Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 03, 2016

I’m wondering if Gunther’s the only one in the world who isn’t in on the "joke"…. – Either he doesn’t want Bernice to think his “standards” are lower (as he wants to salvage his chances with Bernice), or he really has a low opinion of someone who has been nice to him (Tiffany), since he returned to the States… – Any way you slice it, he’s busted his gears, and is “stuck in neutral”… – Every time he’s in a good situation, he never realizes how good he’s had it, until he’s about had it….

Woah. I hope Gunther permanently ruined his chances with Bernice there. Insulting someone who is your friend is not a way to win someone over. What a jerk.

These days Bernie is sadly just as likely to mistakenly think she “gets it” because of her psych classes while missing the point entirely due to lack of life experience and poor observation… Will Gunther misinterpret what she is saying, resulting in further spiraling?

again, this is gettin’ nowhere

Well I MUST Say Bernie’s doing a BANG UP Job as Campus R.A. (Roll Eyes)

Observing various and sundry Curfew Violations but doing absolutely NOTHING about them.

Gunther, I would Excuse Myself from THIS Young Lady’s Presence BEFORE She decides to use THAT Violation as Leverage over You and Tiffany to garner info on Star-Head.

Oh, and as You’re leaving, suggest to Bern that if She wants to know about that Creepy Piro, why doesn’t ask Her Ditzy Room mate, Dez?

How wide will Gunther’s eye manage to get if Bern tells him that Tiff is interested in him?

“A Load Of Crocs, Swimming In Denial”“Weapons Of Math Destruction”“Read Between The Margins”“I’m Not In Love” (♫)“You Don’t Know What You’ve Got, ‘Till It’s Gone…” (♪)“I…Have Become..Comfortaly Dumb…” (♪)“A Refusal In The Fuse”“Does Not Compute”“Well, Tutor Can Play That Game”“The Forest For The Tiffanys”“The Telltale Clock”“A Piro Review Session”“Butter Her Up With Marginal Eyes”or “Objections Are Closer Than They Appear”

This is a bit confusing, but I think people are making it far more complicated than it is meant to be. Gunther hopes to start a relationship with Bernice, while Bernice is wondering about where Tiffany is with Piro. The only issue is whether Bernice is happy about Piro, or realizes where Gunther’s true desires are. Time will tell. He is not nasty. He is upset like a normal human would be even though he is a cartoon character. Bernice is far more deep, which is beyond what some non-likers here seem to misunderstand. Or have convinced themselves she is someone who reminds them of an overly severe person they would not like. That misses the point entirely I think.

@luannfan1212

The issue is that he’s being a penis to Tiffany, who does not deserve it in this case. Running her down and calling her dumb is a jerk move on Gunther’s part. It’s not Tiff’s fault that Berniece isn’t falling into Gunther’s arms. I would hope that a “normal human being” would not throw an innocent third party under the bus just because he isn’t getting what he wants.

I’m afraid ol’ Gunth is in total panic mode. In his mind, he used all his logic to predict how this “date” would go – and of course it was all wrong because he forgot to factor in the emotional needs of the other person.

Thus, in attempting to rapid fire responses to every Bern observation, he forgot that besides math, there was an extensive amount of time with Tiffany, completing a biology field report.

But in reality, Gunther is play acting his mom’s date with Mr. Gray. And when he exclaims with authority that Tiffany didn’t “get any” from him, he is actually expressing his worse fears that his mom may – at that very moment – is enjoying the company of Mr. Gray. And THAT is also what Bernice has just figured out …

-And Gunther might want to chill. Ox really likes Tiffany, and might take exception to all those insults. Besides being a waiter, Ox is big enough to be a bouncer, too. So Gunth might find himself being the first person asked to leave Kafe Kablooie…

Poor Gunther. That young man has been deflated more times than one of Tom Brady’s footballs.

-Play nice, now. Oxford is no dummy…

And now I hate Gunther again

Not saying that it’ll go this way, but just what if Tiffany happened to be walking in while Gunther said that, and Ox heard him say it, at the same time? – There wouldn’t be enough calculations for Gunther to run, to get him out of that one…

“Watch out, Gunth – she has her hands cupped around yours. She’s moving in for the kill…”My observation, as well….

