Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 04, 2012

Get ready for the ride buddy boy. It’s up and down, all around, and you better get used to it.

So, Shannon is five. I thought she was still four… unless Toni means preschool?

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I love the background on the last panel. My favorite part is that Shannon doesn’t even seem to notice the hole in the floor or the destroyed wall.

Amazing what they managed to accomplish (demolish?) In just 25 minutes.

Game rained out, huh, Brad?

NOW they are trying to act sensible. A little too late…Hard to do when there are holes in the wall and the floor. Look, you three, how irrational you were just moments ago! And Brad, you still have a long way to learn about women. Once they had an ordeal, such as missing a child, they DON"T want to have a lovefest. They rather have cuddlefest and comfort. Men have such a single track mentality.

Swing and a miss, Brad. Swing and a miss.

Boy, is the landlord gonna be mad. Oh, wait, the landlord is Mr. DeGroot. How you going to explain this one, Brad?

http://www.sadtrombone.com

Mrs. Horner! She’s actually a 6’6" burly Mafia guy who somehow managed to disguise himself as a sweet old lady for his own nefarious purposes. If we didn’t have that arc wherein Dirk helps Mrs. Horner move (and almost gets away with stealing from here), I would be tempted to say that kindly “Mrs. Horner” was Dirk all along.

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One can only guess at what this guy was thinking during “Mrs. Horner’s” chats with Luann.

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Oh, and the retirement home is actually a front for a sinister organization (headed by Ann Eifel) which seeks to gain control of the hidden assets of the missing Don Pablo, who no-one has seen for four years. Ann is particularly invested in this venture, not only because Pablo had been legendarily wealthy and managed to somehow hide all of that money from the government, but also because Don Pablo is Ann’s estranged father.

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The plot thickens as TJ goes on a hunt for his father, and along the way, discovers a half-sister in the most unlikely of places.

He’s not. TJ is. Or was it TJ’s cousin? I can’t remember.

The hole that TJ hacked into the wall is shaped like a witch riding a vacuum cleaner. Weird.

I love how Brad looks when he’s angry. It really looks like he has serious anger issues.

Hey, Brad?If You THINK that THIS kid is BAD now, Just WAIT til she becomes a TEENAGER! You’ll be LONGING for that Evil, Precocious Five Year old.

Oh, and Shannon?

Be SURE to stop by Mrs. DeGroot’s house on the way home.For preventing Brad and Toni’s “little love fest” she’s gonna GIVE You a nice shiny Medal to go with THAT Crown….,

Notice how quickly Brad’s demeanor changes when he doesn’t get his way? I smell trouble….better sign up for some counselling, Brad.

Can’t everyone enjoy a comic without agonizing over whether a character is in school or not? It just mystifies me! Geez people…get a life!

TJ is jealous?? Did he wake Shannon to thwart Brad and Toni? Judging by his expression in yesterdays final panel, I think so.

OK everybody, who do you think woke Shannon up?

How could a kid be in a 4 inch wall or how could they get through the hole in the floor without the same damage to the flooring. None of this could possibly happen except in a comic strip or soap opera.

Beware, Brad….in the future, Toni will edit all that narration down to a simple, “Not now, I have a headache.”

As I remember, Toni has her own place. I doubt that she and Shannon share a bed. If Toni loves Brad as much as she says, it shouldn’t be too hard waking up next to him in the morning.

When did Shannon get so short?

She has NEVER been drawn so short, in comparison to the adults.

I could see this on TV. It’s a situation comedy that has taken a turn down the slapstick road. By next week all will be righted.

Brad goes, “Now this feels familiar.”

Actually, other than for humor, why would someone knock such a big hole in a wall just to peek in? If Shannon WAS inside (the 3 1/2" thick wall), it could be enlarged later. And put a rug over that hole in the floor! It looks unsightly!.

TJ cracks me up!

Cool your jets, Bud.

I dig your methodology and analysis.

Ok, Ok… Greg Evans…. you WIN…. today’s punchline…. actually made the week’s worth of extremely crazy (and at the time, rather frustrating) adventures….. WORK VERY WELL in the story line. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I applaud your efforts and comedic sensibilities and will work to not jump to conclusions. Thank you!

Shannon can hold the video camera.

Actually, it isn’t, and it doesn’t. The “many” states it’s mandatory in is just 15..CA law, for example, doesn’t make education compulsary until age 6 – so first grade is where our mandatory primary/elementary school education formally starts. About 10% of our population doesn’t do kindergarden, so there are other requirements children can fulfill to enter into 1st grade, or even accelerated placement. .While the No Child Act means there’s now more funding for K-12, it also means gov’t mandated skill standards can be applied to Kindergarden to hold kids back from entering 1st grade. The reason many states don’t make K mandatory is that they figure a full-day program will be too costly, but kids who do attend that comprehensive program are about 3 months ahead of the those who don’t when it comes to cognitive development.

