Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 03, 2012

Aaron HillMiguelQuill

C’mon Mr. Evans – the re-run thing is incredibly lame. Try a new plot line: Luann gets to have a real relationship like Brad. Like Knute. Like Gunth…well, I guess not like Gunth.

I am completely disappointed. Not only does it kill the arc, it also yanks yet another promising and interesting character.

Orion

You didn’t really think they woud actually “do it,” did you?

Anihcam xe sued, of course. ;)

&Alain HarperGROAN Boy, go out and fetch me a switch. Better not be no thin one neither.

And @ ..:You mean like he spent all that time building up the Aaron Hill character? or the Miguel character?

Orion

I’m going to cross my fingers and hope that this strip is deliberately misleading us to think he’s going back to Australia. His first speech bubble could mean other things and then he’s asking Luann something more like, “How do you always jump to the worst possible conclusion?” kind of thing. I’m hoping.

As I recall “deus ex machina” doesn’t imply a successful resolution – the “god from the machine” of Greek opera could always rule against you rather than for you.How about making one up: deus ex abrupto, “a god without preparation”?

One thing about this scenario, Luann’s parents won’t know how close she came to disobeying their trust by having a male in her bedroom unchaperoned. If I were her, I’d be having this conversation with Quill in the family living room….just in case.

You forget, Quill is not much older than Luann and has no control over his dad’s plans to move back to Australia. You notice, Quill’s dad controlled the conversation and ‘told’ Quill what he had to do…come home…right now. Obviously, the dad makes plans with no consideration for Quill’s need for friends etc. IMHO, Quill probably does not have the same quality of life as does Luann.

Obviously Luann has been listening to all those readers trying to warn her this was bound to happen.

&Alain -Too true. But I like your mod as well. although in this case, I think it’d be deus reddo.

Patheticus! :P

Caesar Orion

This damned comic strip has become a SOAP OPERA!

eye rolling Quill’s dad can’t WAIT for Quill to get home to notify him – he had to CALL him?? People today communicate by cell phones, not face to face, and when it comes to family, it is just sad!Now this arc – I agree. It is getting old and lame. There is always something going wrong with Luann’s romances. Married guy (Stuart), Dorky (Gunther), Uinterested (Aaron), Off Limits (Ben), Date Rapist (Miguel), Eccentric (Elwood), and UnAmerican (Quill). Come on, Greg. Give Luann a regular guy for a change. Give Luann an Quill who is a Pittsville resident and a citizen of the country, please. (yeah, I think I missed a few other suitors…)

Nah, if it’ll “ruin the moment”, it must be something more possitive. Maybe his Dad’s been transferred here full time, or maybe They’re going back to OZ to finalize the sale of their house and Luann’s invited. When he asked how do females always do that? I think he may have meant how do you alw

Honestly, people – after stalling and running in place for the best part of a year and a half, didja REALLY think something was actually going to HAPPEN here? .‘Sides, boys who wear what looks like a cast-off fast-food uniform shirt don’t deserve to get lucky.

How incredibly conveeeeeeeenient……..

That’s exact as I knew it will happen. Good warning for all ages to be aware why sudden change who they are depend where they are from…as well like when school/college almost end…avoid “sudden want kissing”

Luann/Gunther is the only pairing Greg Evans will accept. Looks like he still hasn’t got over his fans picking Aaron Hill by a landslide. He will keep doing this until the fans accept that the only ending Greg wants is Luann/Gunther.

