Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 24, 2012

She bit the wrong finger.

Ann, Honey…you just keep diggin’!

Awe… Sweet little baby

You do have a nerve, Annie.

And so it seems

Be careful Ox. She’ll sue you.

LOL listen to TJ in the background!

The 1st panel of the strip of Feb. 11, 2002. That was genius. In this incarnation, AE is just a clownish parody of her former self.

Just because you’re big and may be a slow learner doesn’t mean you’re stupid. Ox is wise beyond his years…

I like TJ in the second panel, making the “Loser” sign. Anyone else catch that?

I’m surprised Ann hasn’t screamed “Assault!” (or battery as I am sure Mojitobaby will jump in and correct me) when Ox grabbed her arm to inspect her “wound.” He has her arm in a good grip.

I am so enjoying this! TJ is just leading things along nicely, and OX is showing he’s not a pushover. AE is in deep doo doo and she knows it, if she doesn’t get that paper back! I know they are not real characters, but enjoyable, nonetheless!

I see that they went back to the 21st and fixed Ann’s shirt color so it is now consistently green. But they didn’t fix her white tongue on the 19th.

Attaboy TJ, keep throwing coal on the fire and burn Ann’s dainty derriere!

I am really liking the Ox and TJ right now.

Oxford is no dummy, nor slow! He is cautious, aware of his great strength, and quiet, and extremely honest and ethical. The dummy here, if any, is the real pretty but totally unscrupulous Ann Eiffel, who doesn’t learn from her mistakes but instead steams stubbornly ahead with her schemes. TJ may be enjoying this just a little too much….

OBJECTION!

Hey, these two can’t seem to KEEP their hands off each other.Can ROMANCE be far be behind?Hey, Annie?You showed Ox the “BITE”. Now Show Him that Special Tattoo, in that Very Special Place….., (Lust, Slobber,Drool)

unless that piece of paper has Ann"s signature on it, it’s useless. TJ, you’re fired!

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I think I will sue Ann. She gives me a headache and a butt ache.

This is the lamest excuse for a storyline. Wrap it up, please.

Ox may be Ann’s Waterloo.

ox will find out her finger is injured by that brat hope they sue the socks off her mother for letting poor ann get hurt like thar

It’d be a shame if Ox ends up in jail over this.

she is with union and by moving to the other store

Neidermann and Lisbeth?

I don’t know that they even knew he would have been a $150. a day yet as this is only the 2nd visit.

My most favorite revenge scene ever!

Casual cool just isn’t working Ann.

Ox will not bite or hurt anyone. He indicated as much some time ago when Brad was being bullied, that he does not want or need to fight and just lets his size scare bullies off. When Ann asked Ox to sign, he asked her twice: why did she bite you? and why did she assault you? Ox is not what he seems. Perhaps the owners are already concerned about Ann’s suitability as a manager and sent Ox to sus her out.

Wait until Ox learns why Ann got bitten…

Mr Evans is playing fast and loose with the facts. She told TJ she had a scar, which even a fool wouldn’t claim if there was nothing to see. Now there isn’t one? Ox is rehashing Evan’s tired old ‘But you deserved to be bitten didn’t you?’ brand of justice. I guess we don’t need a legal system since Ox and TJ can just act as judge and jury without bothering the government. And of course TJ is lying through his crocodile smile, Ann is trying to sue Toni Daytona, not the kid. But there is no regard for truth in that jerk.

Notice that, unlike Ann, Ox never raises his voice.

Hmmm. Who’s being bullied here?

@RDT64 … That is going to be the least of her worries at this point!

Ox may be sweet and trusting but he’s not stupid at all.

If Weenie World’s security cameras don’t have audio, it looks like Anne has a lawsuit brewing against a big brutish guy from a rich family, and a smart alek jerk who stood by laughing, also with some financial means.

Folks, this is why you should NEVER assume how smart a person is just based on physical appearance alone.

But wouldn’t we hate to see AE bite the dust? She’s such a fun character. (200+ comments yesterday)Guess I goofed— if Ox could so easily read & understand the paper AE gave him and analyze its context, he apparently does NOT have a learning disability. At least not a reading disability.

Body language counts as much as words. She is outnumbered, outsized, and being physically bullied.

