Hmm. I wanted to order the “Bets & Gunn: Adventure Awaits” book, but it only ships to the United States. That is not good at all. I suppose that I will never properly find out what happened then.
Nice hustle, though I feel like I’d probably hate myself for buying “pay-to-play” content for a comic strip even for one I’ve read since I was a kid (especially if it might end up showing up in the strip if there’s a “whoopsie week” like when we got a rerun of the BradToni wedding), but I gotta admit, the absurdity of this has got me genuinely curious if it could be worth owning a 50 page book with Bets and Gunther’s faces on the cover staring into my soul with those wide-eyed grins.
Do we have to buy the novella in order to hear about the tire mishap, the ravioli fiasco, the “creepy campers” embarrassment, the parking brake scare, the A.C. failure, and the engine failure? What is in the novella that will not be in the strip? We only have a week to order, and then we will never know the whole story? What about the fans in Canada? Will they never know the whole story? Or is Greg and Karen trying to see if people will purchase it before expanding orders? At least Gunther and Bets have or have had an exciting time, unlike the rest who seem to be stuck in Dullsville.
So if Gunther and Bets have broken up, and Gunther isn’t telling anyone, won’t Irma be just a little curious as to why Bets isn’t coming around anymore?
So, novella in deadtree format? This being the 21st century, some kind of e-thing (pdf, ePub, Kindle) would be a plus, especially at that price. And a $20 premium for autographs?!! Who do these people think they are?
An now for the truth. Kinda sorta. Hell jus let Les make something up. Anything, it doesn’t matter. The van was abducted by aliens on a dark lonly road. they sent Gunter back but kept Bets an the van.
Yeah that’s the ticket. Bout as much truth as the rest of th malarkey that’s been spewed so far
Okay – I heard the video explanation about Greg and Karen wanting to make some extra money. I think they should have supported our enviromment and gone kindle – but either way I am glad Bets is gone and don’t need to pay to torture myself by continuing to see that horrible character.
Also – seeing the explanation video ofGreg and Karen and hearing what theyhad to say kinda ruined the strip for me. The video seemed contrived, braggy, and disingenuous. After more than a decade I may sign out for good. I cannot get them out of my head trying to collect money selling their autographs.
Is the money for Ukraine?Maui? Animal Charity? Rehab for Bets even?
Did not think so. Goodbye Luann it has been fun up to now! -
Yes, I feel that we have been taken on a ride…and asked for payment after the fact.So, the week long ordering window is to determine the size of this “limited” print.Illustrated novella sounds rather inflated to me—though Greg is very self-deprecating. Sounds like Karen wants to move away from the strip format to use her word ability more.I’m not a die hard fan, but this leaves a bad aftertaste. No order from me and less trust.
So, maybe I’m out in left field with my way of thinking but some of the comments have touched on the Elephant In The Room. The strip is titled “Luann” but for awhile now she’s been more of an NPC in her own strip. If g&k feel the need to create and sell a novella of some of the other characters how about instead give those characters their own separate comic strip and unburden the Luann strip of too many side stories while the title character is left with very few wins and many failures. By the way an NPC refers to a Non Playable Character in a video game. Anyway, don’t mind me, I’ll let myself out.
A lot of complainers here today! If this is all we get, I’m happy to imagine that both the hints we got last week and the shinied up version of today are more or less what happened, apart from the handling it “maturely and responsibly” part. Having a way to tell the whole deal is an interesting departure and if it works, could open Luann’s world up. Imagine if Delta came back to announce she was running for Congress, or if we heard Ann Eiffel had been arrested as a Russian spy, or that Pru was marrying a supermodel – and if we liked those characters, we could get the full story rather than snippets.
G&K: “Do you trust us?” Again…NO, Greg and Karen, I do NOT trust you… Not by a long shot. And the fact that you want us to buy a novella and we only have a week to order it, just goes to show how low you are willing to stoop in order to make a buck.
There are better ways to do a book like this. The short time frame to buy the book is ridiculous.Do a Kickstarter with the glossy version at a higher level or something. Give me an excerpt of her writing. Don’t make the arc integral to the rest of the storyline. Ovaltine indeed!
Al knows he’s full of crap. Les knows he’s full of crap. Tarantula Mommy “Livia” (Irma) knows he’s full of crap. They’re all up to their necks in Gunther’s crap.
irma seems genuinely happy to hear that her son has gone on a beautiful road trip that he thoroughly enjoyed. The regret of not having made the trip with her ex must have been really huge. I hope for her that she discusses it with Al and they’ll go to a trip, maybe that will be a fantastic trip, for real.It seems that from tomorrow the real story of Gunther will begin. He knows that he can trust Les and owes him a real explanation after he had covered up the secret cohabitation with Bers by lying to his uncle and probably also to Irma who knows how many times. It looks like it’s going to be one of those long, dramatic stories that I like so much… Better make some popcorn.
They have GOT to be kidding! And I can tell what happened just from the cover of the novella. They ran off the road posing for that picture while driving. And does anyone else get an Exorcist-like vibe from that picture?
No problem with their monetarizing the road trip. They’re not making huge some off of everyone reading it for free on GoComics. No one is forced to buy it and I’m sure plenty of reviews/spoilers will get posted.