I also wonder how much his talk with Quill is rubbing off on Gunther here. Quill is angry that people, namely Luann, are assuming that some hankypanky is going on between him and Prudence, and has reacted accordingly. Now Gunther is snapping at Berniece and blaming Tiffany, in effect, for Bern’s misinterpretation of events.

Gunther shouldn’t talk that way about Tiffany. His prospects for finding romance are dwindling.

In cartoonland, Gunther is Charlie Brown having Lucy pull the ball away every time he tries to kick it. In the real world, being rejected so often and now having Bernice use him as her pimp could cause him to snap. Anger should be expected, but getting a rifle, going into the tower and shooting up the campus is a reaction that can’t be ruled out. Greg should lighten up and stop using him as his personal Sad Sack or whipping boy.

Gunther, the “nice” guy Team Evans wants us to root for. He’s just gross.

-And now I really better sign off. Night, all…

I think by the time this is all over Bernice won’t have any friends left besides Dez.

Gunther dressed up for this coffee—and Bernice missed that clue. Should have gotten an, “Oh, you look nice…” Gunther it doesn’t take a spine to change the topic.Is Bernice trying to make Gunther jealous by saying that he and Piro “spend lots of time” with Tiffany? Does she think Gunther will demand Tiffany stop seeing Piro?Oh, Gunther. That wasn’t nice and I think you are protesting too much about Tiffany. It must be a bit scary to be truly attracted to someone never in your realm before—rather than the safe person like Bernice. She’s not a good match, though she also thought she was before she started an imaginary fire with Piro.

Wow, Gunther is a total snake. This is the guy I respected for telling a depressed Tiffany, after she admitted she wasn’t very smart ’You’re just soft focused’. Either he was lying to Tiffany then, or he’s lying to Bernice now. He’s bad news. One thing I learned a long time ago. The person gossiping about others with you today will be gossiping about you to the others soon enough…

I guess, once a jerk, always a jerk!She just wanted to pump him about Piro,and he can’t seem to see that.I would pay the bill, and graciously leave.He can’t seem to get along with any girl.Shape up, son!Find out what you are doing wrong, or find out what you want…soon.

I think I’ve about had it with the whole “Luann” world. Might be about time to “mail it in”, Evans… yawn

But Tiffany is dumb. Painfully, deliberately so. It appears that she has cultivated stupidity all her life, because in her mind it supports the image of herself that she wants to present: the beautiful model or starlet at whose feet all men will fall. I don’t get the impression that Tiffany really wants a relationship, she just wants attention. And as far as are not deserving being dumped on by Gunther, I’m not sure if in the Luann universe there is something like an unredeemable character or not, but Tiffany seems to come close. She’s not only painfully dumb, she’s also calculating, devious, and mean. Gunther isn’t being unkind by calling her dumb, he’s just calling it like he sees it.

Gunther is being a real jerk here. Insulting Tiffany for no reason. At this point he wouldn’t deserve Tiffany or Bernice.

Is Bernice holding Gunther’s hands in the last panel? And, if so, why is he apparently unaware of this affectionate gesture?

So G spends “lots of time” with T and T spends “lots of time” with P, and P spends “lots of time” with B; so B could just cut out the middlemen and ask herself.

Am I the only one on here that remembers being that age?? This seems perfectly normal to me.

Gunther is angry now….one sympathizes.

I do not disagree with you. My frustration is with the cartoonist’s handling of the Gunther character. Give the kid something enjoyable that he doesn’t fumble away. He almost had that with Rosa, but it was denied him. I would not call Gunther “stupid” however, I would say he was hurt.

Not nice for Gunther to call Tiffany “dumb”. Not nice at all. Bad Gunther! Bad Boy!

btw, I predicted Bernice telling Gunther about the Tiffany/Piro connection yesterday!