For those of you hoping for a positive outcome – Look at Quill’s expression in panels 2 & 3. That is not a ’we’re staying’ or ’we’re leaving and your invited’ face. That’s the Oh, here we go again with the same old story…er…I mean the ’we’re leaving and in fact, our plane is taking off in 5 minutes’ look so I hope dad packed my things.’ Maybe this is ‘Miracle Mile’ and Dad knows that the nukes are on their way and will impact within the hour. That would at least be something different…

Orion

AW, let me have my fantasy for one more day…. ;-/

It’s impossible to root for a hero(ine) you know will never win. I actually had hope for Luann this time. I thought she’d get at least a summer romance before Quill heads back to Aussie school in the fall. Quill hasn’t had a chance to pack or properly say his good-byes. If this has nothing to do with his family life and is just an attempt to end things abruptly, then I will be very disappointed. There are far better ways to end a storyline. This is just pathetic if Quill is leaving right now. I sincerely hope that Quill’s comment means that she’s just jumping to the worst possible conclusion.

maybe Q will stay, as his uncle(from Los Angeles) moves to Pitts and becomes his guardian

Aaron HillMiguelQuillI think I am going to be ill

Meh!

This is like Texas Hold-Em…If you’re on Luann’s side, we’re sitting on a pair of nines – waiting for the flop. It could still go a lot of ways – some could be pretty good…..

These comic strip lines are written probably weeks in advance. Mr. Evans, even if he reads these comments on this current series with Quill and Luann has already concluded this relationship. He is likely writing/drawing the September or October storyline now. It doesn’t make much sense, “I’ll be right there.” I can’t believe as someone else said you pack up and leave in one day. The dad would surely have given him a few days notice, so he could say his good byes.

I bet he will end up moving into Tiff’s house as an exchange student. That would be a plot twist.

Dang it

I’ve got it, his Aunt from OZ is there visiting, and he wants Luann to have dinner at his house to meet his Aunt Nicole Kidman.

Tease us is all you do and it is really getting old. I’m quitting this strip. Over and out.

it might be unlikely(more likely is that Luann will be crying to Momma .in Saturday)………….. but since it is Tuesday, maybe someone in the family died, and actually Q in the last panel is ready to say “why women always think of what would be worse for them?”

Mr Evans is demonstrating a disappointing lack of imagination and courage with this storyline. Looks like Tom Batiuk is the only person who has the cajones to deal with tough issues in a comic strip. OK, I’ve had enough now- what’s happening with TJ/Eiffel, Knute/Crystal or Brad/Toni? Not that I expect anything beyond a superficial story any more. And ps- Gunther is cute but he doesn’t spark my interest.

Keep calm and don’t jump to conclusions, folks! Maybe Luann is reading this wrong. Or, even if she is right, Quill is not gone yet! Let the storyline play out….

Maybe Quill and family are illegal aliens, the strip can then highlight immigration issues…

You know what, THEY SHOULD DO IT ANYWAYS. I mean, they’re in high school, right? What, do they expect to start a long-term relationship, maybe get married? JUST DO IT!!!

Does anyone in the Evans world ever have sex??? We have potential hookups galore — Tony and Brad, Ann and TJ, Luann and Arron 2.0 — but NO ONE IS DOING IT. I know this is kind of a family strip and all, but why can’t anyone have a little action, even if its implied? Come on, Greg!

HOW.DARE.YOU. Let Luann have a boyfriend!!!!

I’m sorry Mr. Evans, I don’t intend to sound “mean” or “hateful” but THIS is the reason I would lay off Luann for about a year or two…oh well…See you guys around.

well, congratulations to all who predicted correctly on this. Still a good chance he will stay in town though.

Technically, it’s called diabolous ex machina.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DiabolusExMachina

There’s also ‘yanking the dog’s chain.’ Think of this as being roughly equivalent to Lucy yanking the football away from Charlie Brown for the 5,000th time, and it may be easier to bear.

Next: Luann has deep and meaningful discussion with (1) Mom (2) Bernice and or Delta (3) Diary (4) Puddles, or (5) All of the Above.

LUANN + GUNTHER 4EVER!!!

I am still wondering what ever happened to that trip to Los Angeles with that screen test.

I know I have been not reading Luann before last summer due to personal reasons but it looks like That Luann has been through this before where she latched on to a good guy and all of a sudden the family of the guy decides to move somewhere and they cant see each other anymore.

I guess thats how she knows Quill. Enjoy.

I think we all saw this coming. It has probably been in the works but he kept it secret.