So, this is the same night Gunther came home if no one has heard the story? And already Gunnie has a driver and Bets is in a new van and back on the road? My, things are happening fast.
So, we either buy the novella or we’ll never know what happened between the two. The rest of this week will be filler, followed by Shannon banging drums at 2:00 AM next week and setting the kitchen on fire.
Huh.Really?Pay to find out?Well,I hope all the rich,brilliant people who comment here on Luann will keep me updated in the Comments section.Thanks in advance!;)))
Putting the story on LuannFan.com is brilliant. The Evans are going into self publishing and avoiding the printers, publishers, and distributors. Due to internal problems of Marvel, DC, IDW, and the rest; creators are now self publishing. For example, Eric July self published his own series of comic books and crushed Marvel/DC in single volume sales in 2023. Point 1. The Evans will get the all the money, no publisher or distributor costs. Point 2. The books can be PG. Point 3. The art can be better than the rather rushed daily strips. Good luck to ’em.
Les doesn’t look like he cares very much about what “really” happened, and I don’t blame him. Shame on Greg and Karen for withholding parts of the comic from certain people and providing it only to those who pay an extra fee. When did they become so avaricious? For me personally, that kind of act makes me even less interested.
While I get that everyone has to make a living, cartoonists no exception, I’m not sure that Gunther and Bets are as intriguingly follow-able as, say, the Brad and Toni saga.
Yikes, really? They strung this one out for two weeks only to dangle a LIMITED TIME ACT NOW! commercial at the end? I’ve been reading daily pretty faithfully for about a dozen years, and am taking this as an invitation to take a good, long break.
I asked Greg a long time ago if he’d put out more LUANN collections, and he told me then he’d LOVE to if he had enough people who would buy them in PRINT. I don’t know how many of you are avid readers, but have you priced things like books, magazines, even comic books lately? It’s insane!! I remember when a book would cost $3.95 … now it’s $35++. Even a paper like STAR or ENQUIRER is about $6.00 an issue (used to be 15 cents). So that’s most likely why the price is a bit high and it’s a limited run. Personally, I’d love to get Greg’s autograph. I’ll think about if I want to buy this item or not. Elaine :)
Maybe we will see another flashback – where Gunther is telling Luann “the story” of his trip with Bets. Then we see Luann writing the ‘novella’ for her writing class at college. That makes Luann the author and not G&K…so to speak.
start reading the strip in 1998. I am not in the US. This will be my first time missing a story in Luann. Well done. myopic vision comes with age, they say.
I’d love to buy that book, but I’m Swedish, so I don’t have that option. No shipping to other countries than the USA. It’s a bit depressing that I don’t get to read those comics without buying a book, and then they make it impossible for me to buy it.
Why make it so that I can’t buy it as an ebook? Why not let me give them my money?
“magical miles of marvelous memories” Say that four times really fast!
I do not plan on sharing my payment information with a comic strip vendor. Even if I was just crazy interested, and just HAD to know what happened I still would never pay for a comic strip. The comics have always been free.
Not to worry everyone, I ordered the book. Unfortunately it also says it’ll take like 3 weeks to arrive. But the upside is that I don’t have to hear “you’re getting the story for free, so you can’t complain” anymore now that I’ve paid my hard-earned dollars to read it.
The set-up of that van trip opened up the possibility of soap-opera-ish plot development. If someone really tried, they could milk that scenario into a full-sized, 200+ page graphic novel that would consume multiple assistant artists, Karen Evans’ writing, and the like for MONTHS. Far more, even, if you started slipping R-rated details into the plot. Heck, you could spend 50 pages just on Comic-Con if you were creative beyond Bets’ constant online narcissism.
That would take probably two years to flush out in the daily comic strip, AND ALL THE WHILE EVERYONE HERE WOULD BE KVETCHING ABOUT THE LACK OF LUANN. And probably STILL finding a way to b*tch about Bernice even though she was nowhere to be seen.
I happily pay GoComics and ComicsKingdom annually just to give the cartoonists some revenue now that the newspaper publications have gotten untenable. I happily buy anthologies and collections by my favorite artists, just to give folks like Stephan Pastis, Bill Amend, Sarah Andersen, Matthew Inman, Mark Tatulli, Dan Piraro, etc. their due. And I even help libraries get copies of certain graphic novels I think would benefit readers—Amelia Rules!, Owly, etc.—to support artists I like.
Is this graphic novel offer by the Evanses a “bait-and-switch”? Honestly, it strikes me as the only practical way to approach the subject and cover it before Luann graduates college, gets her first job, and gets fired from her first job. I’m not keen on the price, and I’m on the fence about ordering it because both Gunther and Bets strike me as particularly unappealing in character (although I find Bets cute….), but I’m practical abut it.