“Hands, touching handsReaching out, touching me, touching you”

I do not believe that this conversation has anything to do with Gunther’s mother, or Luanne and Quill.

I believe that Gunther ran the conversation with Bernice through in his mind a dozen times in his mind before he set foot in the coffee shop. Rather than living in the moment and letting the conversation take its natural course.

I believe that Gunther saw Bernice as an actor in a play that he was scriptwriting rather than as a independent human being with the right to her own motivations.

Then, when the conversation did not go according the direction that he assumed that it would he started to panic and threw Tiffany under the metaphorical bus. This was bad, but he is probably not even 20 years of age yet. Young adults make these sort of mistakes.

His main problem is that he was not talking with Bernice. And, now he realizes that his fantasy relationship has no basis in shared feelings. He is hurt and immature.

But, again, he is young and still has a lot of growing up to do. His trip to Peru helped, but he is not there yet. First step is to stop living his life in his mind and start living it in the real world. And to start treating other people as people instead of categorizing them as mental equals and mental inferiors.

His rash comments about Tiffany will, no doubt, come back to bite him in the butt sometime soon.

“Ask Bernice out,” I said… “She’s compatible…”

5Sadly, with today’s episode I feel annoyed at Gunther (Gunthie) again. To me, Gunther calling Tiffany “stupid” is very unfortunate and rude and mean-spirited. Tiffany has been quite nice to Gunther since college started, and Tiffany and Gunther had appeared to develop a real friendship. This statement of “stupid” from Gunther is a real let down. From my perspective, the “old” Gunther, while a bit “nerdy” and a bit “nervous and shy” was a helluva lot nicer person than this “new” ‘Miami Vice" stubble sporting, angry, rude acting Gunther. In my manner of thinking, today’s panel does not show Gunther having progressed emotionally or socially and that his “new” changes are simply window dressing. Actually, I take that back…. I would suggest that Gunther has actually regressed in his emotional and social development from where he used to be…. at least in the “old” Gunther, there was ample kindness. Now there appears to be far less kindness than there used to be in his character.In regards to Bernice…. I am not sure yet how to interpret her hand-holding last statement. Is she going to say it is “ok” for Gunther to “like” Tiffany and stay late (so she can dream of doing the same with Piro), or is she somehow transitioning into having some sorts of attraction for Gunther? I am now firmly in the camp that I hope Bernice stays far away from Gunther. She is IMO far better (even with her vacillations and other faults) off with someone else. She is still IMO a far nicer character.

Well, Tiff IS “dumb”. Much better if Gunther had said, she struggles with math, and this wasn’t crossing his mind when he and Tiff “had their moment”. As for Bernice, what is it exactly that “she gets” here. Tough to be around dumb folks? Looking for rationalizations for staying past curfew? Is grabbing Gunther’s hands out of character? Help me out here.

in fairness, Tiffany is pretty dumb….

This is the true story, ladies and gentlemen, of Gunther Berger, the Mad Loser of Pitts, who has by now managed to blow off and/or lose Luann; Bernice; Rosa; Tiffany; and of course Ma Berger. This boy is pure poison where relationships are involved.

VERY interesting last panel, with her leaning into him and touching his hand.

Just remember that even your loyal, loving little pooch will bite when it has been injured.

Gunther put Tiffany down to defend himself. That is so juvenile.

Atta’ boy Gunther; stand up for yourself…

I agree that Gunther is not being either cool or nice, but can’t anyone else see that Bernice likes him anyway?

Gunther has known for awhile that he has feelings for Tiff; helping her in the field, with her cost in the rain. but he denies these feelings because he thinks he wants(desires) something different. And like a grade school kid whose friends tease him about a girl he demeans her publicly to show that he doesn’t like her.

Soon he will realize that his love is true and real for Tiff and he will have to work long and hard to win Tiffs heart. Bernice, like Quill, only sees what is obvious in her friends heart. She takes his hand because she is happy for him

-I haven’t been a long time reader of this ‘toon, so when I want info on older material, I read ’Luann Againn’.