One thing no one has commented on yet:: when Ann told TJ she was going to sue she claimed her finger was numb—thus “nerve damage.” Now suddenly it hurts instead, and the “scar” has disappeared. No mention whatever of a doctor ever seeing this!

Pull her fangs out …Ox!

I wonder if she bruises easily.

Ox better be VERY CAREFUL in touching Ann in anyway. She’s already shown herself to be a self-serving, small-minded, selfish, vindicitive,… oh well, you get the picture.

ShagsCA, I agree. AE (and a lot of us) assumed Ox was dumb just because he’s big. He seems to be a very astute young man.

HA! Thank you so much for that image! I LOVE that part… you made my day that much better!

To Ashburn Stadium from yesterday…Thanks for that Elmer Fudd reference, I’ll have to go check it out! Still need a win for the coyote though…

I think TJ is going to take over AE’s position when she is promptly fired for this stunt.

Ox came in ONE DAY and ordered $148, and she gave him a 5% discount the next day. If you think corporate is actually sitting around scanning the register totals and wondering where Ox is on Day 3, think again. .When TJ quits and her overall sales drop down to what they were before, THEN they’ll notice.

Everyone should keep in mind that SHE grabbed him first without his consent. He was just pushing her hand away. She seems to be ready to promise him anything if he will give her the paper back. She surely must know that she will have a lot of explaining to do if this ever does come to the attention of the authorities.

Who is this Luann person the strip is named for?

Someone made a convincing case that Ox may simply not have been hearing clearly, and if you go back and look at the words he missed you might agree.

Having problems getting this post to stick. I’ll try again…

When Ox first appeared to save Gunther from a beating, he was a little confused by some of Gunther’s “big words” (which weren’t all that big), so it’s been set up that Ox is a little slow at least in comprehension.

“Slow” doesn’t mean “stupid,” however, and it’s usually better to have good instincts and common sense than book smarts anyway. My uncle never made it past 8th grade, but he was WAY sharper than many people I know who’ve earned college degrees. It’s all relative.

then she would have a real lawsuit and a witness

That’s not the reason why. This is the reverse of the “guns don’t kill people…” line, and just as inadequate as an explanation.

For some reason, it has be all or nothing on this board. Greg has shown Ox to be scholastically slow, both he and his parents realize he has more brawn than brains. But aside from scholastic slowness, he’s also sort of childlike, and he doesn’t have a lot of street smarts, either. Not many teenagers would be happy to wear a paper fast food crown, nor would they be calling Ann a “nice lady” to her face. Perhaps Greg likes Jerry Lewis, who knows?.What he does have is a sense of ethics. That scholastic backwardness doesn’t interfere with his not liking to see people get pushed around, or his knowing right from wrong. However, when Ann threatened to clean his meal away he thought he might have witnessed her being bitten – which shows he might have been open to manipulation if Ann hadn’t had such a short temper..Now, for asking a few simple questions about why Ann wanted him to lie and not liking her wanting to grab the paper back or threaten him, Ox must now somehow be an undercover WW agent recruited by corporate to keep tabs on Ann, be “wise beyond his years”, or – no! – actually extremely intelligent, with some unclear motive as to why he’s been fooling everyone all these years. .He can’t be just what he appears to be – someone slow who just keeps asking “why” (which, FYI, is what most 2 to 3 year olds do for a living), who doesn’t like being pushed around.

I don’t see TJ becoming manager, assuming Ann is fired. He’ll probably just quit as it isn’t fun anymore.

Ox may be slow but he’s nobody’s dummy.

I just don’t know how you guys can’t see Ox and TJ are obviously bullying Ann. Open your eyes!

Uncle is a lawyer. Don’t equate size and appearance with mental inability. I have a suspicion Ox is rather brilliant.

I cannot wait until the day arrives when he is the one that suffers for the things he does and not someone else.

You’ll be waiting until Greg kicks the bucket. Unlike you, he likes TJ, and can accept the fact that the character has developed and moved on from his earlier version.

You might wish I had taken the day off if I decide to tell you what a complete idiot you made of yourself over the McDonald’s coffee tort.

Anne should yell “I think my arm is broken! TJ – Call an ambulance!” and when Ox lets go of her arm fall down and start crying – if she can manage to faint, so much the better.