I’m starting to sympathize more and more with Brooke McEldowney and his banning of online commentary for his strips…………………
So, yeah. I’ve been reading this comic since it’s inception in 1985. Close to forty years. Which is why I’m still reading, even though it’s been unrealistic veering between dull as ditchwater and over the top telenovella action scenes for the past few years. At this point I have a lot invested and I’d like to know what happens to Luann. It’s become clear that nothing will ever happen to Luann. She’s trapped in amber forever. She will never leave home, go to a real college, or get a real job and a real boyfriend to do real adult things with. She has to do the same things she has ever done, messy room, neglected dog, pointless school, live at home, tepid romantic life, world without end amen. I don’t actually care about Gunther. I care some about Tiffany, but she veered too close to being a real person and they had to rein her back into a useless, formless, gormless potato. I can’t remember the last time I laughed at this strip. And now they are doing bait and switch stories with an end I’m supposed to pay extra for, like those “fun” internet quizzes which ask for your payment to send you results after you take the quiz. I will give them one last chance, in honor of the shared history we have, and if tomorrow’s strip has any inkling of merit, I’ll stay. But my best bet is I’m leaving after tomorrow.
As long as we aren’t going to get the story of the trip in the comics, then let’s move on to another story. I really don’t care what happened on that trip.
Greg and Karen don’t have to be stupid and cagey with their fans to make more money. All they have to do is issue hard copy collections of their comics in the same way far side does. This whole “pay to get in on the scoop” attitude seams juvenile to me.
The ol’ bait and switch. Sign up to get updates on Gunther and Bets’ vacation adventure. Oops, we actually meant go to our website to buy a novella on what happened during Gunther and Bets’ vacation. I like “Luann” but not enough to spend $16 for it.
They want us to care about these two young adults by purchasing a novella? Hee hee hee! Nope! Couldn’t care less. Good luck losing money. Can we just get back to Luann being a 24/7 idiot?
I wish the colorist who is a friend of the Evanses would tell them that some of us can’t use the internet to buy things due to hackers, and there should be an alternate way to pay…
Wow, there are a lot of upset people here today. I haven’t seen this level of universal outrage since Quill got recalled back to Australia the very moment he and Luann decided to get together. Hopefully G&K learn a lesson from this and refrain from doing further scams/ microtransactions from here on out.
I imagine someone would be willing to send a copy at cost to those overseas. I know it is hard to get copies of things that are only released in limited markets. It is a question of trust that is harder to navigate.
I love Greg’s art style. Comics are my favorite genre.
Some stories capture my attention, others less so. Characters are hard to keep consistent, especially if they also develop and grow. I find it interesting to see what they do, and to read the reactions to what they do.
Selling extras means they can both pay bills and produce art Many artists dream of being able to do that instead of needing to keep art as a side hobby.
I know some people can’t afford to support them by buying anything (even paying a subscription fee to sites like this). Even those who can, can’t afford to pay for every artist/site out there. I still think it is a reasonable idea for any artists to try to make their craft profitable.
I wish them luck.
I do think the last few weeks were slow. Hopefully such endeavors won’t impact the daily strips too much in the future.
There seem to be more whiners than not. I followed the link for the “novella” on a lark, and there have been so many others ahead of me that the order sight has crashed. “Over Quota” is the expression that comes up.
To me, the offering of a “novella” is not that big of a deal. A novel-esque sort of book would not translate well here. To me it is a different genre.
Presuming that what Karen says (about it not affecting the continuity) it really does not matter to me.
To me it sounds more like Karen is simply trying to expand beyond a comic a day approach and is testing the waters to see if she could conceivably start a more writing focused business with these characters. If it sells well, great for the Evans’ …. if not, it was a learning experience for them both.
I see no real harm in them trying it out. It could be a nice way for Greg to continue to draw some (albeit less) as he may be wanting to move even more towards retirement. And it could be a way for Karen to expand her writing since that seems to be her favorite part.
Went to the site myself; if you don’t want to buy the book, you don’t have to. It’s in bold letters in the description that it will be in the strip. Of course, how long it will take to get back to that story line and how long it will get dragged out is not specified; however, at least it will be free. :)
We think you will enjoy getting to know “Bets N Gun” in more depth than ever before with this limited edition, collectible book. If you don’t choose to order a copy, it’s ok: you can still follow what happens next in the strip.
Hey, I tried to order the novella on 08/23, and I got some sort of error message, “Form over Quota.” The Luann fan website gives no way to send an email to the creators — what do we do ?My email address: jeanine.mcelwain@
The link does not work on the web site ( I think they are all sold out already) and its not on Amazon yet but there are other books (not this one) listed that range from 20 to 60 dollars. So if you expect getting it there be willing to pay more for it (if and when someone puts it out there) I am sure it will be on Ebay an inflated prices as well. sigh
The error message means Evanses need to pay for the storefront service they are using to handle orders. It is not because “too many” copies have been ordered, unless 100 is too many.
From jotform:
You will only get the Form Over Quota error once your submissions exceed the 100 submission limit per month. Then you will either have to wait until the first day of the next month or upgrade your account to one of our subscriptions. >
Gunny’s whoppers may fool Mommy Irma, who has palpable stars in her eyes, But more cynical Leslie can sense that Gunther’s paean to a Great Trek is as phony as can be….
I applaud the move by the comic creators. Anyone here is free to buy or not buy. It’s called free market capitalism. The creators and publishers will be rewarded or punished by the free market. If it works, I suspect we will see more not less of this. I personally think it’s a clever idea.
lvlax over 1 year ago
WOW! I didn’t see this one coming… G + K want us to buy a 50 page novella to learn what happened to Gunther and Bets.
It’s only available for a week and it runs $16 or $36 if you want it autographed.
.