It seems to me that the ‘older’ version of Gunther was a much kinder guy and didn’t whine when things didn’t work out for him. He either was oblivious (as in when he had a crush on Luann and was willing to do all the work on a school project they were assigned to, just to impress her), or he just backed down and went away.

And the ‘older’ version of Bernice never seemed to be so sarcastic.

If this is what these folks are going to become as adults, they will have a lot fewer readers…

Wow Gunther…that’s pretty mean of you…and dumb of you.

Now it’s official that Bernice doesn’t like Gunth. Poor Gunther, getting all excited about Bernice for nothing. First she wants to know about Piro and now she assumes that Gunther and Tiffany have crushes with each other because they have been hanging out. I disagree that Gunther is being a jerk or very mean because it looks like he’s trying to clarify that him and TIffany are not an item and that they haven’t been doing suspicious activity past curfew. They have both known TIffany ever since high school and everybody already knows that Tiff is dumb and he’s basically just clarifying this fact. If he said that Tiff doesn’t have much friends and he’s hanging out with her because she’s lonely I think that would be insulting, but just saying a basic fact that everybody knows to clarify that they are not dong suspicious activity past curfew, I don’t think that’s that mean. But that’s just my opinion. And I’m a little disappointed a Bernice for not understanding everything and being a Piro freak because that’s not how a soon-to-be-counselor should act. If Gunther was really lying you could tell because he would start stuttering.

Unless you are narcissistic, why would you EVER try to find the identical male/female representation of you?! You need some things in common, but some differences, too — otherwise you’re dating your sister/brother…

I hope Tiffany isn’t off to the side listening…

How is that “stupid”?because to some here he was “stupid” for not “tapping” what was arguably the hottest female character in the strip.And they call ME a hound dog!

I expect a repeat of Super Bowl III

Neither of them gets it. sigh

Gunther is saying Tiffany is dumb about Math and that is why he has to stay in her room past curfew. She “doesn’t get” math and he has to take longer to explain it to her. Bernice is holding his hand, saying she gets it. I take that to mean that Bernice thinks that Gunther likes Tiff, she is saying she understands.

Looks like G-man is in for a flash of insight, just as Qu was a couple days ago. They’re waking up and smelling the coffee— oh, boy!

I too dislike the “Tiffany is dumb” statement – but I suspect Gunther is just reflecting what he’s thinking about himself – that he was “dumb” to think Bernice had asked him out to coffee because she was interested in seeing him, rather than using him to try to get information about Piro.

Which colleges still have curfews in this day & age?

If the Eagles were in the Super Bowl, I guess I’d go for a bit of “Rocky” (♫)… but no…no “Peyton Place” (♫),,under any circumstances, LOL!!!

“♪♫ Put You Hand In The Hand Of The Man Who Stirs His Coffee”^Ha ha, good one!! You really dug deep in the “Ocean” (♪) to find that one!!!

“I get it, got it? Good going, great guy!”

Gunther needs to learn that women are like dogs and a bone; one dog, and the bone gets ignored, two dogs and the fight is on for that bone. And why is Gunther soooo defensive about anything suggesting normal heterosexual tendencies on his part? maybe his mommy knows.

Y’know, I thought that Evans’ high-school Luann strips were cloying, smirking, and unrealistic about sex, but I could accept that because high-school sex is mostly infrequent, furtive, and awkward. But now — Luann, Quill, Bernice, Gunther, and Tiffany are all twenty-year-olds surrounded by other adults who are having sex like normal adults; and the Evanses, what with the “sex-is-a-dirty-terrible-and-dangerous-thing-you-only-do-with-person-you-love-after-the-age-of-thirty-and-after-signing-the-government-forms-which-acknowledge-your-participating-in-this-disgusting-act” speech from Mama deGroot, with Bernice dressing tighter-than-a-nun for bed and patrolling her dorm like the witchfinder-general, with Gunther ignoring Tiffany’s blatant, naked come-ons, with Quill beginning to express his unsurprising unhappiness with four-years-of-blue-balling, all of this has quickly made the strip a cornucopia of squicky sexual dysfunction.