This would not be the first potential boyfriend sent away by Greg.

anihcam xe sued…

Way to Batiuk up the strip. I get we need some drama, but more than 5 seconds of happiness for these characters would be nice.

I read this every day, but almost never post a comment.

I will today.

This is so predictable, so lame, so NOT interesting.

I agree with all of Orion’s posts on this matter.

Greg is obviously afraid to move ahead with anything significant. He wants to stay with meat and a baked potato, will never move on to a taco or a steak fajita or a wrap.

BTW Greg, unless you want to continue to sound hopelessly outdated, in most cases in most of the country it is Community College, not Junior College.

There is danger in making changes.

But there is also danger in NOT making changes.

How IRONIC that Greg did to us, what Quill was going to do with Luann.

Couldn’t let Luann have her true teen moment, huh Greg?

FAIL

So, no one has yet made the comment that Quill’s words in the last panel were previously said by Frank when Brad went to hospital after saving Toni as she fell off the ladder. Women are good at reading between the lines. Not always accurately.

This ain’t over yet. Luann is obvioulsy turned off, but it’s unlikely that Quill is. Things could get nasty.

Greg’s storylines have not disappointed before and I would not be so quick to pre-judge this arc either. If you must pan it, then at least wait until it is finished before you do so.

If Quill is going to have to go back to Australia, then I’m glad if it’s NOT going to be a one time only with him and LuAnn. Hopefully neither of them will regret that they were not each other’s first time (hope I’m not making an assumption about Quill).

Having to see your blinkin’ icon

I adblocked it.

Ah, Luann. You sweet sweet virgin. You are the epitome of nostalgia.Remember how innocent high school juniors were? No, I don’t either. But when we read Luann, we can pretend, can’t we.

“In the sunset of dissolution, everything is illuminated by the aura of nostalgia.”

— Milan Kundera

i knew she was not gonna give him a shot of leg

If u didn’t see this coming……ANYONE WANNA BUY A BRIDGE?!

Hey Sheriff! Can I join your party?Notice that the GayBaggers have sidestepped their tedious assertions and are now just wishing that the most popular character ever (within the Luanniverse) should now just get lost and go home to shibangabang or wherever.

As I said, it ain’t over yet. They’re still alone in the house, in her bedroom, and you have to admit that she led him on just a bit. Fires are easier to start than to put out.

Y’know what? I think Greg is reading these comments – or at least some of them – and he’s snickering in his ink bottle over what people think is going to happen, or what they expect wil happen, and they turn out to be all wrong. I’ll bet that Greg is chuckling and laughing all over his drawing paper about this.

Aaron Hill V2. Total cop out by Greg.

He’s going to either find a way to stay or to come back to the US shortly after going back to Australia. Any bets?

Having grown up in the military, moving suddenly happens. Yes, you do have some warning but not much. Maybe they have a week to get everything packed before the movers come. Maybe my parents had more warning but we kids were told at the last minute.

Maybe the DeGroots will adopt Quill and let him stay with them, making LuAnn very happy.

You mean this is going to be like the show Roseanne, when Darlene’s boyfriend moved in with them? Oh joy, Quill is the new Galecki.

Damn that Quill — in panel 2 he could have said “it was just a wrong number” or “telemarketer,” then he would have had some action. He doesn’t appear very suave.

Poll: Who’s gonna get laid first: Gunther, Knute, Luann, or Brad? My guess is that everyone else in the Evans universe that we know (except Delta & Bernice) is not a virgin.

The thing to me is, Greg is purposely aging his characters (albeit extremely slowly) — at some point they are going to get in real relationships. At the rate Evans is going, though, Luann will probably be chaste for another ten years.

Rule #1 – Cartoonist creates to satisfy his own inner audience first. If he deicdes it’s time for a character to go, they go. If it appears to be a contrived exit, it may be for expediency. By the time you read it he’s far into writing the stuff you’ll see months from now. No sense in crying “lame!” — he knows what works and so does Universal Press.

i agree, this is lame to have him leave for Australia. Tim

Hey, Lu?

