Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 20, 2012

Gotcha!

Psych!

Toni’s trying not to smile and failing miserably.

“Thanks for caring, TJ.” At first, I thought Ann was being sarcastic, but TJ really fooled her. LOL!

This one’s worth buying a coffee mug of.

She didn’t get the crown!

Is it just me, or did Ann sound kind of flirty (like she’s attempting to sound like a damsel in distress) in the second panel. That’s how I read it, anyway.

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Boy, is she steamed that TJ’s not sympathetic to her plight. What’d she expect him to do, kiss it better?

Greg missed one `little` detail. He should have drawn smoke coming out of her hair in the last panel. BURN!

Sheesh, what awful people.

Guys – stop bitching yourself. It is starting to become a bit unfair. True, Ann is not the nicest person but apparently she reacts positive to ( in this case only perceived) caring remarks. Shouldn’t TJ start getting the positive out of her?

You bit the wrong finger, Shannon!

Brad will be kicking himself for having missed this…

She bit the right hand, it’s the left that is bleeding !!

?

Well maybe she bit both off-camera.

Treat others as you’d like to be treated yourselves. The only way for this story arc to be meaningful is to have Ann see the error of her ways and admit she’s truly an unhappy, lonely individual. Can she be rehabilitated, and do we want her to be? Not sure…

Ann may be showing some vulnerability here.

Seriously, do you think that anything that childless and emotionally stunted Ann Eiffel could say to Toni about child care could make her feel inadequate about her ability to take care of Shannon? Toni sized her up from the first when she introduced herself as “Customer” – it was because she couldn’t manipulate Toni that Ann went to the extreme of firing Brad. That was, simply, the only way she could hurt her. .Toni is pretty secure in this arena – when TJ proved to be a natural, she was pleased, not threatened, by his ability to connect with her. And I think the only way that “insecurity” would impact on her reservations about marrying Brad is if he expected her to parent him, as well as their kids.

“It’s just a flesh wound”..Robert Palmer 1986..RIP

Loving it. Kid’s got good taste.

Mmmm, Ann is responding to tenderness. Maybe that was all se needed to let someone get close to her.

Ann got what she deserved. From Shannon first, then from TJ. No misplaced mercy for the willfully evil Eiffel.

Eiffel feels awful.

And she kept the crown!

I don’t believe a manager would wear a B-cover dress in a family restaurant. For those that don’t know, it was (briefly) a popular term in China for a very short dress. B transliterates for Bi, the pinyin pronunciation of a slang word for a females genitals.

Ann Eiffel is in awful pain. Or is that “is an awful pain”?

Also, children who have hypothyroidism are said to have a condition known as “cretinism.”

aaaw, she just wants to be looved… too bad.

Love the look on Toni’s face. Shannon still has her crown!

“Cretin”? Does Ann have an underground lair somewhere?

Bit the wrong finger.

That first panel with the Mona Lisa smile on her face….

Notice that Shannon left with the crown?

@Ldover:Ya like in the past strips the T-shirts chane with every panel.

Good for you you old ***********

And boom there’s the bomb that shows TJ doesn’t f-ing care.

Oh… The Pain….lol

Greg, if anything you pulled your punches! Which in the end is probably a good thing.

Yes! She drew blood! NEVER try to take an item from a kid without asking them first.

In yesterdays panel Shannon was biting a finger on Ann’s right hand - but in todays panel it is a finger on the left hand that was bitten.