If we send them $100, they promise to kill off Bernice. lolol J/k! ;)
C over 1 year ago
Spin cycle
Doneaver over 1 year ago
We hope to hear Les as well. I hope before Monday, though I doubt that.
alasko over 1 year ago
A trip of Titanic adventures. Relationship sunk.
redhawk1138 over 1 year ago
spit it out gun no need to hold it in.
Rockabore over 1 year ago
My first thought regarding today’s strip’s last panel:
What is Little Gunther trying to say? I need to translate today’s strip with my Little Orphan Annie decoder:
Be Sure to drink your Ovaltine.
Aw, Son of a —!
Tyge over 1 year ago
Neither can we, Les! Neither can we!
Caldonia over 1 year ago
You’re not getting me to call him “Gun”.
live2read over 1 year ago
I don’t know why Gunther feels the need to lie about this. Couples break up all the time. It’s nothing to hide or be ashamed of.
Kymberleigh over 1 year ago
Anytime a character gets alliterative, I know it’s a lie.
Crann Bethadh over 1 year ago
“Do you trust us? If so, we’d like you to dish out money to find out what should have been in the actual strip.”
Yeah, no thanks.
mnexplorer+ over 1 year ago
Neither can we!
Zeno2099 over 1 year ago
Hmm. I wanted to order the “Bets & Gunn: Adventure Awaits” book, but it only ships to the United States. That is not good at all. I suppose that I will never properly find out what happened then.
Rockabore over 1 year ago
Nice hustle, though I feel like I’d probably hate myself for buying “pay-to-play” content for a comic strip even for one I’ve read since I was a kid (especially if it might end up showing up in the strip if there’s a “whoopsie week” like when we got a rerun of the BradToni wedding), but I gotta admit, the absurdity of this has got me genuinely curious if it could be worth owning a 50 page book with Bets and Gunther’s faces on the cover staring into my soul with those wide-eyed grins.
Mordock999 Premium Member over 1 year ago
God, I really wanna just SLAP Irma, the person that all but ignored Bets at the last dinner.
Willow Mt Lyon over 1 year ago
Do we have to buy the novella in order to hear about the tire mishap, the ravioli fiasco, the “creepy campers” embarrassment, the parking brake scare, the A.C. failure, and the engine failure? What is in the novella that will not be in the strip? We only have a week to order, and then we will never know the whole story? What about the fans in Canada? Will they never know the whole story? Or is Greg and Karen trying to see if people will purchase it before expanding orders? At least Gunther and Bets have or have had an exciting time, unlike the rest who seem to be stuck in Dullsville.
NiteKat over 1 year ago
So if Gunther and Bets have broken up, and Gunther isn’t telling anyone, won’t Irma be just a little curious as to why Bets isn’t coming around anymore?
Rhetorical_Question over 1 year ago
Did Bets take the Van for a personal road trip?
red_tape over 1 year ago
So, novella in deadtree format? This being the 21st century, some kind of e-thing (pdf, ePub, Kindle) would be a plus, especially at that price. And a $20 premium for autographs?!! Who do these people think they are?
Wilkins068 over 1 year ago
An now for the truth. Kinda sorta. Hell jus let Les make something up. Anything, it doesn’t matter. The van was abducted by aliens on a dark lonly road. they sent Gunter back but kept Bets an the van.
Yeah that’s the ticket. Bout as much truth as the rest of th malarkey that’s been spewed so far
jea9hrkr over 1 year ago
Okay – I heard the video explanation about Greg and Karen wanting to make some extra money. I think they should have supported our enviromment and gone kindle – but either way I am glad Bets is gone and don’t need to pay to torture myself by continuing to see that horrible character.
Also – seeing the explanation video ofGreg and Karen and hearing what theyhad to say kinda ruined the strip for me. The video seemed contrived, braggy, and disingenuous. After more than a decade I may sign out for good. I cannot get them out of my head trying to collect money selling their autographs.
Is the money for Ukraine?Maui? Animal Charity? Rehab for Bets even?
Did not think so. Goodbye Luann it has been fun up to now! -
Ruth Brown over 1 year ago
Yes, I feel that we have been taken on a ride…and asked for payment after the fact.So, the week long ordering window is to determine the size of this “limited” print.Illustrated novella sounds rather inflated to me—though Greg is very self-deprecating. Sounds like Karen wants to move away from the strip format to use her word ability more.I’m not a die hard fan, but this leaves a bad aftertaste. No order from me and less trust.
Black76Manta over 1 year ago
Me too!
yoey1957 over 1 year ago
So, maybe I’m out in left field with my way of thinking but some of the comments have touched on the Elephant In The Room. The strip is titled “Luann” but for awhile now she’s been more of an NPC in her own strip. If g&k feel the need to create and sell a novella of some of the other characters how about instead give those characters their own separate comic strip and unburden the Luann strip of too many side stories while the title character is left with very few wins and many failures. By the way an NPC refers to a Non Playable Character in a video game. Anyway, don’t mind me, I’ll let myself out.
Busrayne over 1 year ago
Well, that was somewhat anticlimactic. So, back to the dorm? Or Gunther tries a graduate level class? Can’t wait.
kiwannabee over 1 year ago
I seriously hope this is their way of writing Bets out of the strip entirely. Never liked her.
nightflight over 1 year ago
A book? If we’re going commercial, I’d rather sit down with Dylan Mulvaney and have a Bud Light.