First mention of a lawsuit: May 14. Action has not progressed for almost 2 weeks. It’s been a long day at WW. Maybe something will happen next week.

Good one! It’s a ’bot’s world, to be sure….

She IS suing Shannon through Toni, the adult caretaker. Toni by herself is worthless to Ann without Shannon thus no reason to sue.

Ox doesn’t do violence, remember? He won’t smash TJ’s face. He will just go to BurgerBox as he said in earlier strip. It doesn’t matter where he eats as far as he is concerned. The reason he went to WW was to see Ann who he thought was a pretty and nice lady. Now he knows he is mistaken.

Ox is the smartest one there! I do like TJ though. AE, Again, I hope she’s “Goin’ down”! She’s earned it!

Of course Greg will keep this out of court, Ann’s already begging to drop the lawsuit. Any legal progression after this point would be nit-picky that no one but me would find it interesting, let alone funny..Again, anyone can sue in civil court, that doesn’t mean the court will hear the suit – cases that have no merit ARE tossed out all the time. Any damages under $5K are handled in small claims court, and you don’t need legal representation there..Lawyering is an industry in this country – we have 50% of the world’s attorneys, so no wonder. But it’s much more fun to read about urban legends or be manipulated by gross misrepresentations spread about by moneyed interests who want tort reform than it is to educate yourself. .About McDonalds, the important thing to take away from that is that already had some 700 or so complaints in the previous 10 years about the coffee being too hot. Some involved 3rd degree burns similar to the plaintiff’s – and they blew all of them off. That is what a clear case of liability looks like – knowledge that you have a hazard, and the extent to which it can do damage, and choosing to ignoring both. . Your home coffee brewer is set to 130-140F – and it won’t burn you badly if you spill it on yourself. Other, smarter, restaurants serve it at that temp. McD’s, however, was serving coffee at 180-190F, which will give you a third degree burn in 2 to 7 seconds. The reason for that? McD’s claimed a “consultant” told them that temp would result in “maximum taste”. Since that temp burns the mouth and throat instantly, trying to achieve “maximum taste” is sort of moronic. Then they tried to claim that the temp was set so high because McD’s wanted customers getting coffee to go would find it still hot when they got to the office some 5 minutes later. Brilliant, huh? Except that their own market research showed that customers who got drive-thru coffee drank it almost immediately..And when the 79 year old plaintiff opened the lid to put in cream and sugar, it sloshed into her lap. It burned her immediately – and we’re talking skin-graft burns. You don’t want to see pictures. She wasn’t driving, she was in the passenger seat, and the car was parked. .She was so litigious that because she already had medical insurance, all she wanted was for McD’s to pay $20,000 cover expenses or meds that weren’t provided for in her 8 days of hospitalization. She didn’t ask for $ for pain and suffering – of which she already had plenty as these were deep-tisue burns in a pretty senstive area. McD’s refused, and THEN she took them to court. They bleated about how this was destroying them, all the way up to their paying her about 2 days worth of their coffee takings. .The judge called their conduct “reckless, callous and willful”. Sounds accurate to me.

Shannon is five years old – no negligence can attach to a child under the age of 7. However, Toni can be held negligent for her actions, which is why Ann’s suing her. .And up to now, was relishing the very thought. Tj, though technically incorrect, has cut to the heart of the matter – if Ann could sue “that little cretin” Shannon for biting her, she would. The fact that she has to do it through Toni to collect any money makes it really sweet.

@ mojitababy. "someone slow who just keeps asking “why” (which FYI is what most 2 to 3 year olds do for a living)…"We can agree that Ox is not brilliant, but the ability to keep asking “why” and understand the answer is the very mark of human intelligence, even in 2 year olds. And there isn’t anywhere near enough of such intelligence in our society.

They do—a basic concept of causality shows that. Not all by themselves, but they are an immediate and material cause of death in a horrifying number of cases.

Best lines of the month.

The woman who sued McDonalds over the coffee… She went through the drive-through and when she was handed the coffee at the pickup window, she placed the cup between her legs. She inadvertently squeezed the cup, and the lid popped off – and spilled the coffee on her thighs. She sued McDonalds, for her own stupidity. It would be good if people who file such idiotic lawsuits have to pay through the nose when they lose…

Who’s being the bully now? (And who’s egging him on?) Just some friendly advice, Ox…NEVER touch an adversary — there are too many lawyers who are better, or at least cagier, than your well-meaning uncle.