Your concept of what “true sexual predators” say, do, dress, and what motivates them just so screamingly off base I honestly don’t know where to start. .They don’t sound like your fantasy version of catcalling female construction workers, for a start, nor is their hallmark dressing and acting like fevered dominatrixes or the women in Van Halen’s Hot for Teacher video, because FYI – it’s not about making yourself attractive to the person you want to subjugate. If “true” sexual predation can only be defined by crude remarks, overt gestures and running one’s hands over another’s body, then the only men who would ever be sued would be the ones who walked into a board room with their fly open and nailed the first woman they saw on the conference table. Just like rape isn’t about sex, sexual harassment isn’t about seduction..It’s about humiliating, controlling and dominating those weaker than you, and threatening and coercing someone who’s unwilling to give you sex into doing just that is usually the best, and most satisfying, way to accomplish that goal..You obviously missed the first round of Ann’s harassment encounter with Bernice and Zane – she targeted both of them but due to her insecurities, she found Bernice to be the more satisfactory victim. Ann’s subtle, she’s not overt. Drawing her victims closer and exercising a little more control every day, making them yield against their will is what makes it satisfying for her.

She’s sending you signals, Dave. She’s losing buttons for you. Tomorrow she’ll be down to two.

one of the first time that kid being a brat has actually been to the best.I’ve had a few managers just like Anne. as well as one boss.

What? No pink slim? Shannon 1 Ann 0

I would hope TJ was showing some slight concern when he asked if it was bleeding, blowing her off when it wasn’t. A bleeding wound from a human bite can be serious business.

Wonder why she’s holding her LEFT hand? In yesterday’s comic, it was the right hand that was about to enter Shannon’s mouth? Greg slipped up.

Also have to love the pseudo-psychiatrists on the boards.. Everyone DOES understand that this is just a comic strip, right? Not real people?

I see romance between TJ and Ann.

She has the power to hire and fire. THAT supercedes all.

Seriously, do you think only CEOs and Directors sexually harass salaried workers because only at that level of power is the concept viable? You have a lot to learn – perhaps you might put off taking that much needed cold shower and do a little reading before you post again. .Sexual harassment can come from a factory foreman, a fast food manager, a school principal or anyone who’s your superior and has authority over you. Perhaps you didn’t notice when Brad, not exactly a HS kid, was concerned about how badly he needed a job to pay his rent – if you think fast food restaurants are only staffed with kids who can blithely flip the bird and decamp for KFC, you haven’t been in one in quite a while. Perhaps you refuse to believe that fear paralyzes many people from quitting or reporting coercion, or that many people who’ve been out of the work force are already insecure about being hired in the midst of an economic downturn and might not want to let go of the first paying job they’ve had in a year and half. .Here’s the 411 – most people who become victims of harassment are told by the harasser that he’ll alternately fire them for theft or worse, ruin them in the industry, or just generally make sure their character is so stained no one will ever hire them again if they don’t make him/her happy and do what he/she wants. THAT is what power in this setup looks like – it’s intimidation of one person, not control of the board of directors meeting. Clear enough? Sexy enough? A HS student like Bernice would be a perfect target, as would anyone who’s looking at foreclosure or only has 15 years of homemaking and child care on their resume.

For a moment there TJ seemed to be bringing out a more attractive side of Ann. She seemed appreciative of TJ’s concern. I think the two of them could really be a couple, if he would stop trying to irritate her.

that said. I just love Anne’s sexy, slender thighs!

TJ and Ann are two of a kind and if human behavior goes it’s course, they will at some point find each other and the blossoming romance will find a mutual agreeable level but not at first after a ride on a rollercoaster

somewhat anti-climactic. I figured Ann for the type of person who would strike back, even at a child.

This is turning into a battle of bits.

The bite did not hurt as much as Tj’s casual response to her pain in failing to put his arm around her and console her. That’s what she was expecting.

Only on a comic strip (and perhaps a cartoon or two) can the right hand be bitten…and have the injuries appear on the left.Well, the important thing is that Ann learned something from this…Yeah, right!

Hey, how do you know I wasn’t responding to the “voice of reason” comment? .Point taken. I was skeeved out about how TJ, as “young male”, should be “curious about her body” – enough to fake concern to find out if she was packing an extra navel or gills or something, I guess.

Sometimes I wish I could do that to people.

I knew it! Ann Eiffel had it coming!