Wilkins068 over 1 year ago
Somethin funny going on with that book. It says ‘Free Shipping’ but if you select either book, th shipping part fills in with $4.50
Dosent sound free to me
If they need th money mebbe some one here can open up a ‘Go Fund Me’ page for them. I’ll chip in a couple of bucks
robinafox over 1 year ago
A lot of complainers here today! If this is all we get, I’m happy to imagine that both the hints we got last week and the shinied up version of today are more or less what happened, apart from the handling it “maturely and responsibly” part. Having a way to tell the whole deal is an interesting departure and if it works, could open Luann’s world up. Imagine if Delta came back to announce she was running for Congress, or if we heard Ann Eiffel had been arrested as a Russian spy, or that Pru was marrying a supermodel – and if we liked those characters, we could get the full story rather than snippets.
ACTIVIST1234 over 1 year ago
Remembering this trip was his mother’s deferred fantasy, GMan was generous in making up this story.
Liam Astle Premium Member over 1 year ago
“Buy my book!”
French Persons' Celebration of Peeved Harry Dinkle Premium Member over 1 year ago
G&K: “Do you trust us?” Again…NO, Greg and Karen, I do NOT trust you… Not by a long shot. And the fact that you want us to buy a novella and we only have a week to order it, just goes to show how low you are willing to stoop in order to make a buck.
D.E.N. over 1 year ago
So this whole arc is nothing more than a promo for a book?!? No thanks.
Denver Reader Premium Member over 1 year ago
There are better ways to do a book like this. The short time frame to buy the book is ridiculous.Do a Kickstarter with the glossy version at a higher level or something. Give me an excerpt of her writing. Don’t make the arc integral to the rest of the storyline. Ovaltine indeed!
David Huie Green LoveJoyAndPeace over 1 year ago
Mysteries…..
uhohlol over 1 year ago
What a wasted summer! The only interesting thread was omitted while we watch some girls play the fool.
Vilyehm over 1 year ago
The printing deadline is August 28th.
After the 28th, G&K have stop using the backside of those secret documents, and finally turn them in:
Ann Eifel, the Formative Years
French Persons' Celebration of Peeved Harry Dinkle Premium Member over 1 year ago
Al knows he’s full of crap. Les knows he’s full of crap. Tarantula Mommy “Livia” (Irma) knows he’s full of crap. They’re all up to their necks in Gunther’s crap.
Aladar30 Premium Member over 1 year ago
irma seems genuinely happy to hear that her son has gone on a beautiful road trip that he thoroughly enjoyed. The regret of not having made the trip with her ex must have been really huge. I hope for her that she discusses it with Al and they’ll go to a trip, maybe that will be a fantastic trip, for real.It seems that from tomorrow the real story of Gunther will begin. He knows that he can trust Les and owes him a real explanation after he had covered up the secret cohabitation with Bers by lying to his uncle and probably also to Irma who knows how many times. It looks like it’s going to be one of those long, dramatic stories that I like so much… Better make some popcorn.
OneTime59 over 1 year ago
2nd frame Gunther is just excusing himself from any further conversation or descriptions of the adventure. He is generalizing. No details.
limarick over 1 year ago
They have GOT to be kidding! And I can tell what happened just from the cover of the novella. They ran off the road posing for that picture while driving. And does anyone else get an Exorcist-like vibe from that picture?
Khpg over 1 year ago
They definitely overestimate my interest in these two characters.
VCRail over 1 year ago
No problem with their monetarizing the road trip. They’re not making huge some off of everyone reading it for free on GoComics. No one is forced to buy it and I’m sure plenty of reviews/spoilers will get posted.
LawrenceS over 1 year ago
So, this is the same night Gunther came home if no one has heard the story? And already Gunnie has a driver and Bets is in a new van and back on the road? My, things are happening fast.
tremaine53 over 1 year ago
If I’m Gunther, Les is the LAST person I’d reveal any actual details to.
AgingComicFan over 1 year ago
Starting tomorrow, each panel will contain exactly one word to drag this out through Christmas.
Ignatz Premium Member over 1 year ago
“You won’t believe what happens next! (Click here to find out!)”
Ignatz Premium Member over 1 year ago
People who buy the book: If Gunther murdered Bets, let us know.
Binky over 1 year ago
(ノ•̀ o •́ )ノ ~ ┻━┻
interestedbystander over 1 year ago
I’m confused. Those of us who don’t care about the fan page (or whatever it’s called) won’t get to hear the story? What a waste of time this has been.
rrsltx over 1 year ago
So, we either buy the novella or we’ll never know what happened between the two. The rest of this week will be filler, followed by Shannon banging drums at 2:00 AM next week and setting the kitchen on fire.
ctolson over 1 year ago
Me too, but tomorrow will probably bring a new arc. Back to Tony and Brad w/ Shannon in tow perhaps.
DaBump Premium Member over 1 year ago
Ditto.
Willywise52 Premium Member over 1 year ago
Huh.Really?Pay to find out?Well,I hope all the rich,brilliant people who comment here on Luann will keep me updated in the Comments section.Thanks in advance!;)))
gingerspike88 Premium Member over 1 year ago
Today is St Rose of Lima Day … probably just coincidental with Rosa perhaps returning from Peru?