I think Greg should do some field work research in an actual high school since he seems to have lost touch with that environment. And, Greg, stop spending so much time at McDonalds or whatever fast food restaurant you’re hanging out at, it’s beginning to show. Get out of the studio.

Ox is smarter than he let’s on

why is this comic strip called Luann?

Because Luann sometimes appears in it— similar to Judge Parker or Doonesbury…

Quite a bit can be read into this week’s installments…

So basically, we’ve spent the last several months creating a character who is absolutely vile and has no redeeming qualities except for the fact that she is pretty, purely to watch her be repeatedly humiliated. I feel like that’s rather shallow and childish.

It’s interesting how much dislike you pour out on TJ. .He’s not violent. He refused to lie for Ann. He made sure Oxford understood Ann was trying to get him to lie. He gets along with a difficult child. He tries to help his friend find fulfillment in life.His upsells are light and entertaining.. He is an asset wherever he goes, unless he is starting a fire by accident and everyoby makes minor mistakes — which I believe he set as right as he could. .I could just decide you’re prejudiced against Latinos or whatever ethnicity they’ve given him..

Some people, like Paul A, are perfect tools. They don’t realize they’re being targeted and manipulated, and if the story validates their own rage or insecurities, they’ll gladly spread it. and won’t think twice about whether it’s accurate or not. .Ox is actually smarter than that – at least he asked about the particulars. Being spoonfed a meal and not asking why you’re being fed, or what’s in the spoon, is pretty lame. That’s what infants do – not a great role model.

A career in law enforcement.

Ox is no ones fool can’t wait to get Tony& Brads reaction’s

“Henry the Sixth, part 2 act 4, scene 2, line 72”

Possibly you meant the infamous line 76?

..said, OF COURSE, TJ’s a scoundrel, since Greg designed him to be that. Like Dirk’s the nasty thug, Bernice is Luann’s conscience, Tiffany’s cute but dim… Gunther intelligent but socially inept…. these are what they call ‘characters’. Giving you that TJ HAS done all of those things, it no doubt gives him great pleasure to observe another less-skilled version of himself get caught out. No ‘Luann’ character is an unadulterated saint, just varying flawed degrees of being human."

I like that.

The Riverside edition makes it 76.

“He’s not violent. Then how come when Brad was not looking, Good ol TJ smashed him in the face as hard as he could. 07-16-98.”.You are what you do. You are saying he committed a violent act 14 years ago, therefore he is violent? I admit my ignorance since I haven’t read the story that long, but the current character gives every indication of being well-meaning. Further, I assume there is more to it if Brad is his friend currently. What events surrounded the violence, Oh Knowing One?.“TJ is the definition of lying. He has told so many that there is not enough room for them, but I will post his last. When was that? Oh, that’s right, today. He told Ox that Ann is suing Shannon. Lie. Ann is suing Toni.”.Close enough. It is an attack on Toni through Shannon and would hurt Shannon. You assume TJ split the hair and refused to acknowledge the distinction. If you didn’t hate him, you would give him the benefit of the doubt..“ Dude, Brad has Toni. Ain’t no way TJ is going to give him more fulfillment than that.”.He is with her. She hasn’t committed to him. TJ pointed out there IS a difference. Fly by night attitudes don’t see the difference..“You on the other hand have appeared to have read nothing.”.Not nothing but obviously not as much as you have. Tell me, has Toni always been the good person she is now? Has Luann always been so attractive?.“Those things I said about TJ are fact. Every single one of them. Since you do not seem to understand what a fact is, allow me to enlighten you, It means truth.”.Generally taken, a fact is verifiable, truth is sometimes a bit less certain, or perhaps MORE certain in the minds of many with verification, but again close enough to accept your wording. In fact, without verifying the truth of your statements, I can only depend on your honesty. I assume it to be real but can still see prejudice on current motives based on previous actions. Since TJ is whatever his creator decides, you can be certain he has never changed from his worst and I can posit that he is different from his worst.