If YOU hadn’t spent the last 3-4 years our time, 6-8 your time, DITHERING around, you MIGHT have been able to ENJOY a relationship with Mr. Oz.Hey, Bernice? Delta? Get out the crying towels.Aw don’t WORRY, Lu.You STILL have Gunther.….,oh wait.

You said exactly what I was thinking. No ground was broken…

What makes me think something could still happen is this. Why go through all the intricate set-ups (Mom and Dad out of the house for three hours, Quill calling to say he wanted to come over, Luann inviting him to come at the same time, her taking him straight to her “lair,”) just to have the whole thing killed by a cell phone? A waste of time and ink that makes no sense.

Anyone expecting ground to be broken is expecting the Lockhorns to divorce and Charlie Brown to kick that ball.

LUANN + GUNTHER 4EVER!!!!!

Greg, go get me something to beat you with!

I knew he was going “down”, under.

Goodbye, Quill.Hello, Aaron.Actually, that wouldn’t be too bad.

This absolutely ruined this story arc. Time to move on to a more interesting one now, I’m very interested in seeing how Brad and Toni are doing. Way to play it safe G.E., instead of giving readers something thought provoking and worthy of actual discussion!

“many of you live in a fantasy world!”Fantasy is generally a kind of wish-fulfillment so, sure. Readers wish for happiness in the characters they emphasize with.

Greg, I think if you had tried REALLY REALLY HARD then you MIGHT have been able to be even more predictable and cliche than you already were with this.

I mean come on, really? It’s unrealistic for ALL of Luann’s love interests to move away. God forbid you let her have a boyfriend!

I’m hoping you’re going to turn this around in some way because if not, this is lame and just as obnoxious as when TV writers do the same thing OVER and OVER and OVER again when it comes to love interests. I’ve given up on more than one TV serial because of the writers running in circles.

GOOD! Glad to see it! Lu doesn’t need to get knocked up at 16! And then have the “daddy” book back to Aussie Land and leave her high and dry on top of it!

Nice predictable plot, :(

Australicus interruptus

“Gunther could work. Luann took years to grow up and mature. maybe its Gunth’s turn.”OK except that what he needs is not some kind of makeover but rather the development of self-confidence that can come with maturity. As I said, he needs to be allowed to grow up. With Luann’s (and her BFFs) interest in careers and Luann’s interest in seduction, it seemed that Greg was moving in the direction of letting these kids mature, so maybe it will happen with Gunther too—the way it happened with Brad (who still needs some work.)

yeah, how sad…but we all saw that coming. wish they had a few weeks, or a few days at least….to say goodbye.

Well, if they live on the west coast the comic comes on line by 10:15.

Don’t forget that we are looking at a 14 year old little girl. Not sure how old he is supposed to be but doubt the publisher wants to support child molestation.

I’ve seen this plot oh….. way too many times. Granted I’ve been reading since I was 14, but, ARG! I too would like to see Luann have an actual relationship that isn’t nipped in the bud by distance. Teenage dating is ripe for comic fodder. You would think after so long, Greg would have picked that fruit. I hope we’re in for a surprise.

I am in no way betting he’s leaving right this second. Some little twist is on the way.

My goodness….don’t many of the people commenting know that you can “make out” without going all the way? They could have easily just have been on the bed making out for awhile w/o doing anything more! Nothing wrong with that. They had not even kissed before this…so why think they would do anything more than just that?

Still deus ex machina, but it’s a deus ex machina that leads to a sad ending. Think Madea (from Greek lore, not the Tyler Perry version) – “Oh, everybody totally forgot that she’s a witch! Now we’re all screwed!” Whoever called it yesterday really shouldn’t be gloating.

And another boy Luann loves disappears. It’s Aaron Hill all over again.

Their cover was blown, time to go in hiding in Peru!

Figured.. I do hope Greg Evans does at some point a does provide a real love interest for Luann.

How about a year of study for Luann in the down under?

Do you have any idea how irrelevant Tiffany would become if Luann had sex?

Oh, and as for Aaron Hill, f him. He was never half the man, ah, er boy Quill is!