Again, that wall construction looks like trailer park stuff from the 50s. Or worse! Might as well finish the demo and put up a manly man’s wall.

Let’s see – upon reflection, Greg doesn’t hold strongly to rock firm ages, relationships, etc. So, he’s said she’s 5 several times and now Toni says she has school. So what’s the problem? Just accept it and write about something more interesting than mandatory schooling at age 5 and in which states and under what conditions..For instance, I like the relationship of the number of buttons to Toni’s acceptance of romantic interludes. I’m tiring of the concern that Frank & Nancy will freak out about the house damage, but that’s OK. And I’d have liked to see some improvement in communication of Toni & Brad related to the “lost Shannon” arc. But, hey, that’s in the future..Now it time to get back to Luann & Quill, sooo….

I’m hoping this strip will finally go back to what is going on with TJ and Ann. And not just start, then get sidetracked into something else.

Ya don’t feed the dog, the dog will go next door !

Mr. Evans > if ya don’t intend for this to go anywhere, then Brad needs to move on. Either start showing some reality about relationships / love affairs / or whatever…you lose readers ! The way it’s being drawn now, all Toni is doing is stringing Brad along and wearing the pants in this " relationship"…and that’s NOT gonna get the job DONE !

The only difference between men and dogs is…..Cold Shower Brad!

is it just me or is Brad making sense this time?

brad needs to go and see if he can tap ann. probably be a Whole Lot more fun than this bimbo.

Simple solution, have her move in.

Also, notice that they have opened up a hidden cellar that, as far as I recall, has never been mentioned before. I expect that new area to become important in the time to come. Maybe a mini apartment to get TJ out of the way for privacy?

You’re not going to find many comic strips in which the characters age. “For Better or For Worse” was one, so was “Gasoline Alley” (although its characters age really ssssssllllllloooooowwwwwllllllyyyyyy…I think Walt must be 125 years old by now). Otherwise, Charlie Brown will always be six years old, as will Calvin, and Little Orphan Annie will always be 12 (or whatever) and in dire need of a opthalmologist.

Really? Someone cares about how old Shannon is? She’s still small and says Bwad. All we need to know.

@serenasakittyTalking about sidetracked:What ever happened to that trip out to hollywood with that ad that whats her name took? I would like to see Shannon take on ann eyesore again.I wonder how Eyesore is explaining the bite on her finger.

“Aaron and Quill could get in a major brawl over Luann. The loser has to date her.”

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Wow. Just wow. Was not expecting that last sentence and choked on my drink.

Making the wedding part of the last Luann strip sounds like a good idea. They should have done that with Cathy- ended the strip when she married Irving.

Mojitobaby – what’s that reference again for Shannon’s age. I think you left a note about it a few days ago. Sideshow Starlet needs the confirmation.

There’s no related time between our world and the world of Luannarnia – like there is in the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe.

An engagement is the same in terms of results – it still kills off the suspense and tension as to where the relationship is going. Unless Greg wants to devote every arc featuring them to dire situations that break them apart and have Toni return the ring – why should he go there?

Sounds like Brad is being shuffled to the back of the line. Toni and TJ? It will happen.

Brad should have dumped that T. J. long ago. That character has gotten Brad into more than one turmoil. Don’t think Toni isn’t noticing old slick willie.

Besides, who was doing the wall-smasheroo? I think Brad is devious, has hostility, and thinks Toni’s a fox. What has Brad ever done to really help old Brad?

Correction: maske that read WHAT HAS T.J. done to help Brad?

Jeeze, hide the hammers with that brat on the loose.

I could never quite understand TJ’s reasoning for taking a sledge hammer to the wall—how would she have gotten in there in the first place?

Leviticus … NO! The LAST strip has to be a bitter bitter scene. Brad and Toni mutually serve each other papers at the same fire station. Then with fire axes in hand…

Last strip scenarios? That’s an interesting topic. I’d like to see a 4th wall call out and troll stomping. Frogs, ducks, even the late great Xenon. Jughead and the entire Archie gang. Athletic socks and sock puppets in general. Attack on the local community theater. Breakfast club HS alumni massacre. Just off the top of my head these come to mind.

Arc started out with one star, bad mouthing Ann. Rose to two stars with the “dark & stormy night mystery.” Started slipping with the destruction of the house, slipped some more with the collapsed “mystery”, and finally fell to one star with Toni putting the cold hose on Brad. I guess if Brad wants any action, he’ll have to join the Secret Service.

First TJ burns it down, now he knocks it down. Time for Teej to go.

For me, “Luann” works better when I read it the way I used to in the old days of dead-tree comics – giving it 15-20 seconds of my attention and then forgetting about it for 24 hours. I like to read the Comics Curmudgeon comments, but I have never shared their hatred of “Luann.” Recently, the strip just confuses me.