Ellis97 over 1 year ago
It was a total disaster, wasn’t it?
diannell over 1 year ago
The expression on Al’s face says he’s not buying the BS either, lol
Lescoe Brandon over 1 year ago
Putting the story on LuannFan.com is brilliant. The Evans are going into self publishing and avoiding the printers, publishers, and distributors. Due to internal problems of Marvel, DC, IDW, and the rest; creators are now self publishing. For example, Eric July self published his own series of comic books and crushed Marvel/DC in single volume sales in 2023. Point 1. The Evans will get the all the money, no publisher or distributor costs. Point 2. The books can be PG. Point 3. The art can be better than the rather rushed daily strips. Good luck to ’em.
kappy.mrnustik Premium Member over 1 year ago
Am I the only one who thinks Irma’s “Mother’s Intuition” would be SCREAMING? When a kid that age gives so much information you know it’s hooey.
comic reader 22 over 1 year ago
Les doesn’t look like he cares very much about what “really” happened, and I don’t blame him. Shame on Greg and Karen for withholding parts of the comic from certain people and providing it only to those who pay an extra fee. When did they become so avaricious? For me personally, that kind of act makes me even less interested.
BuckarooDave over 1 year ago
While I get that everyone has to make a living, cartoonists no exception, I’m not sure that Gunther and Bets are as intriguingly follow-able as, say, the Brad and Toni saga.
brycewbaker over 1 year ago
Yikes, really? They strung this one out for two weeks only to dangle a LIMITED TIME ACT NOW! commercial at the end? I’ve been reading daily pretty faithfully for about a dozen years, and am taking this as an invitation to take a good, long break.
tutibug5 over 1 year ago
Do you think Camping World will order a shipment of “the book” and sell them at their stores?
Jogger2 over 1 year ago
Neither Irma, Al, nor Less followed via Bet’s live-streaming and logging?
RadioDial Premium Member over 1 year ago
Cartoonists have to eat, too.
Joe1962 over 1 year ago
Les says there is something more to this idyllic happy story that Gunther is talking about.
Elaine1975 over 1 year ago
I asked Greg a long time ago if he’d put out more LUANN collections, and he told me then he’d LOVE to if he had enough people who would buy them in PRINT. I don’t know how many of you are avid readers, but have you priced things like books, magazines, even comic books lately? It’s insane!! I remember when a book would cost $3.95 … now it’s $35++. Even a paper like STAR or ENQUIRER is about $6.00 an issue (used to be 15 cents). So that’s most likely why the price is a bit high and it’s a limited run. Personally, I’d love to get Greg’s autograph. I’ll think about if I want to buy this item or not. Elaine :)
tutibug5 over 1 year ago
Maybe we will see another flashback – where Gunther is telling Luann “the story” of his trip with Bets. Then we see Luann writing the ‘novella’ for her writing class at college. That makes Luann the author and not G&K…so to speak.
MA FANGYI Premium Member over 1 year ago
start reading the strip in 1998. I am not in the US. This will be my first time missing a story in Luann. Well done. myopic vision comes with age, they say.
eb110americana over 1 year ago
He’s still tired after all that lying?
Katsuro Premium Member over 1 year ago
I’d love to buy that book, but I’m Swedish, so I don’t have that option. No shipping to other countries than the USA. It’s a bit depressing that I don’t get to read those comics without buying a book, and then they make it impossible for me to buy it.
Why make it so that I can’t buy it as an ebook? Why not let me give them my money?
comic reader 22 over 1 year ago
“magical miles of marvelous memories” Say that four times really fast!
I do not plan on sharing my payment information with a comic strip vendor. Even if I was just crazy interested, and just HAD to know what happened I still would never pay for a comic strip. The comics have always been free.
JanBic Premium Member over 1 year ago
The order page explicitly states “free shipping” but when the payment page comes up it automatically adds $4.50 for “shipping”.
Liam Astle Premium Member over 1 year ago
Tragedy struck when Bets found out what happens you don’t leave a town by sunset.
jrankin1959 over 1 year ago
For once, I’m with Les.
BJShipley1 over 1 year ago
Not to worry everyone, I ordered the book. Unfortunately it also says it’ll take like 3 weeks to arrive. But the upside is that I don’t have to hear “you’re getting the story for free, so you can’t complain” anymore now that I’ve paid my hard-earned dollars to read it.
locake over 1 year ago
Looks like Les is the only one who will be buying the booklet.
locake over 1 year ago
So if this story is ending today, WHAT will happen tomorrow?
LNER4472 Premium Member over 1 year ago
Okay, folks, here’s the bitter reality:
The set-up of that van trip opened up the possibility of soap-opera-ish plot development. If someone really tried, they could milk that scenario into a full-sized, 200+ page graphic novel that would consume multiple assistant artists, Karen Evans’ writing, and the like for MONTHS. Far more, even, if you started slipping R-rated details into the plot. Heck, you could spend 50 pages just on Comic-Con if you were creative beyond Bets’ constant online narcissism.
That would take probably two years to flush out in the daily comic strip, AND ALL THE WHILE EVERYONE HERE WOULD BE KVETCHING ABOUT THE LACK OF LUANN. And probably STILL finding a way to b*tch about Bernice even though she was nowhere to be seen.