:(</3

One thing to consider……if they are staying in America….he would have to come right down to the consulate and get his visa renewed in person. Soooooooooo maybe Greg isn’t letting us down? finger’s crossed?

Snore. Where’s Evan’s imagination or originality?

Thank Goodness………

so Quill is human, well, he’s a man… :)

I am with Orion and others on this. A totally disappointing direction to take this arc. I hope Mr. Evans has some card up his sleeve to keep quill around for a while.

I HATE this. It shows a complete lack of creativity and was utterly predictable. It shows disrespect for the readers by replaying the same type of story over and over, and never letting the characters progress past a certain point. The older Luann strips show her aging and changing and progressing as a character. Then the whole family seems to have some how become locked in stasis where no one evolves or progresses past this certain moment in their lives. IF YOU CAN’T THINK OF NEW IDEAS OR WAYS TO PROGRESS THE CHARACTERS’ LIVES RETIRE OR TURN THE STRIP OVER TO SOMEONE ELSE!

I get the idea that when Greg originally started this strip, certain topics were considered taboo, and that he might feel bad about show two “kids” (under 18 people) having sex, but then have Luann GROW UP! Let her go to college, or let Quill be accepted into an American college so he can stay and their relationship can grow. This story arc is stale, the characters are growing stale, and if there isn’t an injection of some storyline progress or character progress, I easily see this comic strip losing popularity and dying out. Luann used to be cool because it tackled tough issues like drugs, obsessive boyfriends, and growing up. Now it is becominig a joke, where no one ages and nothing of importance is ever really discussed. Perhaps my earlier post was correct and it is time for Mr. Evans to turn the strip over to someone with a fresher point of view and newer ideas.

Hmmm… After reading all the comments, me thinks that possibly Quill knew he was going back to Australia BEFORE he went to Luann’s home?

Deus ex interruptus.

austrailus interruptus

I hate to call you,of all people, naive, Leviticus, but the thought is hard to avoid. It is commitment Toni doesn’t want, not intimacy.

Have Luann ignore him [Aaron Hill] completely.The last we saw of Aaron she was mad at him, as I recall, so playing hard to get is the last thing she should do now.

Heres a supposition for ya. His family won the Austrailian lottery as a family and all family members have to be present to collect. Now when Quill comes back, not only will he be studly aka a cutie, but also rich!

I didn’t like this guy anyway. Good Riddance.

PLEASE REMEMBER this is a “comic” strip. Why the need for comments? Do you have nothing more important in your life?

Maybe a letter or call to a relative or friend? Done that lately?

Since Luann was originally patterned after Greg’s daughter, maybe this is his way of preserving his image of her as daddy’s chaste little girl.Pfft. His daughter is now grown, in her 30s, and quite UNvirginal. Get over it, Greg. Luann is no longer your human daughter. She is now just a cartoon character. Get on with that!

Mr. Evans, I am NOT impressed!!!!!

Jazzlily, I agree that it would be far more radical to show a scenario where teens were in control of their hormones. But when we (commentators) do something questionable, we like to see others do it as well. Takes away some of the “guilt”.

Let’s not write the script for Mr. Evans. Methinks he’s going to give us a different ending this time.

There is one way the nookie could still happen. “If this is our last hour together, let’s make it count….”

And then she finds out child support doesn’t work overseas…

If this is it and Quill goes home, I’m done with this strip!

It’s so funny the people that say “I’m done with this strip”. Yeah, right. What you mean to say is “of course I’m going to read it every day, but I won’t comment on it for a week or two so people think I’m serious”. You’ll read it. You’re not fooling anybody. And Greg could have ended this arc with the last panel being their feet as they’re laying on the bed. Then start a new arc and the next time we see Quill is at the mall or something in a month or so. Then it would have been “implied” that they did it. And Brad and Toni did it. It was “implied” heavily in an arc where they were getting all hot and heavy, then TJ came home and they were coming out of the back of the house looking all guilty as hell. So Greg has gone there before. I don’t give much hope for this arc though. Greg wussed out.