Mmm…sensible house damage …

@ Dave53.Exactly, guys – it was the last episode. No one had to worry about any more viewer attendance, subsequent boredom or dissatisfaction. Marrying off your unmarried romantically-charged characters kills the dynamic and squashes the tension flat – it’s just that simple. .Don’t believe me if you want – but you can check out the so-called “Moonlighting Curse” for yourselves and see that a lot of writers, like the one at Bones, don’t want to experince it. Good writers know their job, and they know people, and how they react to getting what they think they want – even if you don’t. At some point people can get disgusted with stagnation and walk, but most series are usually over by then.

Sigh, one last shot back. Even if they’re technically “secondary” characters, the readership doesn’t see them that way. It may be called “Luann” but applying that logic is futile – as is reistance – if people see them as their favorite characters.

When “Luann” is about Brad and Toni – interest goes up. When it’s about most anything else, borrr-ring. I created a monster when I created Toni. -Greg Evans 10/25/10

And if you disagree with the Moonlighting analogy, take it up with Greg,

Raise your hand if you remember the comic strip “Li’l Abner.” Or the TV shows, “Moonlighting” and “Cheers.” I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Disney Princess movies like “Snow White,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” etc.. The element that all of these have in common that helped make them popular is a simmering romance between the leads. In the case of the comic strip and the TV shows, fans were kept enthralled for years by the compelling on-again off-again, will-they-won’t-they aspect of these romances. New love is hugely entertaining..But it can’t last forever. You can only unite, break up, make up, quarrel, re-join, split, etc. so many times. Eventually, fans get restless. “Get these two together already!” they cry…..…When Abner wed Daisy Mae it was literally frontpage news at the time. Everyone wanted this to happen. But then, everyone kinda wished it hadn’t. Fans missed the fun, unpredictable spark of the old romance. The chase is entertaining. But after that? Boring. A successful happy life just doesn’t make a good story..Disney knew this. That’s why the Princess stories end at “And They Lived Happily Ever After.” The juicy stuff has already happened..All of which brings me, of course, to Brad and Toni. Soon after they first met, I started receiving “Get those two married!” emails – and I get them to this day..I know that the most wonderful words in a relationship are “And They Lived Happily Ever After.”.But not to a writer.-Greg Evans 9/20/2010

If you don’t think he’s right, can you point to any examples to support that – and show him where he’s wrong? .Greg has given some prime examples – in TV, movies and comics. I can think of several more: comic strip characters that married, with the result that the strip either became stultifyingly boring (SpiderMan – where villains predictably menace MJ while Peter spends all his down time watching cable) or the couple was broken up immediately afterward (Brenda Starr and Basil St. John) to try and recapture the the romantic tension that the marriage had sidelined. I’d add Elizabeth and Anthony of FBOFW to the first category, but since they were already stultifyingly boring as a couple before they got married, I won’t. And remember, the wedding was the strip’s swan song – even Lynn Johnston knew she couldn’t sustain it after that..Whether you, personally, feel connubial bliss is conducive to comedy or not, it’s what Greg feels he can use for inspiration that matters. .He’s aware he has 3 choices: stall, murder/accidental death, or marriage. I think he’ll stall as long as possible – it may be a drag, but we’re all still reading, aren’t we? .I sure can’t see Greg pulling a Batiuk dismal-suffering-a-thon by having Brad marry Toni, then be deployed to Afghanistan, captured, declared dead, then to return 11 years later to find Toni married to TJ and no back pay because the Army “screwed up”. Besides, he’’s already done a cancer arc.

I meant examples where the couples had a successful romantic tension/chase dynamic, then married and keep the plates successfully spinning. These aren’t it. .Rob & Laura Petrie – FAIT ACCOMPLI – ALREADY MARRIED WHEN WE TUNED IN. We never saw the chase, so no before/after frame of reference..Lucy & Desi – FAIT ACCOMPLI – ALREADY MARRIED WHEN WE TUNED IN. We never saw the chase, so no before/after frame of reference..George & Gracie – FAIT ACCOMPLI – ALREADY MARRIED WHEN WE TUNED IN. We never saw the chase, so no before/after frame of reference..Blondie & Dagwood – married in 1933, to much fanfare. Then she becomes a sensible housewife, while Dagwood becomes a bumbling stooge and the strip degenerates to a gag-a-day predictable bore-a-thon. They became Frank and Nancy. Case closed. The strip is a snore – about as amusing as Dennis the Menace, Family Circus or any other hackneyed “legacy” strip. .Really, this just proves the point – Greg’s point, actually. Regardless of what you think, he’s the one who has to come up with the “comedic opportunities” that you think are so rife in happily-ever-after, and he sees no inspiration there. For him, conflict = humor. And can you honestly blame him for not wanting to see Brad and Toni become another Blondie – or even worse, The Lockhorns? . Man, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

I love ya Brad…but serioulsy…tore up the floor and walls before checking in every room?? kinda dumb sweetie….