I happily pay GoComics and ComicsKingdom annually just to give the cartoonists some revenue now that the newspaper publications have gotten untenable. I happily buy anthologies and collections by my favorite artists, just to give folks like Stephan Pastis, Bill Amend, Sarah Andersen, Matthew Inman, Mark Tatulli, Dan Piraro, etc. their due. And I even help libraries get copies of certain graphic novels I think would benefit readers—Amelia Rules!, Owly, etc.—to support artists I like.
Is this graphic novel offer by the Evanses a “bait-and-switch”? Honestly, it strikes me as the only practical way to approach the subject and cover it before Luann graduates college, gets her first job, and gets fired from her first job. I’m not keen on the price, and I’m on the fence about ordering it because both Gunther and Bets strike me as particularly unappealing in character (although I find Bets cute….), but I’m practical abut it.
I’m starting to sympathize more and more with Brooke McEldowney and his banning of online commentary for his strips…………………
raybarb44 over 1 year ago
Same here…..
rheddmobile over 1 year ago
So, yeah. I’ve been reading this comic since it’s inception in 1985. Close to forty years. Which is why I’m still reading, even though it’s been unrealistic veering between dull as ditchwater and over the top telenovella action scenes for the past few years. At this point I have a lot invested and I’d like to know what happens to Luann. It’s become clear that nothing will ever happen to Luann. She’s trapped in amber forever. She will never leave home, go to a real college, or get a real job and a real boyfriend to do real adult things with. She has to do the same things she has ever done, messy room, neglected dog, pointless school, live at home, tepid romantic life, world without end amen. I don’t actually care about Gunther. I care some about Tiffany, but she veered too close to being a real person and they had to rein her back into a useless, formless, gormless potato. I can’t remember the last time I laughed at this strip. And now they are doing bait and switch stories with an end I’m supposed to pay extra for, like those “fun” internet quizzes which ask for your payment to send you results after you take the quiz. I will give them one last chance, in honor of the shared history we have, and if tomorrow’s strip has any inkling of merit, I’ll stay. But my best bet is I’m leaving after tomorrow.
Moonkey Premium Member over 1 year ago
As long as we aren’t going to get the story of the trip in the comics, then let’s move on to another story. I really don’t care what happened on that trip.
pfontova Premium Member over 1 year ago
Well this has never been my favorite comic strip anyway. It’s no big deal if I never find out what happened.
comic reader 22 over 1 year ago
Greg and Karen don’t have to be stupid and cagey with their fans to make more money. All they have to do is issue hard copy collections of their comics in the same way far side does. This whole “pay to get in on the scoop” attitude seams juvenile to me.
MFishmanCross over 1 year ago
The ol’ bait and switch. Sign up to get updates on Gunther and Bets’ vacation adventure. Oops, we actually meant go to our website to buy a novella on what happened during Gunther and Bets’ vacation. I like “Luann” but not enough to spend $16 for it.
comicboyz over 1 year ago
Was the August 17th panel a dream sequence then??
DanielDrummond over 1 year ago
Ford, 1974: “People don’t care much about Safety, so the Pinto will be just fine”
Coca-Cola, 1982: "Who cares about getting rid of the flavor that built this company? Everyone will really love ‘New Coke’ "
IBM, 1984: “Personal Computers won’t sell, we’ll stick with Mainframes”
Bernie Madoff, 2007: “Of course your life savings is safe with me”
Greg & Karen, 2023: “Our readers won’t be offended if we shake them down to make coin off their loyalty”
Moon57Shine over 1 year ago
He doesn’t want to admit that they broke up since he doesn’t want to hear from them, “I told you so!”
Bwahahaha! over 1 year ago
They want us to care about these two young adults by purchasing a novella? Hee hee hee! Nope! Couldn’t care less. Good luck losing money. Can we just get back to Luann being a 24/7 idiot?
Caldonia over 1 year ago
They’re selling this thing for actual money! I’m so sorry to hear that!
Doctor Go over 1 year ago
Les, you’re gonna have to pay your creators $16.00 to find out…
The Quiet One over 1 year ago
I’m with Les, I want to hear what really happened.
Argythree over 1 year ago
I wish the colorist who is a friend of the Evanses would tell them that some of us can’t use the internet to buy things due to hackers, and there should be an alternate way to pay…
BJShipley1 over 1 year ago
Wow, there are a lot of upset people here today. I haven’t seen this level of universal outrage since Quill got recalled back to Australia the very moment he and Luann decided to get together. Hopefully G&K learn a lesson from this and refrain from doing further scams/ microtransactions from here on out.
Runningwild over 1 year ago
not available in Canada. Booo
FanofComics7 Premium Member over 1 year ago
I imagine someone would be willing to send a copy at cost to those overseas. I know it is hard to get copies of things that are only released in limited markets. It is a question of trust that is harder to navigate.
I love Greg’s art style. Comics are my favorite genre.
Some stories capture my attention, others less so. Characters are hard to keep consistent, especially if they also develop and grow. I find it interesting to see what they do, and to read the reactions to what they do.
Selling extras means they can both pay bills and produce art Many artists dream of being able to do that instead of needing to keep art as a side hobby.