I vividly remember that statement of Greg’s as well, and thought it was a shame that he didn’t want to try exploring the possibilities in a real relationship. The fact is, if all we know we’re going to get in Luann’s storyline is some initial flirtation and then a breakup, over and over again, that is much more boring over time than seeing people working through the ups and downs of trying to have a relationship. It’s also not realistic. Teens actually date, and even date longterm. Is Luann going to never get that chance?

Tiresome, not innovative, predictable, not cutting edige. Maybe the writers are burning out.

Welcome back, Bill

Of course, Bill Purkayastha IS my real name, but who cares? It’s not like I’m the only Bill even on this forum.

You quote Greg Evans as saying, “some characters must eventually shuffle off-panel. They’re simply destined to have no destiny.”.And I’m sure that’s true. However he also admits that the characters develop in ways he didn’t expect. In fact, in January’s blog he makes the following statement regarding how he develops his strips: “I start out with a simple recap, then one of the characters surprises me by saying or doing something I didn’t expect – it’s as if the character speaks through me and I don’t feel like I actually thought of the words myself.”.So even though Greg planned to have Quill be on as a short-timer, Quill may be changing – in such a way that Greg may want to further grow the Luann/Quill romance. Who knows? Not even Greg, apparently..It’ll be interesting to see if Quill does leave, or whether this is just a blip to distract us. I’d like to think that his final comment does NOT refer to Luann knowing he’s going back home, BUT that he wonders how she can she can lose the mood so quickly (because it takes more than THAT to ruin the moment for most males). ;-)

Luann is many people to many of us….but it IS annoying that Greg is clinging to the memory of his daughter where Luann is concerned. Her daughter is now grown and I believe married. Greg needs to move Luann beyond her daughter and make her more well-rounded normal teenage girl. He kept her chaste because he wants her to remain his “daughter” from the time she was a little girl. Not very many girls today are as chaste so Luann is a little unrealistic by today’s standards. Even if I had a daughter, and I was a teenage girl once myself, I would have trouble relating to Luann just because of how Greg portrays her as being. I also taught high school and girls like Luann are considered BACKWARDS, not normal or average. Liz and April from FBOFW were portrayed closer to normal teenagers than Luann ever has been.

You definitely make good points. For me, I don’t think that there is necessarily a conflict between Luann staying a teenager and dating someone for a while. It’s a perfectly natural part of being a 16 year old, and she could learn something from the experience without necessarily growing up too fast for the strip’s timeframe. Kids do learn things from their experiences. But to not allow her to have a real boyfriend for the lifetime of the strip just divorces her from the reality of the teenage world.

I’m convinced. Evans is a f’ing misogynist. He wants nothing more than Luann to suffer in her love life because he had a shitty love life when he was a teenager.

I’m very disappointed in so many of the attitudes displayed here. There is a long way between a first kiss and the horizontal mambo. At least there ought to be.

When adults display attitudes like this…. how do you expect teenagers to understand reasonable limits. some of you need to grow up!

I say Foul on this one. Tread carefully or I’m going to be reading one less comic strip!

I quote Greg’s blog from February this year, " And not every character can remain forever, particularly if they’re a love interest. The relationship either has to end, or it settles into a long-term thing that’s not especially interesting. Zane was a great character but his fling with Bernice had nowhere to go. Ditto Quill, for that matter. In the comic strip world of LUANN, where there’s no finite “The End” some characters must eventually shuffle off-panel. They’re simply destined to have no destiny.I read that before on his blog. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now. There is no reason why a long-term relationship can’t be interesting: I offer you Arlo and Janis as an instance.

Maybe they’ll become a surprise couple.

I’m a bit disappointed. But is there a twist coming later? It’s only Tuesday .. I don’t think Greg is going to take the step of having Luann go all the way, not at her character’s age. She’s written a lot more level headed and practical than, say Tiffany .. maybe a bit less so than Bernice. I like Quill’s line, though. In the real world, you’ll be very, very old before you understand how women do that .. if you ever do. I gave up years ago.

Aw, poor Luann…… :,(