. Now, if she’d pop a couple of buttons on her top ………..well. let’s see.

She’s going to exploit Brad isn’t she?

Sorry, Luann- that story’s already been written.

Hmmm… Brad looks like he is getting some gray hairs. Heck, I started getting some gray hair at 23, that was some 42 years ago.

“Ba-dump-bump PISSHHHH!!”

“Well, it all started after 9-11, where he was inspired as a 6-year old to be a first responder…”

Luann, GO! Great job Tara♡! She really managed to find a way to break Luann’s writer’s block and show her a completely different Luann. The Luann who will write a lot without even realizing it. Sure, writing about your brother isn’t like imagining a story in a galaxy far, far away, but it’s a start and Luann could write a great rom-com with moments of drama and action. Speaking of Tara, it seems that she really likes a lot not only Brad the hunk, but also firefighters in general. I’m more and more sure that she is fit to become a firefighter herself and that, sooner or later, she will try to become one of them.

Agree with AL here, Tara did a masterful job of helping Luann recognize things close to her, in this case the transition of her brother from blob to “cut, cute.” I don’t know if Tara will try to be a firefighter but she has the kind of attributes—not afraid of challenges, high locus of control personality types—that might fit that job, or ,any others.

Eureka! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ✨️ ✨️

Better go ask him first if it’s OK for you to share it. Even if you change the names. the story doesn’t belong to you.

And before Tara gets too interested, Luann might want to tell her that Brad’s married.

Did I just see a lightbulb

Luann, you just found your brilliant inspiration!

Ha! Called it!

Now THIS was a good one! It made sense and came back around to the whole point of this arc. Excellent!!

Where’s the light bulb or is that old generation?

Lots of content there and there’s probably a lot on the taped diaries too.

I guess we’re going to bypass the whole, “Hands off, he’s married” route?

Sometimes I really like Tara.

Speaking for myself, I was still mad at Tara for getting Luanne fired from a job she loved, until now. I don’t know why Luanne forgave her for that. Apparently she did, because there they are together now. But this helps to make up for it, Yay Tara! Yay Luanne! And Yay to a story arc actually featuring her for a change that has actually been interesting!

Tara has shown Luann what the inspiration could be for her stories. Life. First up, Brad the slob, becomes Brad the hunk who marries the hot girl.

Called it yesterday. Her first important story will be about her brother. Cool. Hope she writes stories about other characters we don’t see much of these days.

Write it down LuAnn.

Luann hello ,he’s married

Brad’s lucky – he’s the one who takes after Nancy’s side of the family.

“Bwad: Blob to Buff.” A remarkable journey of reillustration.

How did Tara know Bwad was ‘cut’?

“Ohmygaw, I knew I wasn’t imaginative enough to write fiction.”

Ding, ding, ding. What’s behind door number 2 for LuAnn today, Jonny??

“How Brad Met Toni” is what got me started on this strip. Wimp kid saves Tonie from Bully Boyfriend.

So are we about to see a retcon of Brad’s actual motivation, since “he was a lazy twenty-year-old until 9/11 motivated him to better himself” no longer works?

ka-bingo

Way to point her to an inspiring thought, Tara.

I just checked the bios on Tara, and realized that several of them needs updating

Better leave out the time Brad and TJ almost ended up in jail in Las Vegas….

My Brother, My Inspiration

Coming soon to a Netflix near you.

He fell in love with a hot chick, got his act together, and against all odds he won her over – The End

Great move Tara!!!!

Well played, Tara.

The origin of BRAD!

I hope that Luann uses Brad’s story as a framework for a story, just retelling his story and character development wholesale would be kind of basic. Seeing Luann do something more creative than that would be make her look more like a potential fiction writer… like do an character similar to Brad in space with him fighting aliens or in medieval times as a knight fighting dragons. Like a slacker in that setting who decides on a goal and falls in love and so on.

And the light comes on

I don’t know I am still in the dark!

And that’s how we do it.

The B-word “Bwad” has been beaten to death.

So my week has been interesting. Had a mini stroke on Monday.

a coming of age story on Brad; but yes, she needs to give another name to the protagonist.

I’m still wondering how long Tiff is goin to bunk at The Gulag ….

Now that’s inspiration.

Game Set and Match to Tara! She DID inspire Luann and break her out of her writer’s block. Sometimes inspiration takes strange forms but it doesn’t matter as long as it works. Although I’m not sure Luann trying to write Brad and Toni’s story is such a good idea. Change names and even better events, descriptions, etc. Never borrow too heavily upon the life and events of another without their permission. It’s not illegal but it’s very bad form.

There is your inspiration Luann.

Tara is a much better muse than you-know-who

“Interesting story”?! Tara, ta da!

Get with it, Luann. You may change the names in this family story, not that anyone is innocent….

Met a hot girl who almost got him killed? Better use other names Luann, or we may see Kurt again.

Wait until she reads the part about Toni Daytona.

Tara definitely has the goo-goo eyes for Brad but, alas, he is happily married.

Blah blah blah