And they don’t even seem to realize it.

Hope all went well, for you, sir!!!

You’re right- , he sure didn’t!

BTW, not that is has anything to do with Mr. Gray, but for some reason this headline I just found on the news today bothers me. Why? *“99-million-year-old daddy long legs fossil found with erection”

I see some reflection of Leonard’s and Penney’s interaction on BBT. He said equally stupid things at times early on in their relationship.

They are not bad people, either, just very young adults going through the normal pain of piecemeal maturation we all experienced.

@Pipe Tobacco: Thank you for your perspective. I agree about the relative amount (50-50) of active-copulators vs. feeling-their-way-in-the-sexual-minefield types - I was in University once, too. But the point I wished to make is that the Luann characters are not just “conservative” -- they’re actively dysfunctional in their attitude towards sex. And that’s an unhealthy viewpoint to show to the tweens that Evans writes for.

For instance, it wouldn’t be hard for the Evanses to non-explicitly write non-judgmentally about various levels of sexual activity (including zero, of course) engaged in by the main and peripheral characters.

But, again, presenting normal, appropriate sexual activity and/or desires as sick or dangerous does not do their readers a service. For instance, presenting a university dorm filled with adults as having a Sex Policeman (Bernice) is actively deceptive. And I object to that.

Hmmp. Sorry for activating the cross-out feature.

IJB – Thanks for pulling up those old strips. Tiff is not dumb— she just doesn’t care about academics and can’t focus. And her slips-of-the-tongue would be considered cute by her parents.

Poor ol’ thick Gunther.

Does anybody remember Sheraton St. Louis?.If I recall correctly, Tiff was a tireless and aggressive self-promoter back in high school, getting herself named Miss Chamber of Commerce, getting modeling jobs, a place in drama summer camp, and a bit part in a movie. Her schemes often ended badly, but she had ambition and perseverance..Her parents (really the Evanses) took all that away from her and sent her to college, where she’s apparently doing nothing but struggle through elementary courses. She’s not even trying to participate in that drama program at Moony U. The best she can do is to throw together the occasional party..Sad.

I was really enjoying the other side of Tiffany, which means I root for her now as well. Could somebody slap the overgrown toddler known as Gunther because he’s really become a crappy friend.

He’d make a terrible teacher. You don’t blame your students for not understanding you. You find a better way to teach.

Bad form young man.

And today Gunther cements his reputation as one of the most reprehensible, loathsome toads on the comics page..Just remember, people, he is the “good guy” whom we are supposed to root for, in his life scheme to wind up married to Luann. (We are also supposed to despise Tiffany, because she doesn’t have Luann’s ‘inner beauty’.) The Evansverse is a messed-up place, is what I’m saying.

well, if Ted Forth is your avatar…

@Schrodinger’s Dog – One grope-fest in four years (though a good thing) does not cancel out Luann’s accepting Nancy’s "sex-is-such-a-terrible-and-dangerous-thing-and-you-are-far-too-young rant. Remember that Luann said, “Wow, I just learned a TON in twenty seconds!” And there’s the continued squicky dancing around sex in the strip, (ie. Gunther/Tiffany/Bernice). It’s been four years for Luann and Quill; he left Australia and his family for her; and he and she are 20 years old. It’s not that they HAVE to have sex — it’s just that the question has be addressed in an age-appropriate manner. And it would be good for the strip to do so.

Having Nancy talk to Luann as though she were fourteen isn’t appropriate and repeating arguments from the 1950’s just isn’t on. Either Luann is in Community College, or Luann is still in Grade 10.

I read though the comments, and, okay. i get it, duh. Bernie “gets it” because she shares the same experience of violating curfew, and this may be the real reason she thought Gunth would help her sort out the Piro thing. Nothing deeper going on.

This is all getting very subtle or very confusing.Apparently Bern is trying to lay the groundwork for an attempt to steal Piro away from Tiffany. So she’s trying to get info on Piro out of Tiff’s “friend” who Bern is implying is more than just a “friend”. Is Bern implying to Gunther that Tiff is two-timing him?And Gunther, for his part, is badmouthing Tiff in an attempt to show Bern that he’s not interested in Tiff, and thus is free to get involved with Bern.How can this end well?