No, you’re still missing the point. If neither of them is insecure and needs a job, a promotion or is in any way very much dependent on staying in your good graces, you’ll end up with a lawsuit. Do you really think child sexual abusers or adult abusers go eeny-meeny-miney-moe and just pick a target at random according to who’s the “hottest”? I have news for you, “firey” targets will leave you holding your essentials with one hand and calling your lawyer to represent you with the other. What predators like do is look for kids, (family members, students, etc.), or adults, who are isolated, insecure, needy and otherwise open to exploitation – someone who’s vulnerable and will be ashamed, or frightened, and more importantly, unlikely to tell on you. .You could have actually learned all of this, and more, if you’d actually read or researched anything about the subject. It’s not exactly a secret, so if you prefer to remain ignorant and advertise that with every post, that’s your choice – go for it.

Time for Ann to get a blood sample, find out Shannon needs to take one too? Maybe they are related?

Greg is toying with us again. Just realized, TJ’s “darn” is because Ann’s injury wasn’t worse. But, bite right – bleed left is just a tease, like Knute’s Diagon Alley t-shirts. (with a nod to Harry Potter fans)

You’re not the only one who knows what 15-21 boys think about to the exclusion of most eveything – and it’s more like 12, than 15, these days. And what leads you to suspect that TJ has any more curiousity about Ann than he has about any other female he’s ever had anything to do with?.If being willfully ignorant brings you happiness here, then I sincerely hope you have a good bail bondsman and a better excuse. Far better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than speak and remove all doubt.

One of you leads a rich fantasy life.

Dave – Greg called in the seamstress to edit this little green apron. Thattsa lotta leg to show. Like the dynamic blouse buttons, Annie’s hemline has a life of its own.

So, does anybody’s take on this strip change if I did not add a dab of red to the finger injury? TJ’s question about blood could have been answered either way.

Shannon’s a vampire.

And the Queen still wears the crown. Long live the Queen.

Guess she still hasn’t figured out that you don’t keep TJ around for his “Ann” skills.

Ann deserved that 100%

@Leviticus, keep in mind she also made some unwanted advances on Bernice back in the Bookstore/Zane days…

I get an awful feeling that more is going on here. Like Toni and TJ together? Leaving Brad out in the cold?

Typically we loose all forward plot with such rehashes..One of the frustrations about a great strip.

Love Toni’s expression. Oh, Shannon is going to get ice cream today.

Gawd…Bite her finger and her skirt gets even shorter (I’ll have to remember that).

Sexual harassment is also considered predatory behavior – unfortunately, you have an extremely limited idea as to what “predator” means here. But your problem arises from not grasping the concept of the word "metaphorically " in that wiki definition. .Metaphor is analogy – it’s used as a point of comparison, it’s not meant to be an actual literal template. Sexual predators target their victims, isolate them, and stalk or intimidate them with intent, the same way any predatory animals does -that is the metaphor. What you’re extrapolating from that is: because an animal predator physically tracks and then violently brings down his prey, then in order to qualify as a sexual predator, you must physically stalk someone, following them home and then physically attack and harm them. Metaphor doesn’t lent itself to such a literal interpretation.

Therefore, if you don’t trail someone home in a car and attack them on the kitchen floor, you don’t see that deliberately targeting someone at the office with the intent of harming them career -wise, or making them sorry in an another fashion if they don’t appease you sexually, isn’t the exact same pattern of behavior. You see “sexual harassment” as some sort of semi-consensual seduction, achieved though soft touches, suggestive double entendres, and no overt intimidation or threat. However, this pattern of behavior is exactly how adult sexual predators go after the children who become their victims. .In your fantasy, you’re somehow forcing the redhead and the blonde to wash your car in bikinis. And all that is, is sexual harassment – because you haven’t stalked them or physically injured them. Fine. Now suppose the blonde and the redhead are 12 qnd 13 years old and you’re enjoying all that wet bikini action. What does that make you now – a harasser? Or a predator?. .You cannot make the distinction that unless and until there’s violence involved, it cannot be a predatory act. Well, you can, but you’d be making up your own facts and redefining the terms to suit your own needs, Which is actually just what people who harass and prey on others do to justify their actions.