I know some people can’t afford to support them by buying anything (even paying a subscription fee to sites like this). Even those who can, can’t afford to pay for every artist/site out there. I still think it is a reasonable idea for any artists to try to make their craft profitable.
I wish them luck.
I do think the last few weeks were slow. Hopefully such endeavors won’t impact the daily strips too much in the future.
[Unnamed Reader - 96ae98] over 1 year ago
There seem to be more whiners than not. I followed the link for the “novella” on a lark, and there have been so many others ahead of me that the order sight has crashed. “Over Quota” is the expression that comes up.
Pipe Tobacco over 1 year ago
To me, the offering of a “novella” is not that big of a deal. A novel-esque sort of book would not translate well here. To me it is a different genre.
Presuming that what Karen says (about it not affecting the continuity) it really does not matter to me.
To me it sounds more like Karen is simply trying to expand beyond a comic a day approach and is testing the waters to see if she could conceivably start a more writing focused business with these characters. If it sells well, great for the Evans’ …. if not, it was a learning experience for them both.
I see no real harm in them trying it out. It could be a nice way for Greg to continue to draw some (albeit less) as he may be wanting to move even more towards retirement. And it could be a way for Karen to expand her writing since that seems to be her favorite part.
Sisyphus1967 over 1 year ago
Went to the site myself; if you don’t want to buy the book, you don’t have to. It’s in bold letters in the description that it will be in the strip. Of course, how long it will take to get back to that story line and how long it will get dragged out is not specified; however, at least it will be free. :)
We think you will enjoy getting to know “Bets N Gun” in more depth than ever before with this limited edition, collectible book. If you don’t choose to order a copy, it’s ok: you can still follow what happens next in the strip.
Jeanine.mcelwain over 1 year ago
Hey, I tried to order the novella on 08/23, and I got some sort of error message, “Form over Quota.” The Luann fan website gives no way to send an email to the creators — what do we do ?My email address: jeanine.mcelwain@
Rhetorical_Question over 1 year ago
Buying the book will create a fan-base for a spin-off strip?
cmrussell5d over 1 year ago
Guess I’ll wait for our library to get it!
DanielDrummond over 1 year ago
Fun fact: The value of a brand is defined in financial statements as “goodwill”.
Wanna guess why?
Greg and Karen made a huge mistake here. It’s just a question now of how big and how long the damage will last?
jamessveta over 1 year ago
I tried to order but I get a message that says it’s over quota.
RolloTheGrouch over 1 year ago
At least we’ve learned that a number of things did NOT happen:
- Bets and Gun returned, battered but happy
- The last eight years have been just a dream
- The return of Rosa*
- The return of Luis the Peruvian driver*
- The return of Bets
- Irma’s nefarious scheme to throw Bets and Gun together to get them to break up
*(Unless it’s in the novella or Gunthie spills the beans)
But what DID happen:
Gunthie learned how to dissemble big-time and concoct a huge snow-job. So unlike the Gunthie of the past.
drewpamon over 1 year ago
To get the full story all les has to do is check bets insta
BROTHERSMARX Premium Member over 1 year ago
The link does not work on the web site ( I think they are all sold out already) and its not on Amazon yet but there are other books (not this one) listed that range from 20 to 60 dollars. So if you expect getting it there be willing to pay more for it (if and when someone puts it out there) I am sure it will be on Ebay an inflated prices as well. sigh
BJShipley1 over 1 year ago
Anyone else notice Greg kinda looks like Kris Kristofferson in the Blade movies?
TravelinMan over 1 year ago
Kinda wonder what Andrews McMeel has to say about this?
TravelinMan over 1 year ago
The error message means Evanses need to pay for the storefront service they are using to handle orders. It is not because “too many” copies have been ordered, unless 100 is too many.
From jotform:
You will only get the Form Over Quota error once your submissions exceed the 100 submission limit per month. Then you will either have to wait until the first day of the next month or upgrade your account to one of our subscriptions. >
Faby over 1 year ago
Nope! Not impressed with the money grab!
TheBigPickle over 1 year ago
Yup… shark incoming!
ScretWitch over 1 year ago
From the luann fan site: If you don’t choose to order a copy, it’s ok: you can still follow what happens next in the strip.
Willow Mt Lyon over 1 year ago
Al always looks like that. I don’t really know what he is thinking.
jogrnreno over 1 year ago
Comics imitating real life? Very poor taste.
kittysquared Premium Member over 1 year ago
Pay to play, Evanses? How crass. Based on the blahness that played out this summer, I have little faith a booklet is even worth it.
Quabaculta over 1 year ago
Well, I suddenly don’t care what happened to Gunther and Bets
Sisyphos over 1 year ago
Gunny’s whoppers may fool Mommy Irma, who has palpable stars in her eyes, But more cynical Leslie can sense that Gunther’s paean to a Great Trek is as phony as can be….
Otis Rufus Driftwood over 1 year ago
So do we, Les.
eced52 over 1 year ago
Wow, this timeline isn’t matching the joyful reunion.
ironman01 over 1 year ago
I applaud the move by the comic creators. Anyone here is free to buy or not buy. It’s called free market capitalism. The creators and publishers will be rewarded or punished by the free market. If it works, I suspect we will see more not less of this. I personally think it’s a clever idea.