If you look at the press coverage of Cam Newton, there’s a lot of similarity in tone.

Wow! They’re holding hands. I think that this will lead to dancing.

There will be a service in Pittsburgh tomorrow for a fallen comrade.

Police K-9 Aren was stabbed to death Sunday while attempting to bring down a man being chased by Port Authority police in Wilkinsburg.

A service will be conducted 11 a.m. at the Allegheny County Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial on the North Shore. A procession of police officers from several departments will begin shortly before 11 a.m. from a staging area on the East Busway.

He served his master well. RIP.

They deserve each other

Hypocrite?

Someone needs to know that Bernice had Piro sleep in her apartment.Maybe have him do it again, & tear the cover off the ball.Never seen a jerk like Gunth.

Luann was clearly established as reaching age 18 in September 2014:

Now, admittedly, there is some flexibility in time in this comic strip, otherwise it wouldn’t have taken 29 years for Luann to age from 13 to 18. But until we hear otherwise, I would think that more than a year has passed since Luann’s 18th birthday, and that would make her 19.-And Bernice turned 18 the same month as Luann did, so whatever age Luann is, Bernice should be the same age.

Poor, frustrated Gunther. Borderline sadistic treatment by his puppeteer, Greg. Two months in Peru with Rosa? You can’t tell me they weren’t sleeping together, but Greg will. And evenings alone with Tiffany who was hotter than the coffee she gave him? You can’t tell me that there wasn’t some making out, but Greg will. Maybe he’ll get some satisfaction if a redrawn, sexy Asian named Sun will return to the canvas. One can only hope. All these kids belong in therapy.

I have to say, regardless of whether Gunther thinks Tiffany is dumb, or even if she really is dumb, it’s inappropriate for Gunther to call her dumb, especially to Bernice who knows Tiff well. A tutor should not call their tutee “dumb.”

The curfew rule at Moony has been portrayed in a really implausible manner. Karen Evans is about 36 years old; she probably went to college in the late 1990s-early 2000s. Did she have an RA checking her dorm room every night at 10 PM looking for guests? I doubt it.

Glad to hear it! Hope you can rest well, and manage well!

The rule book that Bernice lugs around from room to room on her nightly (or hourly??) rounds is thicker than most textbooks. Does Moony have a rule in it against Ziggy posters? (If they don’t, they really should.)

People have said that the strip is currently being done by father and daughter. Have you considered that the awkwardness THEY might have in tackling together certain character age-appropriate topics like sex might be what is being seen play out even more than the characters’ development? Perhaps, if so, they might be best served by sometimes having the characters draw down the window shades so the readers can just decide for themselves how much might have happened.There seems to be a lot of reading-into going on, so instead i am going to be silly and PLAY: Gunther becomes a monk. He makes money for the monastery by designing and creating dog costumes that sell out rapidly at unbelievably high prices. In the distant future he marries Luann and her pediatrician husband. She met him while doing educational charity work at a children’s hospital. Tiffany becomes a social cultural anthropologist. If she is not going to be a movie star her father decides to try to direct her toward archeology by getting her an Indiana Jones hat. It looks good on her, goes well with her glasses and pulled back hair (future Tiff who has a different look but can fancy herself up for fund raisers when needed). No one is surprised when she becomes department chair at age 45. Bernie realizes that she is self-sabotaging and joins the Navy, serving as a petty officer at first then finishing college while serving. Go Blue Jackets. Quill eventually becomes a producer; he gets talked into doing promos for tge various characters’ interests, and writes a PBS special on who they were and who they became, with the many surprises life holds.

Of course Bernice needs to be able to peer into the dorm windows from the outside. She needs to verify that they’re shut tightly and locked, after 10 o’clock!

And after going overboard, she shoves Jacques Cousteau, Jr. the IIIrd out of the way, and proceeds to board a sub…and then takes that sub down a few fathoms, just for good measure…