If this were a more adult type comic, tomorrow would show Ann at a bar beefing about the unfairness of it all to a friendly bartender.

@Ldover:I was saying that the right finger was bit and the left finger is bleeding. Continuty problems (commonly called goofs) like The shirt on Knute the other week changed with every panel like the mood ring from years ago change color every few minutes depending on your mood.

Honestly, you are the lamest damn sockpuppet I’ve ever seen.

@Liviticus:Well Said. Bravo.

Taking into account the fast & loose life style of Shannon’s parents, I think that it had better be Ann who gets the blood test. The kid could be HIV positive.

Note how Ann responds to a gesture of kindness— totally off her high horse. Maybe Ann is simply misunderstood.

Maybe the gang needs to “adopt” Ann, rather than foil her. I’ll bet there’s are really good person in there.

Is Ann actually getting ATTRACTED to him?! Wonders will never cease, will they.

Hmm, I see Ann as more the report to the police type of person. Why just make Toni insecure when she can actually cause real trouble?

Bazinga beeatch!

Nope, it’s clyde, oozing phony sincerity in yet another tiresome incarnation. Look for an attack on evil, mean Toni, and more about the virtuous and misunderstood Ann. Or rather, don’t – because you’ve seen it all before. Lather, rinse, repeat ad nauseum. And I do mean nauseum.

Actually, we don’t agree to disagree at all – what I agree to is that you have no idea what you’re talking about, and that you thought all predatory behavior has to be violent, and couldn’t be bothered to do any outside research to confirm it..Take some time and google “emotional grooming” and see where that falls in terms of harassment and predatory behavior before you attempt to redefine things to suit your own assumptions. Because at this point you’re well on the way to being an apologist for Jerry Sandusky if you keep pushing your own definitions, which is, I think, not what your intentions are.

Not that I care, but your chosen screen-name kind of clashes with your career choice and the content of your comments.

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I could forgive your confusion regarding what makes/doesn’t make a sexual predator if you can work pump-cheese into this softcore-porno thing you got going on.

“In the cartoon world he could just as easily have had her bite it completely off.”

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LOL! Now I can’t stop picturing it!

I live in Minnesota, where the local NFL team might be moving soon. I don’t care— I don’t follow sports anymore, and I never was a Vikings fan. I get much more pleasure out of following “Luann” every day of the year!

Shannon bit so hard on Ann’s right hand pointer that the pain / swelling etc moved all the wat through to her left hand pointer. That is a BIT. Good

he dosn’t care

I stick by my prediction that TJ and Ann get engaged.

i am glad i only see th humor side of the carton sorry to see how it brings out the nut cases

Haha!

A comic strip?! You’re kidding! I gave the best years of my life to this forum; now you’re telling me I gave all that up for a COMIC STRIP?!

Alice..er, Ann.. fell Through the Looking-Glass and everything’s all mixed up. Toni came back & brought her cretin niece, who is out of control. Even after Shannon misbehaves, Aunt Toni doesn’t even discipline her. And TJ pretends to care & then dismisses her hurt as if a customer is more important!! She knows it’s the fault of the Looking Glass because even the finger that was bitten is on the opposite hand due to the mirror image.

I only read a handful of comics, but glance over most of them to see what artwork catches my eye. Now, does anyone know what’s going on with Baldo? Suddenly, in mid-strip the drawing changed. It went from typical cartoons to semi-realistic characters. I’ve never seen this happen before & am curious.

Stranger things have happened. Anne Nevillemarried Richard III — who had murdered severalmembers of her family….

Worker’s comp!

missed opportunity … should’ve drawn a squiggly line above her head too. Lol, though.

I hope Shannon doesn’t need a rabies shot!!

How can Toni be so calm? Shannon may have taken some illness!

Really, she should have smacked the kid.