Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 16, 2011

So much awkward right there …

Yup, a future priest there…

Be careful what you wish for, Rosa.

she is not pretending to be “a girl” . Gunthie…………… she is pretending to be THE GIRL Rosa Aragones, so start going um um um ;)

Uhh, yeah, right, Gunther. Luann is pretending to be a girl, to help you act more like a man rather than a frightened little boy. Come on, Gunther; you can do it!

after he finally does it, he could sing this if we continue with major Lance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETeDOCdSO_M

Luann is handling it so well.She doesn’t have a crush on Gunther, so she can accept that he’s known her so long she’s not “a girl”. She’s just Luann. He’s not “making small talk” with her, he’s talking to her, just like he would to Knute. Sigh…. I understand too.At Luann’s age I was that non-girl pal. The one the boys (including your current crush) are so comfortable with that they share stuff — like how they wish the girl they “liked” could be just like YOU.Only, you know, not you. Thanks.

Um, Gunther, you hadn’t realized Luann is a girl? You were in love with her for years, and you just now discovered she is a female? Ah, never mind. Practice on her, Gunther! She has all the right equipment!

Wouldn’t it be bizarre if Gunther thought for all these years that Luann was actually a man in disguise?

Otto — boys DO declare it, and they DO mean it to be exclusionary.The only reason you don’t know that is that you’re not a girl, so, presumably, no boy has said it to you — or maybe you weren’t listening when you said it yourself to some girl! “I just think of you as a friend” is one of the most common kiss-offs in the language, whether you’re 17 or 92. Gunther used to stammer and gurgle in Luann’s presence; his current calm proves she’s joined his circle of friends.Of course, this strip re-sets itself now and then…. so perhaps one day they’ll see a new light in each other’s eyes.It’s been known to happen in real life too — but about as often as Halley’s comet swings by, and with less predictability.Don’t count on it.

Rosa, Luann, Gunther… Two and a half women.

I think Gunther not only doesn’t know what the point is, he most probably doesn’t even know where the point is.

No I’m not him.

troll alert!!!

And so it begins. They pretend. She falls for him.. the drama continues.

Better be careful Gunther ole boy……girls don’t like it when you practice with other girls first.

GOOD Lord! How much Longe…..

LOOK, Gunther. You NEVER had THAT much problem Talkin’ to LUANN. (At least not LATELY).And you DON’T seem to have a problem talkin’ to her NOW!

Luann: Despitethe fact that You merely consider Gunther only a “Special Friend” You’ve NEVER had a problem giving Him a VERY Passionate Kiss, and I DON’T mean on the cheek!

IMHO, the TWO of You seem to be MADE for each other.

So, I’m askin’:

Gunther, WHY Rosa?

Luann: WHY Quill?

Ugh. Head Hurt! NEED Coffee!

Thanks for sharing, Susan. If I had a job, and if you were single, I’d ask you on a date :DHow many here bet that Gunther is going to blow his one chance?

Luann has been Gunther’s crush for a long time in this comic, it just seems out of place for him to say that, and contrary to the situation for him to say that sarcastically.

You started off okay, Luann but you lost it in frame two. The point is to get a date. Chatting and getting to know each other can happen on the date. Practicing, however, is a good idea. Especially since Gunther seems to have dfficulty distinguishing gender.

don’t forget that Lucy had Schroeder

Its funny that I know people that are than socially awkward.

It seems that Gunther has always been able to talk intelligently with Luann EXCEPT when he is embarrassed or romantically infatuated with her. So STRESS is the trigger – Gunther becomes mentally unhinged when he is out of his element but very competent when he is on familiar ground.

Today he is in a “friend” relationship with Luann, but contemplating a potentially “lover” relationship with Rosa. So, he is a conversationalist with Luann UNTIL he begins the role play of his “friend” being his “lover”. He KNOWS Luann is a girl, but it calls for him to pretend she is a Girl! Big difference.

maybe gunther would be better matched with quill – he’s a wimp also

For goodness sakes!

quite the poignant observation, Submits “Dave53”…..to say Luann is perkierthan puppies busting free…

Luann, do it like school. Have Gunther write down what he is supposed to do in the phone call to Rosa. Then when Gunther hears Rosa’s voice and his mind goes blank, he can refer to what he wrote and ask Rosa out.

uhh im pretty sure shes playing the girl gunth XD

well…. Brad kind of did the same with Tony when he almost said she and him were “just good friends”, and with Brade we talking BF/GF, not “interested” as is the case for Gunther

Well Done!!!!!

Or, we could just call it a day and go home. Generally when you have good friends and you’re struggling with something they could help you with, they don’t tend to say, “I’m not your mother or therapist, grow up!” and let you twist in the wind. I have a feeling if Luann did just that, you’d be complaining about what a crappy friend she was. Neither she or Gunther are winners in the romance areas (although she has been proposed to, which isn’t acually small potatoes IMO) but she IS a girl, and role-playing in order to help Gunther get through the basic process of talking to one is a pretty helpful thing to do.

Poor guy.

It’s kind of nice to see Gunther reach the point where he has to pretend Luann’s a girl after so many years of seeing her as the only girl.

I’m a bit disappointed that Luann isn’t fuming with jealousy over Gunther tranferring his attention to Rosa. He’s a decent guy and he deserves more from Luann.

Nicely said. What Gunther DOESN’T deserve is someone who makes a display of fuming, petty, selfish jealousy even though her heart isn’t even remotely involved, so that he thinks he might have a chance after all and so doesn’t follow up on the girl who’s really interested in him and who he has a lot in common with.

Wow — Chapellegirl — I’m so glad it worked out — congratulations! Always love a happy ending.NikiCox — well said. I’ve had boyfriends and even a husband in my life, but I’m single now, and I don’t think anything has changed.And Penandra — been there too. Age hasn’t made hearing it any easier.But I understand those who say it, cos, like Wiselad, I’ve been on the other side too.Probably we all have. That’s one reason we like this strip — the roles are reversible and universal.And I agree that Gunther’s endless crush doesn’t mean he “deserves” Luann. I always thought they’d make a good couple because of their friendship — but not if she doesn’t feel the same way. It would be like Schroeder finally settling for Lucy. She’d always know.Just as Gunther would, if Luann felt she had to settle for him cos she owed him one.

I’ve always had more guy friends than girls (because we had more interests in common (grade school=bikes, not dolls, HS=drafting, not typing, adult=real topics, not just the kids). I also liked shocking people with my exploits when I was younger and guys took better to that too.

I still don’t get why it’s the guy who has to call. If Rosa’s so confident and cool why can’t she call him?

Oh Sunshine, that is so sad. In HS I had an older girl confide her crushes to me over the phone…

Run, Gunther, run!